ryu2000

We have been back 3 times in three years. Australia is a nice place, going back to the UK and Europe makes us appreciate it more. The history, etc. Each country has its own merits.

Hi thanks for the informative responses. My decision for posting was to see if there are any people in a similar position to me. I am confident in the agent's actions advise so far. And based on the information in this thread I will not be lodging the second part of the visa until we get an answer from the DIAC on the training. I was not aware that there is such thing as decision ready anymore. As we were lodging decision ready (this started September 2013) all related documentation such as police checks and medical have been obtained. I was never given the option to go for a 187. The agent I am using is the same agent that got my 457 visa so I just told her my occupation (Engineering Technologist) and that was that. I will bear this in mind if there are problems however. Thanks for your advise and good luck in the future.

I would not recommend moving to Australia on 65K. Cost of living out here is ridiculous out here and this wage would not supply a comfortable lifestyle.

It is not just a case of getting a new job. The new employer has to obtain a 457 visa which can take 2-3 months. If it were to happen there would have to be quite a lot of planning. A colleague I know actually did it, but his current employer agreed to keep him in work whilst his new company obtained the new 457 visa. It was not straight forward. And looking at the way Perth is going with regards to the job market and obtaining a 457 visa, I am not too sure if companies are willing to sponsor for a 457 as they previously were.

Hi, I have been living in Perth under the 457 visa for just over two years. My company agreed to sponsor me for PR, however it was done on the basis I pay for the visa myself. The relevant documentation was obtained and we agree to lodge 'decision ready' December 2013. We agreed to this however the one area where there were concerns with the migration agent was the training expenditure. This need to be 1% of payroll for the previous financial year. There were concerns because of a lot of the training expenditure was conferences. To be honest I think the basis of this visa application will be dependant on what DIAC deem 'training'. Based on this and the cost of applying for a visa we agreed to lodge the company section first. If this is successful we then lodge our part. This was lodged early December and I am still waiting for an answer on the company part. I have the following queries:- 1. Has anyone any ETA of company approval? I have been told anywhere from 6-12 months just for company to approval to 6 months for both myself and company! It is very vague. 2. What does the status 'in progress' mean on the visa application website. Does this mean it is being looked at? Or does it mean it's just been lodged. 3. Will this strategy have any bearing on my visa application apart from time waiting for approval. The basis on this strategy was if the company fails, they can lodge again. However, if they fail and I have also lodged my part - BOTH parts fail. I do not have the money to lodge again. So my thinking is I am saving myself in excess of $5000 if I don't lodge until approval of the company part. 4. I have also been advised my visa application would be quicker if I lodge both parts together. Is this correct? My concern here is my roll on the skilled visa list will be up for review in July 2014. Could this have a bearing on my application? My concern is if the company approval starts to run over to July it will rejected because my roll (Engineering Technologist) is under review for the skilled occupation list. http://www.awpa.gov.au/our-work/labour-market-information/skilled-occupation-list/Pages/Flagged-Occupations.aspx Any advise - appreciated!

I was wondering if anyone could offer advise on my situation. Myself and my wife arrived in Perth in July 2011 on a 4 year 457 business visa. The idea was really to give Australia a try as we had been here on holiday but had never thought seriously about living here. My company have openely offered to sponsor us for PR, however whilst we have been here the whole visa situation has changed in Perth. My understanding is the Australians are making it more difficult for migrants coming into the country whether that is on a 457 or PR. This also extends to employee offered sponsorship. One of the areas my company is struggling on is they now have to supply evidence to the Department Of Immigration that they are spending 1% of payroll on training Australians. Our parent company who we distribute from (but are not linked physically) is in the process of being taken over. So I think this also a reason for a delay. They are adamant they can get this together but it has me looking at my options if the employee sponsorship does not come through. I was wondering what people think:- - The first option would be to work here for 4 years on the 457 visa then return home. - The second option would be to switch sponsor. However my 457 visa runs out in July 2015. It is my understanding that if I get a new sponsor my current 457 visa continues. It looks like there is now 2-3 month wait to switch sponsor. If I then switched 457 would I have to wait another 2 years for sponsorship or could they sponsor for PR straight away? - The third option would be to apply for PR ourselves. We are paying for everything. Looking into this it looks like I could be waiting up to 60 days for a decision via Skill Select and then up to 4 months for my skills assessment. Best case we get a decision by next July we can apply for a visa - this then gives me a year to get my PR whilst in Australia. Any feedback appreciated!

