Is Perth in RSMS? .. we need help with RSMS too!

[Guest angiechia]

Hi

 

I am new to the forum. Pardon me, but I thought Perth is not one of the regions in the RSMS?

 

My family is very keen to migrate to Australia, but have not been making much progress through reading information online etc. I have posted under another thread but did not get any replies, so as I was searching for past similar threads here - came across this and thought I should post here again as it seemed related. Apologies if you had already read this at the other place.

 

My husband is 51 and has more than 20 yrs experience in project management of oil and gas, water treatment plants, sewerage plants etc, functioning in the QS/contracts administration areas. Although he had a diploma in QS, he did his degree in Business Admin. Due to his lack of the correct degree and his age, I understand that the only way he can work in Australia is via the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)?

 

Am i right that under this scheme, we have to seek an employer who is keen to sponsor him? However, if we are not already there, how do we apply for a job? Does employment agents help with such sponsorship issues? We did several online job searches, and almost always come across postings by such employment agents. To make matters worse, many would have an additional clause that applications are only accepted if he has a work visa. Can anyone who have gone through this route advice how we can break into this?

 

We are really keen to move the move. Would appreciate if someone can give us some links as to how to approach this? We also did the self-test with some migration agent sites, but most simply ask for a further assessment which comes with a fees. I guess we would not have minded to pay since we are really keen, but what we wanted to be sure is - is he still eligible? Will migration agents help in the seeking of a company sponsor?

 

Thanks so much!

[Guest guest33730]

Hi Angiechia,

 

Not sure if I can help much as my application for an RSMS visa for South Australia only went in this week. I was fortunate in that I was specifically wanted by the organisation wishing to sponsor me. The main problem you have is finding a company who want your husband, you then need to show that he has skills that cannot be obtained in the local labour market.

 

Your other problem is that your husband is over 45 and you would therefore need to pursuade the DIAC that there were exceptional reasons why your husband should be considered.

 

Hope that helps a bit

 

Daniel

[Guest sassygal]

State Migration Centre » Pathways to Migrate

 

hope this helps x

[Guest]

Hi

 

I am new to the forum. Pardon me, but I thought Perth is not one of the regions in the RSMS?

 

My family is very keen to migrate to Australia, but have not been making much progress through reading information online etc. I have posted under another thread but did not get any replies, so as I was searching for past similar threads here - came across this and thought I should post here again as it seemed related. Apologies if you had already read this at the other place.

 

My husband is 51 and has more than 20 yrs experience in project management of oil and gas, water treatment plants, sewerage plants etc, functioning in the QS/contracts administration areas. Although he had a diploma in QS, he did his degree in Business Admin. Due to his lack of the correct degree and his age, I understand that the only way he can work in Australia is via the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)?

 

Am i right that under this scheme, we have to seek an employer who is keen to sponsor him? However, if we are not already there, how do we apply for a job? Does employment agents help with such sponsorship issues? We did several online job searches, and almost always come across postings by such employment agents. To make matters worse, many would have an additional clause that applications are only accepted if he has a work visa. Can anyone who have gone through this route advice how we can break into this?

 

We are really keen to move the move. Would appreciate if someone can give us some links as to how to approach this? We also did the self-test with some migration agent sites, but most simply ask for a further assessment which comes with a fees. I guess we would not have minded to pay since we are really keen, but what we wanted to be sure is - is he still eligible? Will migration agents help in the seeking of a company sponsor?

 

Thanks so much!

Hi - your story sounds familiar... there are probably others on here that are more knowledgeable than me but addressing some of your points. Regional Skills sponsorship is, I think, a visa category all of its own... for example WA State will consider sponsoring your husband within a regional area. Although this does not count as Perth the boundaries are not that far from it i.e. Mandurah (an hours drive - 45 mins train) south of Perth and - I think, anything above Yanchep to the North of Perth. Pretty sure there is a big oil and gas company (bp?) in Rockingham which is very close to Mandurah. You can apply for the state sponsorship on line (have to make it very enticing to them!!) and after about 12 weeks? of waiting Australian immigration authorities will let you know if they will sponsor you... then you apply for a visa (on line or otherwise) and wait for the outcome. An employer does not have to sponsor you. If you can find an employer to sponsor you then you can apply for a different visa ENS sub category 121 which at the moment has the highest priority processing.

 

As for agencies we have also used the portal sites like career1, seek and mycareer but as you say... many wont let you apply unless you already have a visa.

