A big hello and some advice needed please

[Guest Rick_84]

A big hello to everyone, I'm just new to the forum so please go easy!!

My name is Rick and my partners is Julie and we are originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland. We arrived in Australia in November 2012 as backpackers. I am a Diesel Fitter by trade and was able to get a sponsor 6 months into our travels. Since then we have been living in a small mining town called Moranbah which is roughly a 10 hour drive north north/west of Brisbane.

Unfortunately our circumstances have taken a turn for the worst as my sponsor passed away around 3 weeks ago and there's a real possibility the company may close. If that happens I'm in a situation where I'll have only 90 days to find another sponsor and trust me that's not an easy task. My other option is to go for a skilled independent visa (subclass 189). This is the option I'm seriously considering but it's going to cost us around $11500 and only 5 months ago we paid $7500 towards my 457 Sponsored visa.

Is there anybody out there that went through this same visa process without using an immigration agent as their charge is $3500 alone. How easy/hard was it?

My reason for coming to this Poms in Perth forum is because we're seriously considering a move over to the west of Australia. We've heard a lot of great things about Perth and after doing some research online it seems like we'd really enjoy the lifestyle it has to offer and hopefully the job opportunities preferably in the mining industry as this is what I've known since arriving here in Australia. Any comments regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm abit confused as to where to start looking for rental properties to live as well as I don't know what any of the suburbs are like. Any help would be greatly appreciated once again.

 

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read this and I hope to read your replies.

 

Thank

Rick.

[ali]

Hi Rick and welcome to the forum. I can't answer the visa question I'm afraid but hope someone will be able to do so. I'd suggest waiting until you have a job lined up before deciding on a suburb - WA is so vast and you don't want for example to get a job in Joondalup and be based in Mandurah.

[Nikkis2000]

Hi Rick, welcome to PP. I'm not sure I can help too much but having been through the 190 process I can say that it's not quick. If you only have a short time period, and really don't want to go home in the interim time it would take to get a PR, it may well be worth talking it over with an agent to discuss your options.

[verystormy]

Hi Rick

 

Visa first.

My advice, if you want to stay in Australia is to go for the PR visa. I am surprised how much you paid for the 457 and think you have been ripped off a bit - by law the employer should have paid most of that. The agent fees you have been qouted sound very high as well. I would try another agent - Give Go Matilda a call.

 

Work, is hard to say as i dont know your industry. However, i would say mining is very sluggish at the moment and jobs are very tight. Though diesal fitters are one of the areas regularly recruited, but it will be tough to get into mining at the moment as mines always prefer people with mine experience and there are unemployed people with that experience chasing the jobs

 

Where to live is up to you and what you want and budget. If you can give us some idea on budget, that will be a start, though it will depend a lot on where you get work. Perth is very spread out.

[elfie]

Rick ive sent you a private message regarding recruitment companies from UK based in Perth