he's done it, got a 457 sponsor.

[shez]

Hi to all,
Some of you may remeber that almost a couple of weeks ago I posted that my oh was going to perth and trying to secure a 457 visa for himself and us as a family. Well he has only gone and done it. He phoned me in the early hours to tell me and when I put computer on this morning I had an e-mail from the sponsoring company asking me to scan over passports and birth certificates to them for them to start the application process. He is meeting with the agent they use tomorrow. He is so happy he now can't wait to get back home to get things sorted this end. He arrives back here saturday tea time.
I have one extremely happy and excited 10 year old boy who is so happy at the thought of moving and now have one extremely quiet 16 year old daughter to contend with as well. Oh is going to ring her later to talk to her, all in all can't wait and now the reality is starting to kick in.

thanks for all the good luck wishes you kind people sent and I will certainly be updating regularly and probably asking lots of questions along the way as well.

[stickman]

Congratulations guys

[wardy]

Fantastic news, just shows that if you show employers that you are keen and go to them that things like this can happen.

well done your OH now get on with your job of scanning all the info

[diesellisle]

That is great news, Shez. Just shows how a little perseverance pays off !

Well done to your OH and look forward to more updates soon.

Lisa

[leanneandmark]

Ah well done him!!!!

Made me go all of a quiver at the thought of how you must be feeling, and then a little tear at the thought of the conversation between ur daughter and her dad!!

God im an emotional wreck lately!!

[Paul n Ness]

BIG CONGRATS!!! Now all the fun starts.........

You will love it! Keep us posted on how its going!

[thekeans]

Did your OH just fly out to OZ and go around seeing companies to sponsor him??

[BullcreekBob]

Originally Posted by shez

.... Well he has only gone and done it. He phoned me in the early hours to tell me and when I put computer on this morning I had an e-mail from the sponsoring company asking me to scan over passports and birth certificates to them for them to start the application process. He is meeting with the agent they use tomorrow. He is so happy he now can't wait to get back home to get things sorted this end...

Congratulations.

What an exciting few months ahead of now, being offered a sponsored visa is great but please don't let the excitement of this time completely carry you both away. Before actually signing the employment contract, please make sure you've negotiated for things like help with relocation costs, some initial accommodation here and more importantly LAFHA. Once you've signed up, it's too late to then ask about these benefits.

The 457 can be a great way to get here, but there are many many Aussie employers that exploit 457 visa workers and they use it as a way of getting cheap foreign labour. How quickly will your hubbys mood change if he found out he was getting paid hundreds of dollars per week less than his workmates? knowing that he may be tied to the employer for four years?

I am not meaning to put a downer on what is an exciting time for you both, I'm just trying to throw in a word of caution about jumping to quickly and forgetting to make sure that you've also arranged the best possible financial deal for yourselves.

As a 457 visa holder, you can easily find you are getting paid less tham everyone else, you have higher expenses and you get absolutely no government subsidies or benefits. These things could mean your family struggling financially. But money isn't everything, I prefer the lifestyle here and I hope you all will too :)

[calNgary]

congratualtions and good luck to you guys ,i hope all you dreams come true,
Cal x

[Gollywobbler]

Hello Shez

Honey, I have just been checking through your earlier posts. As I understand your situation from those, Hubby is a coded welded pipe-fitter who will be 60 in Aoril 2008. This is why you have asked about the possibility of undertaking a suitable training course once you are in Oz, with a view to PR for the family via you, since you are 39 at present.

Given Hubby's age, a 457 visa is the only option for the moment because there is no upper age limit on them.

However, in one of the main areas of Perth the most that the company could be forced to pay Hubby would be $41,850 pa before tax. If the employer is in a regional/low-growth area then the employer would be able to pay no more than about $37, 600 gross ($37,665, I think, but I am not 100% sure of the last two numbers.)

To undertake the sort of student course that you would need to do as a route to possible PR in the future - typically course-fees are around $11,000 a year if the course is run by a TAFE. The fees are likely to be higher if a private college provides the training. The college could be some miles from where Hubby will be working.

I am worried that the company's keenness on Hubby might be because they know they can get him comparitively cheaply and that they would not be allowed to sponsor him for PR in the future.

Unless you are absolutely CERTAIN that the student route for you in addition is:

(a) affordable; and
(b) would definitely lead to PR in the future - as to which I understand that there is simply never any guarantee -

then you could be looking at returning to the UK at some point unless you manage to find sponsorship yourself, doing something that would definitely lead to PR, I suspect.

Please understand that I am not for one second trying to tell you, "Don't risk this." That is none of my business, for a start. Secondly, you might have decided that a few years in Oz will be worth it even if you are not able to make it a permanent move in the end.

However, I really think that you should obtain some detailed advice from a reputable and experienced Migration Agent about both elements of your current plan, to be honest.

Best wishes

Gill.