 

I would recommend telephoning a big agency that covers your husbands industry i.e. IPA Personnel (check out their website) and have a chat with them and see if they can find a job for your husband. Also google lots of companies that your husband could possibly see himself working for i.e. skill match and email fab covering letter and detailed CV (aussies like detail! esp re performance and achievement) and possibly phone them... if you are determined and dogged about finding a job... you'll get there. Good luck. :spinny:

[Guest]

forgot to mention. Have you completed Skills Assessment yet? if not, you can't really progress anything until you do. We didn't use an Agent... if you have the time, patience and you sound intelligent... you will find everything you need from the DIAC website but recommend you leave no stone unturned in providing exactly what they require. Also sit the ELTS test at the Advanced level (more points) Sponsorships are not so tight on age range... and exceptional circumstances could be valid for you because of your husbands experience but you MUST evidence in as many ways as possible your husbands experience i.e. photos, references, any awards, copy contracts, payslips etc. It's true when they say ... treat it as if they know nothing about your husband or his industry ... the emigrating process, seems to me, is all about providing evidence of skills. The only down side I see is perhaps the pay is less in regional areas (if you end up going for that visa).

[Alan Collett 3,465]

forgot to mention. Have you completed Skills Assessment yet? if not, you can't really progress anything until you do. We didn't use an Agent... if you have the time, patience and you sound intelligent...

 

 

<snip>

 

 

 

Technically a skills assessment is not needed for an application under the RSMS - having one can "oil the wheels" of the visa application process, but the legislation does not require it.

 

=> maybe engaging an agent would have been the wise course after all ... :spinny:

 

Best regards.

[Alan Collett 3,465]

Hi - your story sounds familiar... there are probably others on here that are more knowledgeable than me but addressing some of your points. Regional Skills sponsorship is, I think, a visa category all of its own... for example WA State will consider sponsoring your husband within a regional area. Although this does not count as Perth the boundaries are not that far from it i.e. Mandurah (an hours drive - 45 mins train) south of Perth and - I think, anything above Yanchep to the North of Perth. Pretty sure there is a big oil and gas company (bp?) in Rockingham which is very close to Mandurah. You can apply for the state sponsorship on line (have to make it very enticing to them!!) and after about 12 weeks? of waiting Australian immigration authorities will let you know if they will sponsor you... then you apply for a visa (on line or otherwise) and wait for the outcome. An employer does not have to sponsor you. If you can find an employer to sponsor you then you can apply for a different visa ENS sub category 121 which at the moment has the highest priority processing.

 

<snip>

 

 

 

Re the text I have emboldened: the OP's husband is aged 51 => they have to look at employer sponsored migration, and to make the case that this is an exceptional appointment.

 

For example: Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 121/856)

 

Such an application can be under the Employer Nomination Scheme or the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme; the "exceptional" case is usually more easily made with applications under the RSMS.

 

Best regards.

[Guest angiechia]

Hi Jojo

 

i guess we will be willing to work in any part of WA, or for that matter, any other part of Oz, but I was under the impression that for state or any other form of sponsorship, one needs to be either (1)under 45, or (2)pass the skill assessment. Although my husband has more than 20 years experience in the field, he only has a diploma in Quantity Surveyor, and degree which is unrelated (business admin). My understanding is that he will not pass the assessment test because of this. Hence the only option left is the RSMS = need to find a company who is willing to sponsor him?

 

That's why we are stuck now - can't do anything except write to potential companies, and hitting alot of employment agents and hoping that there will be one kind soul willing to help with visa.

 

Or can anyone here help with some company names, either WA or SA? We tried searching for companies in WA but did not gather many companies from that, so it's also rather hard to write as we do not even have names to write to. Anyone?

 

thanks!

[Alan Collett 3,465]

As I said above, your only option is not the RSMS.

 

You can look at the ENS too.

 

Best regards.

[Guest angiechia]

Hi Alan

 

You are a migration agent? You think you can help us here? As you can see, our main concern is in getting a company to sponsor, but not knowing how to approach the company since we are not physically there?

 

thanks

[Alan Collett 3,465]

Yep, sure am - forgive me for being one! :spinny:

 

Note that for certain occupations on the ENSOL you are not required to have a degree in the nominated occupation - most notably all those that are assessed by VETASSESS.

 

Best regards.