When you are in Australia you are presented with a variety of different stories. There is no doubt as I said earlier the mining boom has peaked. But that is just the 'boom'. Mining will continue but not at the rate it has been. What caused the issue here is there have been a a few major projects put on hold recently. There are a variety of conspiracy theories as to why this is. For example, our Chinese friends are trying to decrease the value of iron ore - so have stopped buying. Another theory is the recently carbon tax by the government. Mining companies have decreased production in order to avoid paying the tax. Whatever it is mining will continue so there will be jobs. Perth is a great city but let's face it - they just dig holes in the ground this ain't London, Paris, New York LOL. As for the dollar - yes it will weaken. It has to - as I've said in the past the East coast is suffering. There have been recent interest rate cuts. There is no doubt that Perth is staggeringly expensive at times - eating out, food shopping, rent, mortgage - all ridiculous. Me and my wife deal with it by dividing everything by three as we are paid three times the amount we were in the UK. We are paid very well as a lot of people are in Perth - hence the high prices. But for your average man the street who maybe aren't as well paid - the interest rate cuts are probably very welcome. But in summary there won't be any crash of the economy as it's still a successful country. Resources will always be in demand. With regards to property. What you will need to get used to is the Perth bubble - which isn't going to burst anytime soon. WA has the potential to be the resource captial of the world. There are 1000's of people arriving a week to try and be part of this success. This has driven the rentals to sky high prices. The problem is there are not enough houses available. There is quite simply a housing shortage out here. I can back this up as my wife works for government and this high on the agenda. There are rentals available but they are becoming harder to get hold of in the established areas. Same goes for property. People are paid very high wages out here. Additionally Australia went through a credit boom in the last 10 years. So the average house price in Perth is now $500,000. I cannot see it going much higher but at the same time I cannot see any crash. If you are looking to buy you will probably have to buy further out in somewhere like Butler maybe - or even further. As with the rentals there is a chronic shortage of affordable housing here. I am living in a house that is probably worth a million at the moment but I am paying a rent to cover a half a million pound mortgage. I have a property back in the UK so at nearly 40 I doubt I will buy in Australia. Just save what money we have left and look at alternative investment options. This year the has been a rise in the temperature of the Indian Ocean. There is no doubt there are some total monsters out here. The guitarist in my band runs a dive shop out here and is a marine biologist so I have first hand information. You do see some stories on the news but don't let it stop you! If you are into surfing you will love it out here. Good luck!

Hey Mgwster. The best advice I can give you is you need to be in the country. With regards to the employment situation things have changed somewhat since I arrived. As I said in previous e-mails on the West coast we sell into the mining industry as it's the main industry here - on the west coast we are in different industries such as manufacturing. On the east coast at the moment, the economy is in a bit of a decline. People say the GFC could finally be catching up with Australia, or perhaps the high Australian dollar is beginning to cause problems. On the West Coast, because of the decline in demand for iron ore from China a lot of major mining projects have been put on hold. There are variety of different media spin reported on this issue but it is what I have seen in happening. Therefore many FIFO and project staff have lost their jobs. These staff have relocated back to the city. In the news we are fed a variety of different reports whether the mining boom has peaked - but this is what I have seen at a local level. Don't get me wrong there are jobs available but I think it is more competitive than it was. Therefore, agencies will (possibly) not be interested unless you are in the country. I've seen these types of responses from agencies e-mails to friends who are trying to get into the country to work. In summary whether it's 457, Holiday Visa, or PR - it's best to be in the country. My wife applied for work offshore whilst back in the UK. She didn't get any response until she was physically in the country. My opinion is Perth is it is a city - but with a town type of mentality. This is not a bad thing, but yes networking is key to succeeding out here. If you know anyone out here, who is perhaps in a company in the city then use this link. I've seen it in my industry and also through friends who have got other friends jobs etc. You should also consider some form of contract work when you get here to get that 'Australian' work experience. Additionally, you also need to think if you are in software some of your work will be away from Perth. I am in software but I spend much of my time flying out to various areas across Perth. I am not FIFO but this is expected if you are working in Perth for some jobs. I have visited Ocean Reef. Yes it is a nice place I know people in Butler but that area is also too far out for me. We also found there wasn't enough going on in that area of Perth. Ocean Reef is probably far up as I would go as I do not feel it's quite established. That said, I don't have any kids so my priorities are different I live in a place called Innaloo which is near Scarborough. We like this area as it is more established and crucially it is near public transport. The freeway getting into the city is a bit of a nightmare in the morning so think carefully where you want to live. Joondalup is the next town up from Perth. There is work here but the city centre is primarily a large retail park. Finally, if you are going to spend money on a flight to see if there is work out here. I had success with this as I was physically in the country at a set time. Just make sure if you do this you have contacted job agencies beforehand. There is a motto in Australia that WA stands for 'Wait Awhile'. Job applications are processed at a very slow speed out here. If job agencies cannot guarantee interviews it would be money wasted. As we found out what money you have doesn't go a long way at the moment because of the high Australian dollar! Good luck - feel free to ask anymore questions...

Hey English my advise would still be to visit Perth just to see if you even like it. Try to schedule interviews whilst you are here. Then try and go down the 457 route. I hear quite a lot of stories about people struggling to get sponsorship after the WHV has expired. Good luck...!

