Zoot

If the age issue comes up again - they have lifted the cut off age to 50 now so no longer 45 and there are other changes coming down the line with regards to the 457 visa which I think will make it easier to apply for PR and not make you reliant on an employer sponsoring you for PR (if that makes sense?).

Keep at it someone out there must need someone with your set of skills and experience.

I think you are going on the 475 visa which is the "provisional" state sponsored visa - I assume the visa you are talking about is one where you have to live in a regional area for 2 years and then at the end can apply for PR?

Regarding whether you can get permanent work or not - there is no official restriction on you getting permanent work but whether employers will offer it to you is another question. The different working visas with the different restrictions confuse employers so they rather go OK you got PR - I know that means you have the right to work and no restrictions - full steam ahead. There is a letter that DIAC put together which outlines the 475 visa and stresses that you are entitled to work which you could include with your applications to ensure that employers understand that your visa is a legitimate one.

I would think that WA having so many people moving in especially with the mining boom will be very familiar with the different visas. The thing to stress to any potential employer is that you have NO WORK RESTRICTIONS!!!! Dont get into the details of the visa cause that only complicates things. There will be jobs which say reserved for citizens or PR but many more have no such restriction. Can also depend on the industry you are in as to whether employers are willing to take provisional (NB not temporary) visa holders or not.

Good luck and sure you will be fine.

If they are not returning your calls now and you havent even signed with them...... bad sign!!

Dont risk it rather contact one of the agent who come highly recommended on this site at least you know their advice is right (some agents will promise you the sun and moon and the deliver nothing leaving you out of pocket and possibly ruining your chances of getting a visa especially if points or requirements change to your detriment). I have heard of agents who go out of business (with all your money), dont forward documents either to you from DIAC or from you to DIAC, have consultants who leave and there is no back up so it is only when you shout to find out what is happening that anyone bothers to look into the situation etc etc. Like in any industry there are dodgy characters so easiest to ensure that the info you are given at the outset is right and not just wishful thinking.

There is no obligation to actually use an agent eventually but an initial consultation is definately worth it even if just to get your head around what you need to do.

The Vline ticket from Pakenham is the same as the regular Metcard so you can use it without paying any extra.

Parking in the city is about as scarce as hens teeth and you will pay through every orifice for it. Most companies do not offer parking unless of course your job requires you to drive all around as part of your job.

Trains from Officer to the City are very regular and pretty reliable. Officer is on the Pakenham line so trains run very frequently during peak hours and not as frequently after hours - typically. It is a very busy line and the trains stop at all stations after Dandenong so at least you know the train will stop at your stop (lesser stations are skipped by some trains during peak hours).

A 10 x 2 hour ticket to the city for zones 1 and 2 is about $50+ dollars. I think a day ticket for zones 1 and 2 is about $12. But if you use your 10 trip ticket twice in one day the second expiry time is 3am the next morning so essentially you get a day ticket out of it (if that makes sense?)

Travel to the city is probably the best part of an hour's journey - peak hour the trains are absolutely crammed from the city so can seem a lot longer

Another alternative for getting to the city would be to take the train a stop down to Pakenham and pick up the Vline express train to the city but of course that doesnt run that frequently. Some people also drive part of the way - park at a station nearer the city which then reduces the time spent on the train and avoids the issue of parking in the city.

Might help if you put where you were located :biggrin:

Happy to be of help - having 3 cats of my own and looking to add number 4 this is an area where I have done a lot of investigation.

Personally would wait for PR (just double check processing times). So many more jobs are available to you and if things go wonky with one employer nothing to it just find another. Whilst on the 457 visa it is great to have the job offer but if the employer suffers financial hardships and you lose your job you have 28 days to leave the country or find another employer to take over your sponsorship. Also if you get there on a 457 and the employer turns out to be dodgy or if the job is not what it was made out to be you are stuck with them unless of course you find another employer to take over your visa or can convert your visa to a PR one. That said is there any likelihood of one of those companies who have offered you a job having a branch in Victoria that way you could still have a job but PR or can the companies who offered you the job not sponsor you right away for PR?

It is just that with all this talk of another financial downswing I would be reluctant to accept anything that involves such a major change on such a temporary basis.

Date you got British citizenship would be birthdate or if your birth was registered at a later date you could use that date.

I would assume you have a British birth certificate to have got a British passport so that would act as proof. If you dont have a copy you can get a vault copy from the records office in the UK (sorry not sure of the details). I think you would only need to provide your details and date of birth for them to be able to trace it.

