per month because he doesn't know "someone who knows someone". Absolutely no chance to save money, living from paycheck to paycheck. The 40 grand you speak of is lightyears away! While I was back in Australia I worked two or three jobs at a time while studying just to be able to be in the same place as my husband later and to have some sort of a life there! And the only way we could do this is if I went away to work in Australia and save, save, save, separated from my husband for months on end. To the Department of Immigration: maybe I, as sponsor, would have been "financially stable" had you not forced me to hand over a major part of my savings simply in order to apply! I understand why the system is there and I'm not saying it is Australians' or even Australia's fault - I'm sure my own country has even more extreme immigration policies. But I had no idea how degrading it could be to be an immigrant, honestly. Gave up a nice apartment, a job at a bank, family and friends and a cat and I come here to work night shifts in a contact centre for minimum wage and basically nobody gives me the time of day. Can't get a decent car, can't get a decent job, can't rent a decent place. All the work I did at home, having been a model citizen and student for years, down the