Ships Master / Ships Officer / Marine Pilot

[CaptainR]

Has anyone on here gone through the migrant visa process for this occupation? Any advice?Does anyone know about the job market for Ships Officers, maybe in the offshore sector?. Looking forward to hearing from anyone in the know.

 

--------------------

 

UPDATED POST: 08/06/2014

 

Timeline:

 

25 Feb 2013 – Started requesting letters from my previous employers

15 Apr 2013 - Submitted AMSA CoR Application by courier

17 Apr 2013 – AMSA Started processing my application

28 May 2013 – AMSA Issued Letter to sit Oral (by e-mail)

06 July 2013 – IELTS Exam

05 Aug 2013 – Arrived Perth/Fremantle

06 Aug 2013 – AMSA checked original documents

07 Aug 2013 – AMSA Medical

08 Aug 2013 – AMSA Oral at Fremantle Office

09 Aug 2013 – Departed Perth

20 Aug 2013 – AMSA Issued Immigration Verification Letter (PDF)

20 Aug 2013 – Submitted EOI

01 Sep 2013 – Invited to apply for Visa

04 Sep 2013 – Applied for 189 Visa

02 Nov 2013 – Grant Notification

 

Documents Uploaded

We received an immediate grant with these documents. No contact from the case officer.

 

Main Applicant

Passport

Birth Certificate

IELTS

AMSA Skill Assessment (Letter showing qualification+employment time)

Employment Letters

Work/Ship ID Cards (Old ones)

Police Clearance Certificates

Overseas Qualifications and license (HND Nautical Science/MCA Masters Ticket)

Resume

Form 80

 

Wife

Passport

Birth Certificate

Marriage License

IELTS

Police Clearances

Form 80

 

Son

Passport

Birth Certificate

 

Step Daughter

Passport Birth Certificate

Annullment Decree (Sole Custody to my wife)

Affadvit from 2010 showing no known wherabouts of ex-husband

Statutory Declaration from Sep 2013 saying still no known wherabouts of ex-husband.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Where can I get orals prep?

The Challenger Institute of Technology in Western Australia recommended Peter Aplin, he was charging A$70/per hour for prep.

 

Is the oral only based Australian Law?

No, based on my oral experience and feedback from others, the oral is comprehensive and covers everything on the syllabus in detail. I found it similar to my original British MCA Oral including legal questions in relation to the AMSA Marine Notices, Marine Orders and regulations. Rules, Buoys, Manouevering, IMO regs, cargo work etc were all covered.

 

Do I have to do an oral before getting the skill assessment?

Yes

 

Do I need to get a positive skill assessment before applying for the EOI?

Yes

 

Do I get my CoR after taking the oral?

No, only a skill assessment letter. The CoR is only issued once you have the visa and have submitted proof to AMSA.

 

Does the skill assessment letter from AMSA deduct periods of leave when counting the entire period of employment?

No, if you have been working at sea for 8 years on a regular rotation (i.e. 4 months on/2 months off or 2 months on/off) you will still get the full 8 years on the letter.

 

Can I send sea service testimonials?

No, you need to send company signed letters from all employers.

 

Do I really need to get a police clearance for flag states I have served 12 months on?

I wasn't asked for this and didn't provide it, but other people have had to, and you should make all efforts to try and obtain one. If you can't obtain one then you must submit proof and discuss with your case officer.

 

Is their an abundance of work in Australia?

There is some pilotage and shoreside work in remote areas, the jobs in major cities will more then likely have a queue of people already in Australia applying. Seagoing jobs in the offshore industry are fairly scarce unless you have AHTS command experience and a DP Unlimited ticket. Plenty of Australians with a 2nd Mates ticket and DP Advanced queing for junior officer jobs. Offshore oil and gas is also slowing down in some areas.

 

 

Useful Oral Prep/ Revision Material

 

AHP20 Seafarers Handbook for Australian Waters

 

AMSA code of safe working practices for Australian seafarers

 

 

Navigation Act 2012

 

 

Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993

 

AMSA Marine Notices

 

AMSA Marine Orders

 

AMSA Website (Pollution, PSC, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, MLC etc)

 

MARPOL

 

SOLAS

Edited July 21, 2014 by CaptainR

[Petals]

Never seen any jobs advertised, I guess in the major ports here the jobs are like gold. I know getting on the tugs is difficult its not what you know I think with these jobs.