Dont stress 4 cats is fine - just find a council that allows you to keep 4 cats - simple. You can check out on the internet different councils for the city you plan to move to and their requirements regardings pets and work your way from there. The council area I stay in says 4 pets so those could be dogs or cats - inner city is a bit more restrictive but you certainly dont have to move to the back of beyond to have 4 cats. Some councils allow you additional pets with approval from the neighbours - sounds to me like pretty much a formality after all if they never see your cats or hear your dogs why would they worry if you have more than say 2 and if the block you are on is large enough it would be hard to justify why 4 cats are unsuitable. As for getting a rental sure it may make getting a rental a bit more difficult but a lot of places just charge you a pet bond to cover any damage your pets may do and require you to fumigate for fleas before you move out and you are good to go. It sounds like she is a caring pet owner and isnt just going to dump her cats once she gets to Oz.

It is supposed to be a year from the earliest date of police clearance or medicals but I had nearly a year from getting the grant letter before I needed to make the move. They have to be reasonable as it is impossible for most people to just drop everything and head off just because they had a visa grant.

On your visa it will normally say must enter by a certain date - that is the validation date. The visa is valid for 3 years from the date of first entry. So if you get your visa now and do a quick trip over in to validate and then return to finalise things, the countdown will have begun at the time you first arrived. Within that 3 year period you need to have lived for 2 years and worked for 1 year to be able to apply for PR. I know there is a way to apply for an extension to your visa for 1 year if you havent been able to comply with all the requirements in that time but imagine you would have to provide an explanation for wanting the extension.

As far as I understand if you dont have PR you dont need to have converted your licence - simple. A bridging visa is just that it allows a person to stay in the country whilst a decision is being made on a permanent visa. So the person is still a temporary resident and therefore rules for temporary residents apply. Once he has PR then he must convert his licence or he can do it beforehand if he so wishes but is fully entitled to drive on his Colombian licence in the meantime.

Try local government (city council's) - find out who they recruit through for temporary or contract work that way you can build up experience (local experience is a big thing).

What about going into places which sell IT equipment or do repairs - see if you can find out who is doing recruiting they may have more of an in than an agency which is very generally focused.

Check out ads from the temp agencies where they want some sort of IT skill (doesnt have to be your level) and approach them. What I have found is that they are very compartamentalised - so if your CV gets seen by someone who works in the banking sector but a job comes up in local government your consultant wont know. They claim they cross reference with one another but frankly that is a bit of a stretch. Avoid the larger agencies - seems like many of them are staffed by bimbos who have no idea what skills are needed for a job and wouldnt understand if you explained to them what it is you have done and what your qualifications mean. Find out if there is something like a meetup group for IT people or a newcomers network opportunity which would allow you to get yourself and your skills known a bit more.

Expand your CV write in detail all you have done - really play up your skills and promote yourself.

Good luck in this search - let us know when you are successful and if you can give any pointers to any other newcomers.

I am definately interested so please let me know nearer the time when you are going.

Hi am looking for a good secondhand car in the Melbourne area. Preferably a fairly recent model i.e. within last 5 years. Anyone selling a car? Alternatively does anyone know of a good reputable car dealer? Preferably East/South East area but prepared to look further afield if something suitable.

Interested in the fridge/freezer if it is still available.

Have you considered doing temp work? Even if it is basic office work - yes I know well below what you are capable of but at least would get you out of the house and stop you from going stir crazy and may just give you an in to some other roles more in your line of work.

Unfortunately there is a huge phobia about non PR visas with employers prefering to err on the side of caution and restrict employment to those with PR whom they know can work without any restrictions.

Have you tried checking out local government (city councils) - they seem to be a big employers in Oz - see if they need any marketing assistance, also temporary roles with State Governments where projects are coming on board and they need someone to hold the fort whilst they figure out which way is up (at least you will have had some current Oz experience then). Check out also universities. They would all be big employers and so the possibility of a more stable role.

I came over on a 495 (now 475) visa and resorted to temporary work to keep the wolf from the door - finally after 3 years (and getting PR) landed a permanent job.

