New 457 employer but no valid passport

[BadgerLady]

Hi guys,

 

Sorry to start another thread but I can't find any information about this online at all, and the lazy sods at Immigration went home at 4:30 :sad:

 

I'm a bit panicked.

 

I'm here on a 457 visa. I left my employer a couple of weeks ago so I'm currently unemployed. At the beginning of next week I'm negotiating a new position with an employer who is willing and able to take over nomination for my 457.

 

But I've lost my passport. Properly lost it... it was returned to HM Passport Office and cancelled. So I'm currently here without a valid passport.

 

a) Do I even have a valid visa if my passport's been cancelled?

b) More importantly, can I proceed with my new employer's nomination application before my new passport arrives?

 

I've found that I would need a replacement passport before I could apply for a NEW 457 visa... I can't find confirmation of what's needed to transfer nomination.

 

If the answer is 'no', I won't be able to work until after my replacement passport has been issued, and advice in Australia is that it will take 'a minimum of 8 weeks'. Rather than suffer that, I would book a flight back to Blighty this weekend (for as soon as the embassy can issue me with an emergency travel document) and get myself a 'fast track' passport when I arrive. Then I could at least submit my 457 nomination application and head back in a couple of weeks to start work.

 

This is all incredibly painful, just for an A6 printed wallet. But we are slaves to it! Does anyone know the answer?

[MaggieMay24]

I unfortunately wouldn't count on DIBP to give you a correct answer anyway.

 

I know the nomination transfer requires your passport details. And I assume the fact that it's now a cancelled passport would be a problem if it then seems you're misrepresenting its validity. Maybe a migration agent could better answer this question though.

 

I don't know what the answer is unfortunately, but I hope it can be resolved more easily and less expensively than you having to fly back to the UK to get a new passport.

[Pumpkin]

Agree you are very unlikely to get an answer from immigration. They administer, not advice and I think this would be too complicated for them (doesn't take much).

 

I would suggest going to see a migration agent on Monday instead, or perhaps the employer has an agent they like to use. I would be a bit tempted to use the old passport number and use it for the nomination, assuming you have a scanned copy of it that is. Having said that MM might be right that it is a misrepresentation and that why I would check with an agent.

 

Your current visa is still valid of course. The UK passport authorities have no power to cancel that just because they cancelled your passport.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Pumpkin

[BadgerLady]

Thanks for your help. I'm going to book urgent travel to the UK.

 

I can do contract work for my new employer's London office while we wait for the Australian visa transfer to go through...