SusanFrako Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forum, but everyone seems really friendly so m hoping someone can help. We (myself, husband and 2 girls) are flying out to Perth on my husbands 457 employer sponsored visa in May I would like however to apply for our PR as soon as possible as I understand they will be charging school fees to temporary residents from Jan 2015 and also we'd like to buy a house in the not too distant future although will be renting to begin with. So i'm wondering if I can apply for a 189 visa while we currently hold a 457? We have asked OH employer to sponsor us for permanent residency but they say we have to wait 2 years which I would rather not do if I can help it.... worried that if I go it alone with the 189 that it will affect the 457, and since were not in Australia yet I don't want to mess anything up!! Also I've had a look at the points test and I have more points than hubby so i'm thinking it would be best to apply (if we can) in my name. I'm an accountant though so i'm a bit worried they might be overrun with them as I've heard Perth is full of them. Did anyone on here apply as an accountant, and if so do you mind telling me how many points you had? I think I have 75, hubby has 65 and is an engineer so not sure whose name to apply in! Another question, do you have to get your skills assessed first or can you submit your Eoi first? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Hi Susan, I will try to help with some of your questions...so if you apply for a 189 in your name there are no issues and it won't affect the 457, it would just replace it when the new visa was granted. Not possitive but think it would even be ok for your hubby to apply for it (is he stuck with the 457 employer for any period of time though)? Something to check is the availability of both your occupations on the immi website as both are very popular. If you got a 189 you wouldn't be tied to having to get an accountant job in Perth, you could get any job you like if there were a shortage of accountant vacancies. You have to have the skills assessment (and Ielts if needed) before you can put in an EOI. If both your occupations are still available then check which skills assessment may be easier. The skills assessment is the hardest part and make sure your qualifications match the required aussie level needed to pass. This is a mistake we made at the beginning hence hubby failing first skills assessment. I hope some of this helps, Nikki x Edited January 7, 2014 by nikkiwd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanFrako Posted January 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Hi Susan, I will try to help with some of your questions...so if you apply for a 189 in your name there are no issues and it won't affect the 457, it would just replace it when the new visa was granted. Not possitive but think it would even be ok for your hubby to apply for it (is he stuck with the 457 employer for any period of time though)? Something to check is the availability of both your occupations on the immi website as both are very popular. If you got a 189 you wouldn't be tied to having to get an accountant job in Perth, you could get any job you like if there were a shortage of accountant vacancies. You have to have the skills assessment (and Ielts if needed) before you can put in an EOI. If both your occupations are still available then check which skills assessment may be easier. The skills assessment is the hardest part and make sure your qualifications match the required aussie level needed to pass. Hi Nikki Thank so much for replying. I've been sitting reading websites all night trying to get my head round it all. We were hoping his employer would deal with it all for us, even if they asked us to pay the visa costs that would be ok, but they are saying that they don't do this for any of their employees as there is too much risk involved for them...whatever that means! They have plenty of work and the like Michael so not sure why they wont just commit and do it for us ggrrrr! I've bought an ielst study guide now as I suppose I better get it done. I've already applied to transfer my accountancy membership to CPA Australia so think its just the ielst test I need before they will sign off my skills assessment. Is the test hard? Did you sit it? Why did you apply for the 190 instead of 189? I'm struggling to understand the differences between them all, are you restricted by which region you can live? I've checked both occupations are on the list but how do you know if they have reached their quota for the year? Or do you not get to know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) his employer is probably scared he will leave once he has the 189 so they wont push it through. Im not sure what the process for skills assessment for accounting is so can't comment on what you have to do.Hubby had his assessed by TRA which was a nightmare, they are ruthless, they don't communicate if they need more info its just fail! do you have to do Ielts for your skills assessment? some occupations do...hubby didn't but did need it later to get the extra points for te EOI. Hubby did the IELTS and got the 7's he needed first time with hardly any practice, the writing was the hardest for him but I think more practice is the key. We went for 190 as his occupation is not on the main SOL, just the CSOL which means he needs either a state or an employer to sponsor him. Western Australia was sponsoring his trade luckily as thats where we wanted to go. It says on the skillselect website which occupations have limited invites, I had a look and Accountant seems ok but there are a few engineer trades that are restricted. It is all a bit of a minefield but research enough and it can be done without an agent. Are you hoping to apply before you move out? Edited January 7, 2014 by nikkiwd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanFrako Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Think i'm going to sit the IELTS test next month, I need to sit the academic one for my skills assessment ggrrr and hopefully get my skills assessed soon after that, better to get as much done as possible before coming out I suppose. How much employer information did you need? Do you need references for all employers in the period your claiming or would payslips etc suffice? I don't really want to ask my work for a reference before I hand my notice in which I wont be doing till end of March... This is all so complicated! Thank for all your help If you are over this side of Scotland in the coming months let me know and we can meet for a coffee. