George Lombard

Hi Val, I haven't seen that definition of "in session" before - can you give a link or directions on where to find it? Cheers, George Lombard

Hi MoP, Mark's response to you is comprehensive. I'd just add that the problem with your situation seems to be that you'll struggle with the "Schedule 3" issue of lodging a new application while holding a bridging visa. So in fact there's no appeal as such when the application has been withdrawn but to lodge a new application you'd need to have a good argument that it's beyond your control and that there are compelling circumstances involved - additionally there are technical issues about whether you could have been granted this visa when you last held a substantive (non-bridging) visa. A lot depends on your situation but for single people it can just be easier to go offshore for a couple of weeks. You apparently don't have that luxury. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Victoria, It would be unprofessional for an RMA to comment publicly on another agent's work so I won't respond to what you're being told by the agent. Suggest you put your questions in the general forum. FWIW not many registered migration agents are also involved in recruitment but it can happen. I assume you've found this link: https://www.border.gov.au/Lega/Lega/Form/Immi-FAQs/i-am-a-nurse-how-can-i-work-in-australia . This might also help: http://www.ramsayjobs.com.au/Overseas-Nurses/Migrating-to-Australia.aspx . Cheers, George Lombard Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Clairey, Yes you're too old to apply for General Skilled Migration, and most likely not going to be paid enough to qualify for PR using employer sponsorship. There are some other options which people use, such as a 457 visa followed by a retirement visa but that kind of pathway needs professional advice. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Jen, If you put your post in the main forum of Poms in Oz you'll be overwhelmed by nurses who can talk you through the basics. in this forum you'll find serious agents who have been accepted by PiO as offering professional services, Mark and Ahmad are good examples of the standard you can expect. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Paige, Impossible to say on this information, but if the prognosis post-operatively is positive then you might be ok. It's a question of what costs might arise in the future. Registered Migration Agents have access to the Department's internal guides to medical costs, sometimes those can help but they don't cover every possible condition. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Louloubelle, I'd just add to Terence's post that a lot of tradies do get trade tested for RPL and then skills assessed and sponsored for PR but that to apply before the two years is up you're going to find it hard without a fully-fledged university degree. From the sound of it they wouldn't sponsor you for PR now anyway - in fact it's quite common for employers here to delay that part of the process. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Blighty, I'd just add to Mark's comment that Tasmania is a small place and in general I don't think they do much sponsoring unless you've got some sort of job offer, and in fact it might end up being better to go down the partner route despite the cost. On the question of moving between states after sponsorship, there was a very colourful post on that issue here by a long-term PIO member, Gollywobbler. Worth digging that up if you can. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Sapphilor, It's worth considering a phone call to the citizenship line 131880 on this kind of issue. You'll find that the citizenship service standards are very different to the immigration line 131881 :-) Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Nicolo, I'd just add to Richard's reply that if it appears that details of your son's autism were withheld from the Department then there might be serious complications - the Department has been reviewing many old files to retrieve adverse information which it is raising at the time of application for citizenship - but unlike many congenital defects and disabilities, autism only becomes apparent during childhood and hopefully it won't be an issue for you. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Aus007, I can see you've posted a couple of times about what's involved in an ACS skills assessment. Suggest you read the ACS guidelines carefully, see https://www.acs.org.au/migration-skills-assessment/information-for-applicants . Also keep in mind that web development and SEO work may not be within an occupation currently on the SOL, that state sponsorship for some states is problematic in IT at the moment, and that the points requirement for some IT occupations is currently over 65. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Adam, Yes it's possible for you to lose some employment period through a deeming date with TRA but normally only if you've gone down the RPL process. If you've qualified for your skills assessment based on a UK qualification then it seems unlikely that you'd lose any time. But be careful on relying on word of mouth through the forum. In this situation it would pay to get an agent to confirm that there isn't an issue. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Valerie, Count yourself lucky. Historically, the waiting period for a general skilled migration visa has been well over 12 months, up to two years in some eras. FWIW at this time of year the Department is very careful about not exceeding the various pre-established quotas which need to be met for most visas at midnight on 30 June. I certainly wouldn't pester anyone until 4 July, ie the Monday after the end of the program year. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Deepanshu, I would always be skeptical about state sponsorship points until granted by the state, and in your situation I would be going for additional English points - have you considered the Pearson test for example? Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Aditya, With Vetassess some occupations have their own internal definitions - see https://www.vetassess.com.au/Portals/0/Downloads/qualification_assessment/VETASSESS-General-Occupation-List.pdf?vid=100 - and for occupations not defined you should expect a more rigorous interpretation of ANZSCO consistent with those occupations which are internally defined. In that respect you should read and attempt to apply the criteria at the top of the four digit unit group for that occupation rather than the simple definition of the six digit occupation, see http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/0B7D3F8050F96403CA257B9500131174?opendocument . It's difficult to know what solutions you have - it may be that your original documentation prevents you from providing further clarification in an appeal. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Sara, Self-sponsorship is no longer the attractive option it was five years ago - the Department has made it very clear that it's not going to be encouraged. The following text is from a letter sent to the Law Council of Australia by the Department: ... the subclass 457 programme is not intended to be used for non-citizens to establish a business in Australia and self-sponsor themselves. There are other visa pathways available for such purposes (for example, the Business Innovation and Investment visa). These visas including the proposed new Entrepreneur visa, are designed to support the Government's innovation agenda. There are still, however, limited circumstances where the 457 programme may be appropriate in the context of the sponsorship of a Director!Owner. I would suggest that it's probably best to work for a sponsor in this situation. Cheers, George Lombard