Am not sure what types of organisations you did marketing for before but seems like the agencies subdivide their work into areas so you would have marketing but under a local government consultant or marketing under an accounting consultant just because that is their organisation and they brought in the work - some overlap some dont. Agencies I have found good are McArthur (got work with them in Adelaide and Melbourne), westaff and Randstad. Sometimes though it is the luck of the draw. Things are beginning to pick up again so keep hammering away till someone gives you a job. You could always find the equivalent organisation to the one where you worked in the UK and approach them directly to see if they need anyone with your set of skills.

Yup that seems to be the state of the rental market in Melbourne - I am sure there must be some reasonably priced, reasonable state rentals out there but am still trying to find them. It isnt so much a matter of price but more a matter of landlords who dont seem to care about the state of the property. I have come to the conclusion they claim to have spent money on their rental property and get the tax breaks for that but in actual fact they have ploughed that money into their personal residences. Disgusting carpets, weird rooms, half remodelled houses, kitchens in passage ways, mouldy bathrooms, hanging gardens of babylon gutters - that is the state of the rental market all at top dollar. As someone recently mentioned the pictures you see advertising a rental are usually taken when the house was first put up for sale - in the meantime they have had tenants through, there is natural wear and tear and they havent bothered in most cases to do anything regarding upkeep which is why the places look so disgusting when you view them. Good luck!!

I think that Satch is one smart pooch. See she starts to lose weight and gets fussed over and special treats to help her pick up a bit more weight then she knows she is going to be released soon and will get home and be fussed over again and get all her favourite foods (none of this no you cant have this or that you will get too fat.... ) Then of course it is Christmas and more of her favourite foods.

She is just making space for all those delicious treats.

There are heaps of young travellers doing the working holiday route so you wont be alone for long. Most seem to land up doing farmwork for a bit as I understand that that will give you an additional year to your working holiday visa (unless of course that has changed like so many other visa rules).

Most working holiday makers seem to pick a destination city and stay at a backpackers/YHA till they get their heads around what is going on in their city of choice, they often then link up with other like minded travellers and get a rental together or even head off travelling together.

As far as I know you are allowed to work up to 6 months for 1 employer so that may be a bit of a problem if you are set on working in your field. On the other hand I have heard of people getting sponsorship after a working holiday visa so you never know.

If you are not too fussed what you do then shops tend to put up vacancy signs on their windows so you would probably be able to land a job as a waiter or shop assistant quite quickly - just wandering around and popping in to see the shop would then be the way to land that sort of work.

If you fancy doing some farm work as something completely different there is a site I think it is called something like harvest trail and that gives details of what is being picked and where. Not sure if they advertise specific farms or whether you go to the area to see if you can pick up work. There is also usually a notice board at the backpackers regarding work.

If you want to continue in your field then the best would be to contact the airlines and the different airports to find out their recruitment process. Most professional type jobs need you to actually be there to interview for the job (rather than just turn up on a day as an extra pair of hands) so you could set up appointments for after you arrive.

how about posting your question and maybe someone who is going for a state sponsored visa can help you or at least tell you the type of questions you should ask.

As far as I understand there is the state sponsored 176 (permanent residency) and the 475 State Regional Visa. So which one were you thinking of going for?

Another agent I have hear recommended is Stephen Dickinson of Migration Outcomes Australia - he is Melbourne based but may be another one to contact.

Number is 0432 150 323

Dont worry about them being local or not rather do as you suggested and see who you feel comfortable with and who has been recommended. In this day and age with email, phone etc having an agent in a different city or state is no handicap.

You normally have to attach a scanned copy of your passport to your application so that acts as your photo - I didnt attach a separate one and that was fine.

Coloured scanned copies dont need certification as already mentioned - I didnt get anything certified and some of my docs were in black and white (pay slips) and it was fine processed within 2 days so no need to panic.

My logic says if a person maintains a house well that would include having a pet as they wouldnt want to live in a wrecked place with or without a pet so they will ensure that the place is always in good condition. However I think it is easy to blame pets - cant blame kids, very un-pc, cant blame yourself as a landlord for not maintaining a place, blame tenants and their pets and "she'll be right mate".

One place I looked at renting wanted me to pay an additional pet deposit due to the "new carpets". Well the carpets may have been new in the 1960's but hadnt been upgraded or modernised since then, the whole house in fact hadnt been upgraded or modernised - so what they thought my cats were going to do that hadnt already been done to the house I dont know. Respectfully declined the offer as I could see it already oh your cats have turned brand new carpets into 1960's carpets - oh dear I have to withhold your deposit. Hey my cats are magical but turning back time - nope not seen that one yet.