 

Plenty of ex merchant marine people have made Aus home, my oh Chief Engineer. He found it easy to get a job ashore here but that was a long while ago now.

 

Another friend of ours also a Chief Engineer works with the Aus Navy on one of their training ships.

[Petals]

If you are not already a member perhaps join Ships Nostalgia web site. There are bound to be people on it that have information about being a Pilot in Aus. Also Barrier Reef Pilots have you looked at Queensland sites?

 

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/

[Guest Kamal Verma]

hey guys,

i am having certificate of ship officer from amsa , whould i have to sit again for oral exam for skill assessment for visa processing

 

thanks

[flag of convenience]

I've noticed a few positions going for Harbour Master/Pilot around Australia in the past year. One I think was for Dampier (WA)I would imagine that British master mariners tickets are held in high regard.

You could try the direct approach to Port Hedland Port Authority for example, a port than handles a lot of tonnage and requires the services of numerous pilots. Or Hay Point,Gladstone in Qld..........I'm not sure about oil tender vessels plying up the north west of WA? Perhaps worth a shot?

[Guest Kamal Verma]

thanks captainR.............

one thing more i want to ask that what are the job prospectus for fresh 3rd officer in Australia because i am fresh 3rd mate, just finished exam in last December 2011

fresh 3rd mate means i don't have sailing experience as a 3rd mate, i am having experience of 2 years as deck cadet of general cargo ship.

waitting for your reply guys

[Guest Kamal Verma]

thanks CaptainR

[flag of convenience]

For your Information a position `there is a position advertised by Geraldton Port Authority for Senior Marine Pilot. An attractive salary package of up tp $200,000 pa goes with it.

A valid Australian Master Class 1(or accepted equivalent) with a record of handling large ships is being sought.

 

Geraldton is 424 kilos north of Perth (WA)....ok sort of place.

 

You can secure a job describtion at www.gpa.wa.gov.au and go to Tenders and Employment tab.........

[fmck]

http://www.careersatsea.com.au/

 

I registered with this website. I haven't had much luck as a chief engineer. I do require sponsorship though and this may be a stumbling block.

[fmck]

Thanks very much for the links.

[chachu]

Cap R/ fmck

Guess I am on the same boat...

As it goes will also need to first do the Oral exams for CE Class 1 to get the skill assesment with AMSA..............**** thats scary

 

FMCK- on another post I read that u made it thru this oral.......wow.

How do I go preparing for this, also considering did this in India 10 years ago and not currently sailin.

 

would appreciate any help on this....need to know where to get the study materila and what to expect etc

[Six it]

Check out Gladstone,

they are always looking for masters here.. 4 dredging projects, multiple barges, tugs not to mention all the construction traffic needed for the builds on curtis island... insane increase in boat traffic since it all kicked off

[fmck]

Hi Chachu

I have sent you a PM.

 

http://www.amsa.gov.au/Marine_Qualifications/Immigration_Qualification_Assessments/

[chachu]

Hi fmck

 

thanks for all info.

can you pls tell me how many points do you score for the class 1 certification??

[malkyboy74]

Hello all,

 

I've recently sat the AMSA Certificate of Recognition oral exam for my UK Masters Class 1 Unlimited. I sat the exam in Brisbane this September, and although I did get a bit worried beforehand, the exam was not too bad at all.

 

The purpose of the exam is not to examine you on all aspects of the Class 1 ticket, they are only interested in your knowledge of Australian legislation (Navigation Act, Marine Orders, etc), AMSA organisation and framework, and any local requirements (MARPOL Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait Pilotage etc.). You will get everything you need from the AMSA website, so just make sure you spend some time going through it all before the exam.

 

The worst thing about having to go through AMSA is how painfully slow they are at procesing everything - it took them over a month to complete my intial imigration assessement. Even after passing my orals, it took over 6 weeks for them to issue the letter to Oz Immigration saying that I had passed the exam!

