dream gone bad

Mu husband as lost his job in the last week. the company said he wasn't bringing in the sales so let him go. we have been here for 11 months with our three children and we are on a 457 visa. we thought they would of at least gave him til next year before telling him it wasn't working out. we gave up everything and relise coming here was the biggest mistake of our lives. we haven't a home togo back to or anywhere to stay if we do return. i feel lost and dont know what to do. he is applying for jobs but if he doesnt ge sorted soon we will have to go back, but to what. can his company do this to us? we thought they would of said you have upto two years to make things better not after 11mths. can we see a solicitor? it doesnt seem right to me. he said to his boss that if he knew this was going to happen we wouldnt of gave up a home and job to just come here for a short time but they didnt care one bit.

Please let me know what we can do.

Have a look at this thread from BE

Downside of a 457 and Bridging Visa : British Expat Discussion Forum

I'm really sorry to hear that you are going through this. I have no advice, other than it might be worth posting this in the migration section of the forum. That tends to be busier, so you might get some help a bit sooner. Other than that, the only other thing I can suggest is that you find a migration agent asap.

Hope you get it sorted.

What is the contract of employment state also interms of redunancy / being laid off?

That really is rubbish news for u guys. I can't give any advise but is a situation a lot of us 457 visa holders could face soon . The economic market in Australia is not great .

I do hope you find someone else to take on your 457 soon x

Hi dont give up ! Like you ,a family i know ended up in the same position, the only difference was he wasnt given any notice the company just finished him! He traipsed up and down QLD from Noosa to Collangatta approaching companys and within a few weeks had found another company willing to take his sponsership over, with the help of Cheryl Bird at Bird Migration they managed to sort everything out with just days to go before their expiry date.

Tell your hubby to get out there and sell himself,broaden your search if you have to, even if it means moving for a while, you can always move again in a few years. Lots of luck

Cal x

thankyou for all your replies. my husband as heard from a company who are in Darwin and they seem keen to see him. they want us to go and have a look and will pay for the air fare. does anyone know what its like there? he got told it gets very hot and can be rural. we dont mind moving but want to make sure we aren't going from bad to worst. he as got afew people interested in seeing him so you never know. the company who let him go gave him his wages and some holiday pay and that was it. it will soon run out so hope we get sorted real soon. it wouldnt be so bad if we had been australian citizens and maybe had got abit of help til we get sorted. time is running out til the 28 dead line.

Hi Donna

If it were me and the choice were Sydney in a recession or Darwin in a recession, thete would be no contest. I would go straight to Darwin without a backward glance at Sydney.

The reason why is because Sydney is over-populated so there is stiff competition for jobs. Darwin is an expanding City and I suspect the opportunities there will be better in the next 3-5 years because it is such an important trading post with the Far Eastern markets.

Have you ever been to Singapore or Malaysia? The climate in Darwin is very similar. I was born & brought up in Malaysia though my sister & I came to school in the UK. Trust me, there is nothing wrong with the climate in Darwin. It is perfectly easy to cope with it if you have a mind to do so. Warmth all year round, for a start.

Housing is expensive immediately in and around Darwin because stock is scarce. There is a massive new homes project at Palmerston - 4,000 new homes are planned in 4 phases. I think Palmerston is about an hour from Darwin by car but it could be a little less. I think (from my research) that property prices drop quite significantly once you are out of Darwin itself.

There was a recent (new) series of the Wanted Down Under programme in the UK and several of the candidates went to Darwin. Between them they had a variety of occupations. In every case the deal was a 457 visa and the pay was surprisingly high, I thought.

The other thing is this. If Hubby already has a positive pre-migration skills assessment then instead of another 457 visa, an employer in Darwin could probably offer Mark immediate Permanent Residency via an RSMS subclass 857 visa. This is an onshore visa so as soon as the application is lodged a Bridging Visa will come into effect if necessary, which will keep you in Australia lawfully whilst the RSMS application is processed. Dberd in Darwin are the Regional Certifying Body for the Northern Territory and they bend over backwards to help local employers to get RSMS visas for people. RSMS visas are now processed very quickly as well - the visa side of things could be wrapped up within 4-5 weeks, giving you Permanent Residency and all the benefits that flow from it.

The visa details are here:

Employer Sponsored Migration Booklet - Australian Immigration

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 119/857)

The Northern Territory Government website is here:

Business and Skilled Migration

The Dberd office are EXTREMELY helpful about visa queries plus very knowledgeable:

Contact Us

Their visa information is here:

Employer Sponsored Skilled

Best wishes

Gill

Tim makes a good point. What is your notice period? Does the employer realise they have obligations to you until your existing 457 visas are cancelled?

Best regards.

thankyou for all your replies. my husband as heard from a company who are in Darwin and they seem keen to see him. they want us to go and have a look and will pay for the air fare. does anyone know what its like there? he got told it gets very hot and can be rural. we dont mind moving but want to make sure we aren't going from bad to worst. he as got afew people interested in seeing him so you never know. the company who let him go gave him his wages and some holiday pay and that was it. it will soon run out so hope we get sorted real soon. it wouldnt be so bad if we had been australian citizens and maybe had got abit of help til we get sorted. time is running out til the 28 dead line.

Don't worry about the 28 days thingy we were told the same thing and nothing came of it. In the end my husband was out of work for 3 months while everything was being sorted out. I think the company has to pay for your relocation cost if they terminated your visa.

thankyou for all your replies. my husband as heard from a company who are in Darwin and they seem keen to see him. they want us to go and have a look and will pay for the air fare. does anyone know what its like there? he got told it gets very hot and can be rural. we dont mind moving but want to make sure we aren't going from bad to worst. he as got afew people interested in seeing him so you never know. the company who let him go gave him his wages and some holiday pay and that was it. it will soon run out so hope we get sorted real soon. it wouldnt be so bad if we had been australian citizens and maybe had got abit of help til we get sorted. time is running out til the 28 dead line.

darwin is full of rednecks with guns, and drunken abbos and a murder rate ten times that of the uk

apart from that there is houses infested with cockroaches,flies and mosquitoes, and 30+ degree heat everyday with high humidity

venture outside of darwin and you will find urself stuck in a desert

darwin is full of rednecks with guns, and drunken abbos and a murder rate ten times that of the uk

apart from that there is houses infested with cockroaches,flies and mosquitoes, and 30+ degree heat everyday with high humidity

venture outside of darwin and you will find urself stuck in a desert

Really? My first cousin and her husband lived in Darwin for over 30 years. They brought up their children there and they were there when Cyclone Tracy struck in 1974.

They are now in their 70s and have moved to Melbourne because their children moved to Melbourne once they were grown up plus we have other family members in Melbourne.

However when I have asked my cousin - who lived there for so long - and my sister who has spent a couple of months there about Darwin, they did not see only the negatives which you see. They both say that Darwin is a terrific place if you accept it as it is rather than saying you would prefer to live somewhere else altogether.

Best wishes

Gill