It is one of the standard ways of covering the social aspects of the relationship, because regulation 1.15A of the Migration Regulations 1994 expressly directs the decision maker to consider the opinion of the couple's friends and acquaintances about the nature of the relationship.
The form is published by the Department as Form 888 Supporting statement. Download the current version from the Department rather than using a copy someone sends you.
Watch out
A Form 888 is not a Commonwealth statutory declaration. The Department says that Form 888 is not a statutory declaration and that the current and any previous versions of the form are not acceptable for that purpose, because they do not satisfy the requirement. This matters at lodgement for applicants who do not hold a substantive visa, and it is set out in full below.
Who can complete a Form 888?
Someone aged 18 or over who knows both of you and can describe the relationship from their own knowledge. That includes friends, family members, housemates, neighbours, colleagues and employers.
The status of the person signing matters in one specific situation. Where the applicant does not hold a substantive visa at the time of application, the Department requires at least two statutory declarations made by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, together with evidence that each declarant holds that status. For every other applicant there is no published requirement that the people writing supporting statements be citizens or permanent residents — but statements from people who are settled in Australia and have observed the relationship over a long period are often the most useful, and providing evidence of the writer's status is commonly done in any case.
Form 888 and the statutory declaration requirement
This is the point on which applications are most often lodged invalidly, so it is worth being precise.
If you do hold a substantive visa when you apply, Form 888 statements are relationship evidence. They help, but nothing about the validity of the application turns on them.
If you do not hold a substantive visa when you apply, and you are eligible to apply at all, the Department requires certain things to be included at lodgement. Among them are at least two statutory declarations, each made within the last six weeks, by an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, confirming the married or de facto relationship, plus evidence that each declarant holds that status. The Commonwealth Statutory Declaration form for that purpose comes from the Attorney-General's Department. The Department warns that if this information is not included when the application is lodged, it may be deemed invalid.
A Form 888 does not meet that requirement. Neither the current form nor any earlier version is accepted in place of a Commonwealth statutory declaration. An applicant in that position needs both: the statutory declarations to make the application valid, and whatever supporting statements they want to provide as evidence.
Applicants without a substantive visa also face additional criteria for grant, including having to demonstrate that compelling reasons exist. That is covered on Schedule 3 criteria, and the related bar on some further applications is covered on the section 48 bar.
How many should you provide?
The Department does not publish a set number for the subclass 820 on its visa pages. Two to four detailed statements from people who have genuinely observed the relationship over time are commonly provided, and a spread is better than a cluster — one from each side of the couple, and ideally someone who has seen you at different stages rather than only recently.
Quantity does not substitute for substance. Ten statements saying the same three sentences add ten pages and no new information.
What makes a useful Form 888?
A useful statement is written by the person signing it, in their own voice, about things they have personally seen, with dates.
- How the writer knows each of you, and since when.
- When and how they learned you were a couple, and what they observed.
- Specific occasions with dates — a dinner at your home in March 2024, a wedding you attended together, a weekend away, a hospital visit, a family Christmas.
- What they have seen of the household — that they have been to your home, whose things are there, how the two of you divide the running of it.
- How you present as a couple to other people they know.
- Their own view of the relationship, and why they hold it.
A statement that says nothing more than that the writer has known the couple for two years and believes the relationship is genuine tells the decision maker only that someone was willing to sign a form. A statement describing three dated occasions the writer was actually present for does real work.
Two further points. First, do not write the statements for the people signing them: near-identical wording across several Form 888s is obvious and undercuts all of them. Second, give each writer the dates from your own relationship statement so their account does not contradict yours, but let them describe what they saw in their own words.
Signing, and the consequences of getting it wrong
The form is signed by the person making the statement. Giving false or misleading information to the Department is an offence, and the form itself sets out the declaration the signatory is making. Anyone asked to complete one should read what they are signing and should not sign a statement about events they did not witness.
The practical risk sits with the couple as much as with the writer. A supporting statement that says the writer attended a birthday dinner at your home on a date when the file shows you were overseas gives a case officer a reason to look harder at everything else.
Getting help
An application prepared with an Australian migration lawyer is more likely to succeed, and the Form 888 trap is a good illustration of why. The distinction between a Form 888 and a Commonwealth statutory declaration decides whether an application by someone without a substantive visa is valid at all, and an invalid application cannot simply be fixed afterwards — the Department notes that the application charge is not refunded where an application is refused, and time keeps running on a person's existing status. A professional will also tell you when a supporting statement is doing no work.
What to do next
Ask the people writing statements early, give them plenty of time, and check each one against your own account before it is signed. Then go back to the relationship evidence hub and confirm the other three matters are covered, particularly social context evidence. When the file is assembled, the upload steps are on lodging in ImmiAccount and the full list is on the 820 visa document checklist.
Common questions
Is a Form 888 a statutory declaration?
No. The Department of Home Affairs states that Form 888 is not a statutory declaration and that neither the current nor any previous version of Form 888 satisfies the statutory declaration requirement. That requirement applies at lodgement to applicants who do not hold a substantive visa, who must provide at least two statutory declarations made within the last six weeks. A Form 888 is still useful as relationship evidence for everyone else.
How many Form 888 statements should we provide?
The Department does not publish a set number on its subclass 820 pages. Two to four well-written statements from people who have genuinely seen the relationship over time are commonly provided. Ten identical statements from people who barely know you are worth less than two detailed ones.
Who can complete a Form 888?
Someone aged 18 or over who knows the couple and can describe the relationship from their own knowledge. Where the application also has to meet the statutory declaration requirement for applicants without a substantive visa, those declarations must be made by an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and evidence of that status has to be provided for each declarant.
Can my parents or my partner's parents write one?
Yes. Family members are among the people best placed to describe a relationship over time. What matters is that each statement is written in that person's own words and describes things they have actually seen, with dates, rather than repeating the couple's own statement.
What happens if someone says something untrue on a Form 888?
The form is signed and there are offence provisions for giving false or misleading information to the Department. Beyond the legal consequences for the person signing, an inaccurate supporting statement damages the application it was meant to help, because an inconsistency with the rest of the file is exactly what a decision maker will follow up.
Sources
Keep reading
Financial Evidence for the 820
The five financial items in regulation 1.15A, the documents that evidence each, how to present them, and what to do when you keep your money separate.
Read the guide →
Nature of the Household Evidence
The three household items in regulation 1.15A, how to evidence a shared address over time, and what to do when only one name is on the lease.
Read the guide →
Social Evidence: Proving Your Relationship Is Known
The three social items in regulation 1.15A, who should write a statement, and how to evidence being known as a couple to employers, clubs and agencies.
Read the guide →