Good luck! I thought I was quick getting mine in 6 weeks

I have been here for just over 7 months. I have been very surprised at the amount of British and South Africans in this city. Soon there will be no Australians left LOL. I was advised by my family who already live here that we should stay away from areas like Joondalup if we were looking for a different experience from the UK. Although I agree slightly no amount of whinging Poms attitude can change the Perth experience which is a very laid back one. So perhaps they were a tad harsh on Joondalup. I do agree however with the description of areas like Butler, i.e the newer parts of Perth. These seem to be identikit suburbs very similar to what they build in America. However, again I guess these areas are still very new and therefore have not had a chance to develop a character as such. I do prefer the older areas, or being nearer the older areas. However with the rental availability now at 1.6% chances are living in such areas are getting slimmer. So I'll just stay where I am for now!

I spoke to the immigration department. I called a few migration agents and they basically said we would be charged for any sort of consultation. I did speak to him about before July 12th before visa changes but it was a waste of time because we are not going to apply for it before then. These are the questions I asked about the changes and how it will affect us post July 12th. 1. If I fund PR myself (independent) is it possible to register for an Expression Of Interest (EOI) and apply for a visa (if we are invited) before I have worked here for 2 years and would I need a skills assessment. Still waiting for concrete updates. You can apply - however it can take anywhere in the region of 18 months to 2 years to obtain an indepedent visa if you are selected to apply for a visa and then up to 2 years to obtain this visa. He said you can put in EOI regardless of skills assessment however this is contradicted on the government website. I think if we did it ourselves we would need the skills assessment as I have no qualifications in my field. 2. If I am successful with the EOI which visa would I be offered to apply for. You would probably be offered independent however you could be offered state sponsorship. 3. If I did not apply for an EOI for the next three years if I was still in my job and applied for an EOI is there a chance there would be no more visa's left because the pool would be full? Yes this is possible. There have been vocations taken off the skilled visa list. You would then complete 4 years here and would leave Australia. 4. Do I still need an EOI if I obtain company sponsorship? No you do not need this. The company applies for the visa. 5. Can the company obtain PR visa for me before the two years is up? When on a 457 visa you would need to wait two years before the company can apply - you would not need a skills assessment. If they want to sponsor you now you need 3 years work experience and skills assessment. Once you obtain your PR there is no condition you have to stay and it can take 5 months to obtain. In summary we are forgetting about this until two years is reached as I have not reached any conclusion Australia is for me long term. English my suggestion is to find a company who are willing to sponsor you. Visa costs are not reimbursed if you are rejected.

Hi all, I have been doing some reading on the new VISA changes this morning specifically SKILLSELECT. I am still not 100% if I am going to stay or not here in Perth but I was wondering now this website is going live on July 2012 if I need to start thinking about it as it looks to me if there is basically going to be a points system implemented before I am even invited to apply for a visa. The reason I am starting to think about it is the job I am doing (Engineering Technologist) I have NO formal qualifications in. However I do have 15 years experiences so hopefully I would have a good chance of a successful skills assessment. However, I was wondering if someone could assist me with the following points:- 1. I am aware the 457 visa does not guarantee permanent residency. You have to apply for this. However, is it still possible to apply for a visa the 'normal' way or has this been abolished. My original plan was to get 2 years experience under my belt with my current position, hopefully obtain a skills assessment then apply for permanent residency. 2. In WA I have generally been advised by colleagues and friends to fund your own PR visa (ownership issues). However, with this new migration strategy being introduced would it be advantageous to request or ask if my company sponsor my PR? 3. If I manage to get an EOI lodged and get an invitation to apply for a VISA via SKILLSELECT does this mean I can apply for PR before I have been working and living in Australia for 2 years? Thanks in advance.

I moved here to realise a dream - which was to work abroad. I didn't care where it was I just wanted to work and live abroad even if it's temporary or not.

Hey English if you come on the 457 then your partner would be your co-dependent. That is the 457 visa would also cover her. I was very lucky with our visa situation. I have worked for the company before (they are based in California) and have worked for their competitors in Europe. I have over 13 years experience is the industry. They were looking to expand their Australia presence opening an office in Perth. I saw their job advertisement on seek.com.au a month before I flew so we arranged a meet up. I also met with competitors and got offered a few jobs whilst out here. It think actually meeting up with these companies was key. As you also mentioned we sell directly into the mining industry. We do deal with other industries but if you like it or not mining is the main industry in Western Australia. As verystormy said they key is getting a job and sponsorship. I would not even plan any moves to Australia or even think about moving out here until you get a job and sponsorship and it forces your hand. I also agree it would be great to come over on a WHV but it would have to be treated as a temporary situation. I know loads of people who stayed here after the WHV however this was 10 years ago and things were a lot different back then. Your job has to be on that skilled list. Good luck...