ivansh

Hi there, I'm a Singaporean international student, currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW with majors in Accounting and Finance, and will finish all my courses in June 2014 next year. I will be taking my remaining accounting subjects (Audit, Business Taxation, and Management Accounting 2, all the other required Accounting courses have been completed) required for CPA's skill assessment in Semester 2 2013. In addition, I will be going for a study exchange to America in Semester 1 2014 (my last semester of uni) where I will take 3 finance electives and 1 general education course on exchange (not a big matter for the courses since I have done all my accounting subjects in UNSW by then). I just got my academic IELTS test score (I took it on 6th July 2013) and got at least 7 for all sections (listening 9, reading 9, writing 8.5, speaking 7.5, overall 8.5). I'm born in 1985, so am 28 this year and will be 29 years old in 2014 when I finish my degree. My questions are the following: 1) When can I do my skilled assessment for accounting under SkilledSelect with CPA? Can I do it after I finish all my accounting courses at end of this year, or must it be when I finish all my degree courses? How long will the skilled assessment process usually take? 2) Can I lodge my EOI before I finish all my degree courses? I have completed 2 years of academic courses full load so far, with 16 months of study. By end of this year, I would have finished all my accounting courses and would be able to go for skilled assessment (if I'm allowed to do so without completing my degree) and was thinking if I can lodge my EOI then.... 3) If I can only lodge my EOI after I graduate, do I need to wait until I have attended the graduation ceremony (usually that will be many months after the last semester) or can I do it once I have my latest academic transcript after I finish all my courses in middle of 2014? 4) Based on my situation, with my 3-years degree (I started studying in June 2011) and my age (29 in 2014) and having no relevant prior work experience in accounting, I will have exactly 60 points under SkillSelect for the 189 visa. Should I retake my IELTS so that I get at least 8 in all categories which leads to 70 points? 5) How long does it take from time you lodged an EOI to time you get invited to apply? There seems to be a bit of confusion about that on the internet. I understand that it depends on the monthly cap and also occupation, but for an accounting degree, roughly how long will it take? 6) How long does it take from the time you actually apply (after being invited from your EOI) to get the PR 189 visa? On the immigration website (http://www.immi.gov.au/about/charters/client-services-charter/visas/8.0.htm), it seems to state that whatever points you get (whether you get 60 or 70 or 80 pts), it will take around 12 months on average for them to process a 189 visa application before you get the actual PR 189 visa after you initially apply. The reason I want to know this is because I'll be returning to Singapore after my study exchange to attend my sister's wedding in June 2014, and if the whole process of lodging EOI, applying and getting the actual PR is going to take more than 1 year, I might as well shift all my stuff back to Singapore first and possibly do an internship or work in a SG graduate job for 1-2 years so that I don't waste my time (in case I don't get my PR) - since lodging an EOI and doing a visa application after being invited don't require me to be in Australia. I know that if I intend to do that, I need to get a bridging visa - it won't be too difficult right? 7) Is there any other PR visas that I can apply under? It's unlikely that I can get an employer to sponsor me. 8) Let's say I managed to get the 189 PR visa, do I need to spend the initial 2 years in Australia, or can I work in Singapore first? This is because I was thinking if the waiting time is so long, it makes sense to apply for a graduate job in Singapore first after I graduate until I get my PR (it will be easier since I'm Singaporean - it is almost impossible to get a decent job in Australia without PR, unless you work in a random waiter or sales job), then after 2 years in Singapore, maybe come back to Australia to get a middle manager job with my PR? Or do I need to return to Australia immediately after my PR visa has been granted? Based on my circumstances, is it likely that I will ever get rejected for the visa? Sorry for all these questions - it is just that Australia immigration has made things so much more complicated with the introduction of the EOI. Many thanks and Regards, Ivan