[Guest angiechia]

Hi Alan

 

ok, understood your point about ENS or RSMS. What really is the difference between the two? I guess RSMS is more rigid and ENS open to any state/region? But both still require a company who can sponsor?

 

yes, about the assessment. But we have checked that for QS they do require a degree. sob sob

 

back to my question, can you help us? If so, I will discuss with my husband. We really are sick of waiting and waiting and not knowing how to proceed

[Guest angiechia]

Hi again, Alan

 

oops, just went into the immigration website and read that for ENS 856, skills needs to be assessed, so that's out for us?

 

Did i understand that correctly?

[Guest angiechia]

Hello Bring me Sunshine

 

You brought me sunshine indeed! Thanks for replying to my post!

 

May I ask how you make contact with the company? Sorry for being so abrupt, but can you tell me what field are you in? Wish you all the best in your application too!

[Guest]

Hi... I know its complicated ... but you really need to get a firm understanding of the ENS visa requirements. Sounds like RSMS is out for you. Skills Assessments are not necc about qualifications the Skills Assessment process is about evidencing your experience (as I said before)... I think you will find that your husbands degree will be fine as long as you can provide evidence of experience within his chosen field. If its all too much to get your head round... sounds like the chap from GoMatilda has good advice ... think its worth using a migration expert as time is not on your side on this one... still think you can do it tho... just need to get a thorough understanding of the requirements and GO FOR IT. Good luck, keep us posted on progress. :biggrin::cool:

[Alan Collett 3,465]

RSMS is more limited as to location (larger State capitals - ie Perth, Brisbane/Gold Coast, Sydney, and Melbourne - are out, but check RSMS allowable postcodes), but is more relaxed as to the requirements to be satisfied by the intended employee (eg the qualification threshold).

 

Have a look at the immi website and compare the two.

 

Best regards.

[Guest guest33730]

Hello Bring me Sunshine

 

You brought me sunshine indeed! Thanks for replying to my post!

 

May I ask how you make contact with the company? Sorry for being so abrupt, but can you tell me what field are you in? Wish you all the best in your application too!

 

Hey Angiechia, I am a church minister/pastor. The organisation in Gawler is a church which is part of the same denomination as my current church in Paisley, Scotland and therefore I knew about the vacancy because of that.

 

I don't have a degree but many years of experience and we are hoping that this experience will be enough to overcome the 'qualification' hurdle. Also the church in Gawler is currently the only one of our denomination in Australia so therefore they could not find anyone suitable in the local labour market to fill the position. So we are hopeful but fully aware that even with the RSMS visa we still have to overcome various hurdles etc.

 

On a final note, I see that Alan Collett has joined in this thread and I have to say that it was his company 'Go Matilda' who has been walking me through our application (although not him personally). I know that a number of companies have recommendations on PIO however I have to say that Go Matilda have exceeded my expectations in every way and if you are seriously thinking of going down this path you should at the very least ask Alan for a quote.

 

hope that all helps a bit

 

Daniel

[Guest angiechia]

Thanks, jojo.

 

1. Please help me to understand - why do you say RSMS is out for us?

 

2. ENS - so you advice that we do the skills assessment first? I remember seeing the page on skill assessment in the immigration website but cant seem to find it now. Can you tell me how this is done? Can this be done online? Does a migration agent do this? (Alan any comments?)

 

thanks

 

angeline

[Guest angiechia]

Hi Daniel

 

thanks, i understand your position now. So how long did the whole process take? say from the point you make contact with the employer?

 

angeline

[Guest]

Thanks, jojo.

 

1. Please help me to understand - why do you say RSMS is out for us?

 

2. ENS - so you advice that we do the skills assessment first? I remember seeing the page on skill assessment in the immigration website but cant seem to find it now. Can you tell me how this is done? Can this be done online? Does a migration agent do this? (Alan any comments?)

 

thanks

 

angeline

sorry hon...I thought that the RSMS had age limit restrictions but perhaps it doesn't... I think this is one for GoMatilda??

