verystormy

Welcome to the forum It is an awkward one. My gut reaction would say no, as they are looking at time spent at degree level or above. But, I would run it past a good migration agent. Camilla at http://www.newlifedownunder.com.au would be a good option. You would also need to look carefully at the points as you wouldn't have any on graduating for experience and while 65 is the minimum, the reality is you may need significantly more.

Points, occupation and and other qualifying factors.

It makes zero difference.

It isn't the school that charges, but the state. The current fee is $4000 per year.

Have you checked the WA skilled lists as at present the state requires you to have either studied in WA or have a job offer for most occupations. https://migration.wa.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Final State nomination migration program criteria - Feb 2019 update.pdf

You need to gain registration as a nurse in Australia prior to skills assessment. You will need to swat up to gain the maximum points for English as this is critically important, particularly for a 189 visa as 75 points is going to be the minimum to get an invite. Personally I am a big fan of using an agent to guide you through the process.

That will get a quick invite. However, do make sure you have calculated points correctly as 95 with a max ILETS score is unusually high and ovet alimony a single point gets a refusal (loss of fee) and potentially even a ban on reapplying

Camilla of http://www.newlifedownunder.com.au is very highly recommended and is a long time member of the forum. She is based in Perth, but that is not an issue as generally agents will not see you face to face and instead prefer things by email. Though you can call her.

Points are locked in at the time of application. How many points does he have?

Yes, you should study for it. I have seen even teachers fail more than once. Also, the visa process is a sort of competition, with those that have the highest points being invited first and the lowest points potentially never getting invited. So, getting as many points as possible from things like ILETS is important.

I am a big fan of using an agent as after so many years on the forum I have seen applications made with an error resulting in a refusal. Have you done ILETS?

The advice is always use a registered migration agent. If you think ACS are pedantic. Wait till you actually deal with migration. Accept, they don't give the chance to redo do things.mthey will keep that big expensive visa fee. Issue a refusal and potentially even a ban on reapplying.

I would strongly recommend using an agent. The downside of employer sponsored is that they are on of the most common visas to be refused.

How about getting married? You can get a prospective marriage visa, which would allow you to go to Oz to get married and then apply for a partner visa.

It sounds feasible to me, though there may be other options. In some states in Oz it is possible to register a relationship which means you don't need to have lived together for 12 months.