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfie Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 If coming over on the 457 get a skill assessment done in the Uk prior to coming here as it will be needed. Just a little suggestion to speed things up for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ehassan42 Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hi, would really appreciate the assistance. I have been working in australia for about a year now under the 457 working visa. I have recently submitted my visa applications and medicals and pcc for 189 and now just in the process of waiting. Say, for instance, the visa had been granted. Would I need to exit Australia, get the visa validated in an aussie high commission abroad and re-enter Australia? thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 You don't have to leave Australia if you've applied on shore - only for the off shore application - you have to be out of the country at time of visa grant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hi I'm new, hope you don't mind me joining in I am an accountant and I have just started the 189 visa process for myself and my hubby & I wondered if you could give me some advise? We decided that I would be the main applicant because my hubby is a plumber and the skills assessment for an accountant seems much more straight forward and is also a lot quicker to process. I have just completed the IELTS and I am preparing references etc for my skills assessment with CPA Australia. I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind helping me out: I have been in touch with CPA Australia about assessing my experience as well as my qualification and they can do both. My question is do I need a reference from my current employer to have this done or can I provide my CV, job description & that type of thing? I want to get the correct documents to CPA so that the assessment is not delayed however I don't want to notify my current employer that I am leaving until I get an invitation to apply. Most of my experience is with my current employer (5+ years) so CPA may not accept documents other than a reference - I did contact CPA but they didn't really answer my question they just referred me to the website. I am not sure if I should have my skills assessed as a general accountant or a management accountant - I would say I fall somewhere between the two (probably more management accountant though). I trained in practice and then moved into industry which is a mixture of management and general accounting so I have experience in both areas. I am not sure how much detail is gone into in the skills assessment but I don't want to be declined for selecting the wrong category. I had initially thought I would select management account but I heard that the number of accountants being invited to apply is limited and I wondered if there is any way to confirm if either general accountants or management accounts are more restricted for invitations before I make a decision. Also can you tell me how you found the visa process? We are planning to do everything ourselves without an agent and I have spent a lot of time researching it and think I should be ok to do it myself but I have not done anything like this before and all feedback is welcome Any information you can provide would be a great help. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanFrako Posted July 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hi lulu In the end my husbands employer agreed to sponsor us for our 186 pr visa, so I haven't applied for the skills assessment through CPA Australia. I did however apply to transfer my membership to them from ACCA and I think the process is similar. I has to fill in a form and get my employer to sign it to verify my number of years experience, you may be able to get a colleague to do this rather than your boss if you'd rather not tell them. I also had to provide them with a transcript of my exam results from ACCA. They then got back to me with a list of exemptions but I still need to sit the final 4 exams before they will admit me. I'm doing these in October and May next year. Hope this helps a bit. Hi I'm new, hope you don't mind me joining in I am an accountant and I have just started the 189 visa process for myself and my hubby & I wondered if you could give me some advise? We decided that I would be the main applicant because my hubby is a plumber and the skills assessment for an accountant seems much more straight forward and is also a lot quicker to process. I have just completed the IELTS and I am preparing references etc for my skills assessment with CPA Australia. I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind helping me out: I have been in touch with CPA Australia about assessing my experience as well as my qualification and they can do both. My question is do I need a reference from my current employer to have this done or can I provide my CV, job description & that type of thing? I want to get the correct documents to CPA so that the assessment is not delayed however I don't want to notify my current employer that I am leaving until I get an invitation to apply. Most of my experience is with my current employer (5+ years) so CPA may not accept documents other than a reference - I did contact CPA but they didn't really answer my question they just referred me to the website. I am not sure if I should have my skills assessed as a general accountant or a management accountant - I would say I fall somewhere between the two (probably more management accountant though). I trained in practice and then moved into industry which is a mixture of management and general accounting so I have experience in both areas. I am not sure how much detail is gone into in the skills assessment but I don't want to be declined for selecting the wrong category. I had initially thought I would select management account but I heard that the number of accountants being invited to apply is limited and I wondered if there is any way to confirm if either general accountants or management accounts are more restricted for invitations before I make a decision. Also can you tell me how you found the visa process? We are planning to do everything ourselves without an agent and I have spent a lot of time researching it and think I should be ok to do it myself but I have not done anything like this before and all feedback is welcome Any information you can provide would be a great help. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauranewman Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hi Lulu Looks like we are at the same stage! I have done IELTS and am currently gathering the info for a skills assessment. I have requested a reference from my employer as I think CPA need something signed from your employer not just a CV etc. Luckily my line manager is a friend so I can get this without everyone knowing I am looking to leave! Could you ask for all the info without saying what it is for? Ie that you need it to verify your accounting experience with CIMA or ACCA? I am am going for skills assessment as Management Accountant but I'm not sure how this compares to General Accountant. You can fill in the online application for CPA skills assessment and once you've paid the 445 fee they will email you with the documentation you need so at least then you will know exactly what you need from your employer... We also aren't using a agent so hoping the process will be fairly straight forward.... Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Thanks for your reply. I can become a member of CPA Australia through a mutual recognition agreement - maybe this is something you could do with CPA instead of having to sit 4 exams? I am not sure what accountancy bodies they have the MRA's with but it is something you might want to look into. For the visa application I still need to have my skills assessed as far as I understand so becoming a member is something I would do when in Australia although I found from being in Perth last year that my qualification wasn't really questioned much, nobody seemed interested in it as long as I was qualified and had the relevant experience. I was in Perth for about 10 months & only had contract roles so I know it is very different from looking for a permanent role. How are you finding the job market in Perth at the moment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hi Lauranewman Glad to find someone at the same stage as us! Hopefully we can help each other along the way.... That is great you can get the references etc without anyone really knowing, I can't really do that unfortunately but I suppose I could say its for updating my CPA status, good idea! Have you completed the online application? I was in the process but I am not sure which code to select. It seems that the assessment is very specific and I don't want to be declined over choosing the wrong code. Is your background management accounting or do you have a mixture? I had spoke to a few agents & their fees are crazy, more than the cost of the actual visas! I know it would be worth it to get the visa but if it is not necessary then I would rather use the money towards flights etc. How did you find IELTS? Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauranewman Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 I told my line manager the reason I needed it but I told HR CIMA requested it. Just waiting to get it back from my line manager then going to submit online application although I've filled it all in. I've always been a Management Accountant so applying as that. I would look at immi website as to ceilings for each role and how many visas granted under each so you can decide which to apply under? I have a feeling all accountants are grouped together though so may not make a difference. Also may be worth looking at CPA skills assessment criteria to see which your qualifications got best? I'm CIMA so should meet all the knowledge areas of the Management Accountants. We we decided not to use a agent due to cost too - my points are to come from age, IELTS, degree and skills assessment so decided should hopefully be straight forward enough to do ourselves! IELTS was fun huh!! I underestimated it the first time and didn't score great so did some practice and decided to do it again (at 7 months pregnant) for more points and managed to get all 9's so worth the pain a second time! How about you? Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanFrako Posted July 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Unfortunately you only qualify for the MRA is you are a member of CIMA, which I am not. It's worth noting that if you apply to be a member of CPA first through MRA or with exemptions and gaining affiliate status they then conduct your skills assessment free of charge. A lot of people don't bother transferring but I felt it wouldn't do me any harm in the future considering I am fairly young and intend to be here for the long term. I am only applying for part time positions and I have 2 interviews in the next week so I'm finding the job market fairly good so far. I have heard it is fairly slow at the moment but compared to the UK there seems an abundance of jobs to be honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hi SusanFrako I didn't realise the assessment was free of charge if I became a member, thats good to know! I must just ask them about that. I would agree with you about the abundance compared to the UK, I am actually in Northern Ireland but there are so few jobs around I feel I have no choice only stay where I am currently, which is a place I really am not happy! Hopefully things will be good when we get to Perth.... Good luck with the interviews next week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hi Lauranewman I had a look on the immi website and it does look like accountants are all grouped together so maybe there aren't individual ceilings, if there are I know I can't find them! Looking at the skills assessment criteria for management & general are pretty similar, the general descriptions vary but the bullet point criteria are the same. I should just pick a category and get on with it, I am probably reading too much into it!!! The IELTS was surprising for sure!!! I assumed it would be a breeze but its harder than you would expect! I got an average of 8.5 but only got 7 in writing, it is enough for the skills assessment but if I had got an 8 I would get 20 points instead of 10 so that's a pity! I don't think I will do it again though, I have 30 points for age, 10 for IELTS, 15 for qualification & 15 for experience (hopefully) so I have enough to get me through. I will have to get my reference letter sorted next week & I can complete my online application and hopefully have my skills assessment in a few weeks! It will be good to have the EOI submitted and hopefully get an invitation fairly soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted August 17, 2014 Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 (edited) Hi Laura I just wondered how you are getting on with the visa process? It took me longer than expected to get all certificates, references etc but I eventually got everything and I have submitted my application for skills assessment. I expect to have the result in the next week or so and hopefully I can then submit the EOI. Have you completed