 

re ENS, we are being sponsored but before my husband secured his job offer we did the Skills Assessment and the ELTS test because we thought we would go for the RSMS because it requires less points (100) and we couldn't make the 120 for the general skilled visa.... we just thought that as Alan says it would oil the wheels so to speak... We sent off the results of these tests with our ENS application purely because we thought it might help and as we had already done them, might as well. I would, in your position, consider skills assessment because it would give weight to your application. Its a lot of work preparing it, but once we sent it off, we got a positive result in a matter of about 4 weeks... think it was worth doing and mostly the stuff you have to find... you will need to use in your actual visa application so if you are going to have to find all your offer letters etc.... might as well do the skills assessment. Also, just theorising here but I dont think any companies were willing to look at us until we mentioned our positive skills assessment and then agencies got interested that we were already half way through the process and serious about emigrating.... definitely doors started opening... might have been coincidence? DIAC website has all the info you need for skills assessment.. just use the search engine if you get stuck. looks like you might be in for a busy weekend... good luck.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Angie

 

You are getting more & more confused and this thread is not helping you.

 

At the moment you have a vague wish to live in West Australia. No doubt the lifestyle around Perth sounds appealing. This is all much too vague and much too woolly for your own good. It does not sound to me as if you have a clue about WA beyond a vague impression of beaches and BBQs in backyards, frankly.

 

Let us start with the map:

 

State Migration Centre » Living in the Regions

 

The map is interactive. It tells you what the key industries are in each of the Regions. Kalgoorlie is the home of the Superpit, which is a gold mine:

 

The Super Pit | KCGM - Largest Open Pit Mine in Australia

 

Newman is the home of the Mt Whaleback iron ore mine, which is the largest iron ore mine in the world:

 

BHP Billiton > BHP Billiton Iron Ore

 

Kununurra is the HQ for the Argyle Diamond Mine:

 

Argyle Diamond Mine - Home page

 

Dampier, on the Pilbara coast, is HQ for WA's salt production:

 

Welcome to Dampier Salt

 

The Port of Dampier is also the marine HQ for the Pluto and Gorgon offshore/onshore gas projects:

 

Woodside

 

Woodside says Pluto will dwarf $50b Gorgon - The West Australian

 

Chevron are currently recruiting for Gorgon, their rival to Pluto:

 

Types of Jobs

 

There is no doubt but that the potential in the Pilbara is simply colossal - the coastal region around Dampier/Karratha and in all directions from there will become a HUGELY important economic and population centre within the not too distant future, with almost limitless potential for growth.

 

The main town is Karratha - Dampier is the commercial Port for Karratha. At present Karratha is still a pretty small town:

 

Karratha, Western Australia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The permanent and semi-permanent population is already soaring but there is not enough housing, schools etc in the town yet so the immediate need is for the construction and commissioning teams, plus teams building essential infrastructure. As yet, they don't really want wives and children in the area as well, so the deal is mostly that the Missus & kids live in Perth, Brisbane or wherever and Hubby goes to the Pilbara on his own, doing FIFO rosters (fly in, fly out.) There are "accommodation villages" for the actual workers but they are not designed or suitable for the whole family.

 

Down in the South of WA - where the climate is much less extreme and the scenery i green & lush with vineyards, dairy cattle etc - there are other resources.

 

Karri and Jarrah are both beautiful trees. Unfortunately the bauxite reserves are under the forests. Rather than waste the felled trees, WA is one of the world's largest producers of woodchip. That plus the bauxite are shipped away from Albany, where the Port has recently been expanded and a lot of money has been spent on enlarging and upgrading the town into another regional centre in its own right:

 

Campaign to Save Native Forests - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Geraldton is also likely to boom from about 2011 onwards because a deal has now been signed with Ansteel. Oakajee is a village about 15 kms north of Geraldton but not for much longer. The plan is to expand the Karara iron ore mine to the East of Geraldton, take the ore to Oakajee by rail and to build a steel mill at Oakajee. Meanwhile a nearby creek is scheduled for redevelopment into a deep water commercial port because the natural harbour in Geraldton is not big enough or deep enough to cope with the sort of ships that Ansteel will need:

 

Steel Guru : Gindalbie may spark early Oakajee start up

 

I'm not convinced that they will ever actually build the steel plant. They can make the steel much more cheaply in China, where Ansteel already has suitable steel mills and very cheap labour. However expanding the mine and building the port will provide a massive cash injection for Geraldton, enlarge the population from its current 25,000 or so etc. I reckon the proposed mill is an optional extra and I doubt that the Minister for Immi will agree to the crucial feature of it - special visas for cheap Chinese labour. However the sums work on the back of a fag packet without the proposed mill so it is viable even if they omit the mill.