HI Baz, Assuming you meet the balance of family test and you're over 65, then you're certainly able to apply for permanent residence using a parent or contributory parent visa application. If under 65 you'll need another avenue. We've seen some weird solutions but on the whole you're best off getting reliable professional advice, there's a lot at stake if you get it wrong. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Eve, OMG you do need to sit down with an agent and talk this all through carefully. Probably it would be a good idea for your partner to visit an agent in Australia and conduct a three way conversation using Skype. As a first step you will need to retrieve the Department's documentation of your various applications using the Freedom of Information Act and in particular form 424 from the Department's website, just to clarify how bad the situation might be. Note that there's not necessarily a ban arising from you having left Australia as the holder of a Bridging Visa E, but there might be a ban arising from any false information in your applications, under PIC 4020. Cheers, George Lombard

And therefore, given the upcoming changes, you probably need to consult someone professionally. Cheers, George Lombard

No worries. Obviously inappropriate for me to second-guess another professional in that case. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Raj, I think Leanne's view about citizenship is quite correct; whether you can leave your post within the two year period mentioned in s.137Q of the Migration Act is another issue. There are a number of decisions on the old MRT database concerning this issue, just go to http://www.austlii.edu.au/form/search1.html?mask=au/cases/cth/MRTA and search on "137Q". The AAT which has assumed this jurisdiction from 1 July last year has not published any significant decisions yet. Clearly inappropriate to give you shorthand advice here for something which might be so difficult :-( Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Nguyen, It takes careful planning - have you considered the professional year for accountants? I don't think working as an "admin assistant" will help your points. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Mansawant, FWIW the significant changes to the student visa assessment level arrangements coming into effect on 1 July make it very difficult to advise you without specific college/university information. I would recommend using a reliable education agent in Australia as given the economics of that industry it's unlikely to cost you very much to see this done properly. Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Nicky, Sadly, no. This is another area which is ferociously regulated by the Department of Immigration, see http://www.border.gov.au/Busi/Pane/Pane . Cheers, George Lombard

Hi Nicky, It's got to be a panel doctor - even in North America these days it's got to be a panel doctor. You might ask one of the panel doctors who are too busy to make an exception or find a cancellation for you. My guess is that they don't like dealing with foreigners... Cheers, George Lombard