 

Got my 189 visa application in now though & been for medicals etc. Now just need to sell the house & find a job over there..........

[fmck]

Hello all,

 

I've recently sat the AMSA Certificate of Recognition oral exam for my UK Masters Class 1 Unlimited. I sat the exam in Brisbane this September, and although I did get a bit worried beforehand, the exam was not too bad at all.

 

The purpose of the exam is not to examine you on all aspects of the Class 1 ticket, they are only interested in your knowledge of Australian legislation (Navigation Act, Marine Orders, etc), AMSA organisation and framework, and any local requirements (MARPOL Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait Pilotage etc.). You will get everything you need from the AMSA website, so just make sure you spend some time going through it all before the exam.

 

The worst thing about having to go through AMSA is how painfully slow they are at procesing everything - it took them over a month to complete my intial imigration assessement. Even after passing my orals, it took over 6 weeks for them to issue the letter to Oz Immigration saying that I had passed the exam!

 

Got my 189 visa application in now though & been for medicals etc. Now just need to sell the house & find a job over there..........

 

Well done! I know what you mean about the speed of AMSA. I had thought that my waiting for the letter was a one off. I'm on my way to Oz to work today. I will spend a few months getting settled in and then move my family down.

 

I am going to the Sunshine Coast to live. Drop me a PM when you move and maybe we can meet up for a barbie.

[fmck]

Hi fmck

 

thanks for all info.

can you pls tell me how many points do you score for the class 1 certification??

 

You get ten points for your skills assessment.

[malkyboy74]

Well done! I know what you mean about the speed of AMSA. I had thought that my waiting for the letter was a one off. I'm on my way to Oz to work today. I will spend a few months getting settled in and then move my family down.

 

I am going to the Sunshine Coast to live. Drop me a PM when you move and maybe we can meet up for a barbie.

 

Well done on making it out there, we've still got quite a few hurdles to cross!

 

How did you get on with finding work? I've been applying for loads of shore based work & pilots jobs, and have had a little bit of interest, but nothing concrete so far. I'm a bit surprised about this tbh, because I've got loads of relevant experience for all the stuff I've been applying for.

 

I'm hoping things pick up once my 189 visa has been approved.

 

We quite fancy the idea of settling down somewhere around Brisbane, so the barbie could be a good shout!

[malkyboy74]

Hi CaptainR,

 

I prepared for the exam by studying the contents of the syllabus through the AMSA website - pretty much everything is contained on there.

 

It's been about 11 years since I sat my UK Class 1 Orals, so I also did a bit of revision of UK Masters Orals syllabus (Business & Law, rule of the road etc.) just in case any of this was asked - none of it was, the orals purely dealt with the Australian aspects of things.

 

Have a look at the Navigation Act, Marine Orders, and all the different functions of AMSA - pollution, National Plan, search & rescue etc. As I said, all of this is available on the website with the exception of the Navigation Act, and you will find a copy of this by googling "Navigation Act 1912". If you work through each point on the syllabus you won't go far wrong.

 

The orals took around 30 minutes, and were nothing like as intense as the UK orals. I think AMSA are basically just making sure that you have not forged your CoC, and that you have a basic understanding of the Australian regs. Quite an expensive way for you to have to prove this though!!

 

I did get a bit stressed out about the exam beforehand, basically because I was spending all of that money to travel out there & it would have been a complete nightmare if I had failed! Don't worry though - if you do a bit of preparation you will have no problems at all.

 

You will also have to book an AMSA medical exam while you are over there, instructions on how to do this are on the website.

 

One other thing to bear in mind when you get a bit further down the road is that AMSA are also the ones who verify your claim for visa points for overseas employment (eg. I'm claiming points for being employed in a marine profession for more than 8 years out of the past 10). If you are claiming points for this, send all of the evidence to them in plenty of time because AMSA take ages to deal with any queries or applications (as we have already discussed!).

[RichTJam]

Hi Malkyboy74

 

Thanks for all the info in your previous posts. I have also applied for CoR to AMSA so will be looking to follow your path to Brisbane for the Orals.