 

The Minister for Immi is determined to encourage the sorts of regional development which are happening/planned for his own State - WA. The antis say that there is not enough fresh water to support these larger populations. The pros say, "Rubbish. We can soon desalinate sea water - we have the technology for reverse osmosis plants - so fresh water for these populations is not a problem."

 

There are masses of other, less famous projects than the ones above but the first thing your Hubby needs to do is to learn about WA and the plans for the place. If yu do your homework properly, the names of the companies are mentioned somewhere, sometime if you are thorough.

 

This will NOT come to you on a plate and it is unlikely to come to you at all. The only people with the incentive to devote every spare minute to researching and then sending speculative CVs are yourself and Hubby.

 

Without a job+visa sponsorship offer, "which visa" is an irrelevant question. Focus on finding out what is happening in WA, what is planned in WA and who owns the projects involved, I suggest.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest]

rock on Gollywobbler... masses of info there. I read it with interest, have been following the whole gorgon thing... exciting times ahead for WA.

[Guest guest33730]

Hi Daniel

 

thanks, i understand your position now. So how long did the whole process take? say from the point you make contact with the employer?

 

angeline

 

Hi Angeline,

 

It doesn't take long at all, in fact the first thing was for the church to apply to have the position accepted under the RSMS scheme and also my nomination for that position - it only takes a few days for that to happen (the church sent that in for approval on the 13th/14th August and had it approved on the 20th August). It has then taken me five weeks or so to collate all my own documents, CV, references etc then submit them to Go Matilda and then work with them on preparing the final application for submission to the DIAC this week. Obviously I am now waiting to see how long it will take to have the application processed by the DIAC and that is likely to take 5 - 7 months although with the RSMS now having priority over other applications I am obviously hopeful that I will be one of the few beneficiaries of the new directives.

 

I have to say that it was only by the grace of God that I did apply for the RSMS visa (in fact many Aussie friends told me not to at the time) It was only because I am turning 45 next year, wanting to buy property and giving my twin 17yr old boys the gift of permanent residency that persuaded me to take the RSMS route rather than the (at the time) much easier route of a 'religious visa' (Actually I don't know if the religious visa has been adversely affected by the new directive - anyone know?)

 

So thats my story - not sure that it relates much to your own circumstances but I guess you can mix it into the pot.

 

I would say that the 'free' initial conversation I had with Go Matilda really did help me to make my mind up on the best way forward - my guess is you would find the same with any reputable company & it's well worth it.

 

All the best with whatever you decide

 

Daniel

[Guest angiechia]

Hi Gill

 

thanks for the post - that's a mouthful to digest, but I definitely will try. You are right to say that we do not have a clue of what WA is like or what lies ahead in terms of jobs etc. All my husband and myself know and are very certain is that it will provide a better and more balanced kind of life for our children. So in a way, we are willing to explore any part of Australia. We take that to be a kind of "exploration" and "sacrifice" for, say, 2 years, before we move on to another part of Australia, if needed. That was why we were even ready to explore the student visa route - in other words, we just want to try to get in via the shortest, and if possible, least costly way into permanent residency. Everyone's dream , I guess?

 

thanks again!

[Guest siamsusie]

Karratha was established around about 40 yrs ago and FIFO didnt commence until 10 yrs ago. There is now an abundance of accomodation available for sale (and many rentals) but of course they all command high sale prices & or rent., this is due to the transient population. We own a home in Karratha the prices start at around $600,000 for a 3 bedder. My O/H purchased his with the company "right to buy" in 86, so you can see how prices have escalated. It is a family orientated town, great community spirit, a good hospital, Flying Dr service, some good schools, private and public, the emphasis is trying to get families back into the community FIFO is knocking hell out of the infrastructure. Population last updated end of 2008 was 16,796 excluding FIFO. Karratha is cyclonic (the whole town, buildings etc designed to conform to cyclone specifications.) For a mining town a good shopping centre, hotels, pubs, golf course, health care etc.fishing, sailing etc. Landscape wise, it is dramatic with the iron ore red, salt, an aquamarine seas. 4 x 4 driving. Karratha has its own airport which professes to be the 2nd busiest in WA lol. Port hedland 2 hrs up country is international & great for fast getaways to Bali etc. Accomodation aside I find the cost of living prob slightly cheaper in terms of water and rates than say Tasmania, its a good place to work hard, earn your money, explore places like Broome, Exmouth, 80 mile Beach / Coral Bay. I certainly dont regret living there but after 20 odd yrs I think my OH is happy to come home to Tasmania next year. ss