the EOI? I have it completed online but not submitted so as soon as I get the skills assessment I am ready to go! I am a bit unsure about the employment section, did you input all employment for the last 10 years or only employment which you are claiming points for? I have completed it for everything however it is not all relevant as in there is 8 months work experience in Oz which I won't get points for & I am wondering if perhaps I should omit the positions which are not relevant because I don't have much backup for these positions. I assumed backup wouldn't be requested from DIAC as I don't actually get points for it but perhaps it is better to leave out than have an issue -any opinions on this? Hope all is going well for you! Edited August 26, 2014 by lulu2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Life Down Under Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hi SusanFranko You may be better to be sponsored for a 187 as many occupations do not require a skills assessment if the ANZSCO criteria can be demonstrated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauranewman Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hi Lou I'm at exactly same stage as you!! Took me longer than I thought to submit skills assessment as I had to go back to my uni to get syllabus details etc! I'm expecting mine back next week or week after at latest! Not started my EOI yet but I'll look at it tomorrow and see what I think. Maybe someone else on here can advise if you start a new thread? My friend has just done one so I'll ask her too and get back to you!! laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAY1123 Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hello, I am also an accountant, and our 190 visa was granted last year. Regarding the skills assessment for accountants, you don't need to submit to CPA australia your employment references as they would only need to assess whether your qualification is equivalent to their bachelor's degree for accountancy and has the core subjects required. The employment references letters would only be needed when you have submitted your application to DIAC. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted August 21, 2014 Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 Hi Laura I would appreciate that, thanks! I think it is probably fine to submit as it is, I can't see why I would be asked for backup to work experience which is not relevant but reading some forums I do start to worry about the consequences of just assuming and I wouldn't want to miss out on getting a visa over something like that!! I hope you get your skills assessment soon, I am hoping to have the EOI in for the next round of invitations but that will depend on when I get the skills assessment letter. Let me know how you are getting on & feel free to message me if I can help with anything. Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 Hi Chay1123 I have submitted my references to CPA as they will provide an assessment of work experience as well as skills assessment and there is no extra charge for this. When did you make the move? I hope you have settled in well. How do you find the job market in Perth? I had considered the 190 visa but because Accountants are now on schedule 2 a job offer is needed, as far as I know all schedule 2 occupations need a job offer now for WA state sponsorship which is unfortunate for us! Did you complete the visa application yourself or did you use an agent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAY1123 Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 Hi Lulu2014, We are going to make the move this October, we will arrive in Perth in Nov 1 (excited but a little bit terrified too!). I am just starting to test the waters for looking jobs. Ideally, I would like to start work around Jan next year, want to rest a little bit. From what I have gathered so far, the recruiters would prefer us to be there too and most of the jobs posted needs the person to be there to start immediately, so I have no luck so far finding one.. hopefully will soon, otherwise I will really start to worry.. I will definitely update you once I get there I have my assessment made by ICAA, actually I also have my experience assessed, only to find out later that it is not really needed . The document I submitted to DIAC are only the references from my existing and previous employer and did not include the experience assessment from ICAA, and that seems to be sufficient. We initially did the processing ourselves, but later on we engaged an agent as I got pregnant and a lot of complications came with it. Thankfully we've learned of our pregnancy before the visa was granted, it was on the stage when they asked us for the medicals and police reports.. so we asked our application to be deferred until I had my babies, which is great as they also got their visa along with ours . By the way, are you planning to transfer your qualifications to Australian designation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu2014 Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Hi Chay1123 Congratulations on your new arrivals! I don't know if it will be of any benefit to transfer my qualifications. I was in Perth last year and I worked as an accountant for two different companies, these were short term contract roles and not permanent but from my experience UK & Irish Accountancy qualifications are well regarded in Perth and transferring qualifications is an extra cost with little benefit in my opinion. Is there any reason that you only sent the skills assessment letter with your visa application and not the work experience assessment? I have both so was going to submit both (assuming I get invited to apply!). How far in the process did you go yourself before engaging an agent? I am still going it alone but I do get nervous when I read other posts about applications being rejected for reasons that could have been avoided. I am confident with my EOI but I worry that the actual application is going to be very complex and I don't want my application to be rejected for any reason. Lucky you heading off in October! I wish we were further along in the process, how long did it take you to get an invite after EOI was submit and have you any advise that might help speed up the process for me? I see a lot of conversations about Form 80, did you have to complete this? I think I might start to complete it so that if it is needed there are no delays. Myself & hubby were in Perth last year so if I can give you any info that will help with the move let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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