Hope you have secured some work and the Visa is all sorted.

 

It is all very daunting at first but hopefully worth it in the end.

[malkyboy74]

Hi Rich,

 

Have you got your orals booked yet, or are AMSA still doing your immigration assessment? Good luck with it all, the whole AMSA & immigration process is hard work, but will be worth it in the long run.

 

After the AMSA stuff was finished, our visa application was processed very quickly - visa issued within 6 weeks.

 

We are hoping to get out to Oz asap, but our house is taking a while to sell & I haven't managed to get a job sorted out yet.

 

If you've got DP certification, or PSV/AHTS/Tug/Barge experience you will be laughing - unfortunately I don't have any of that! I was hoping to land a pilots job, but it's proving a bit more difficult to get into than I initially thought.....

[RichTJam]

AMSA application was sent in the post over a week ago.

I turn 40 in July so trying to get Independent Visa application in before then. (Nearly over the hill already)

Also going for IELTS general test to get the extra points.

Hopefully Get over in May for CoR Orals.

I've been Old Man on passenger and freight ferries for last 10 years so no Offshore experience at all.

Did consider doing offshore survival and DP Induction course myself.

How long can you sit with your Visa before you have to go?

Hope the house situation improves for you. Are you in Greenock? - I'm originally from Glasgow (Drumchapel) Now live in England.

Not sure how to private message on this forum - if you can PM me with more Orals advice for when the time comes that will be great.

All the best....

[malkyboy74]

Captain R, I would work on AMSA taking 1 - 2 months to get through your Immigration Assessment. You should then get a letter of assessment which will allow you to book orals.

 

I got AMSA to certify the copies of my company sea service letters (the girls in the AMSA offices can certify these letters for you), they then scanned & e-mailed them to me. I was then able to send the scanned certified copies to Immigration for my visa application.

 

It's AMSA who have to verify your employment over the past 10 years too, there is no special application form (or fee) for this, just send all of your evidence to Seafarer Standards in Canberra along with a cover letter explaining what you're after, and be prepared to wait for another 1 - 2 months!

 

It's a good idea to get the IELTS out of the way early too, it took me a couple of shots to get a band 8 in everything (bit harder than you may think!), and with the SkillSelect system you really need as many points as you can get. Good luck with it all, if I can offer any help or advice at all, just give me a shout.

 

Rich T, I think you may be pushing it to get your visa application in before July - the problem is the AMSA factor, they do everything so slowly. You could be waiting 1-2 months for your skills assessment, then you have to book orals & medical, and even after you pass the orals they take another month or two to send you your letter of Positive Assessment allowing you to apply for you visa.

 

Get evrthing done as quickly as you can, and you may stand a chance. Good to see you've booked IELTS, and apply to AMSA soon for employment verification too, as they will take time to respond to that.

 

The visa is valid for 5 years, but you have to activate it within the first year - that means everyone on the visa has to clear Australian immigration before the first year is up, or the visa expires. Could mean quite an expensive holiday if we can't sell the house or line up work before then!

 

As above, if I can give any help or advice, just give me a shout. Good luck.

[malkyboy74]

I would wait until you have passed your AMSA orals to submit your employment verification request, I don't think that they would do it before then (but it wouldn't hurt to try earlier if you are in a hurry).

 

When you are submitting your visa application scanned copies of all documents are all that you need - you don't need to send originals at all, it's all done electronically.

[RichTJam]

Hi malkyboy 74 and Captain R - Thanks for all the advice.

I have already received a reply from AMSA for skills assessment...... Well done AMSA. That took less than 3 weeks from sending application!

Now invited to book my orals and medical ASAP.

AMSA also mention Certificate Of Recognition application requirement for my UK GMDSS ticket (I hope that dosen't mean doing that all over again????)

Hopefully if I can get over to Brisbane in mid May for orals, medical & GMDSS application (please not GMDSS again)

If all goes well then hopefully get the skills application in for Visa before I hit the big 40 in July.

 

Malkyboy74 - What happened with your GMDSS?

 

Thanks and all the best.