Raul Senise

The above post seems to suggest that if you get a skills assessment in any Engineering occupation you can apply for Permanent Residency, which is not the case. The first step before proceeding to a skills assessment would be to assess whether there are any genuinely achievable Australian PR options. Skilled visas are based on points and very competitive. No point spending money on a skills assessment if you have no genuine visa prospect. Further, the posts fails to mention that currently, many Engineering occupations (Electronics, Industrial, Mechanical, Production Engineers) are oversubscribed and therefore subject to pro rata arrangements. This means that if nominating a pro rata occupation, it is even more difficult to gain an invitation as fewer spots are available and higher points are required. Proceed with caution.

The 491 is very new and information about invites and points for various States is currently limited.

45 is the age limit for most visa. The subclass 186 has an age exemption if you work in Australia for three years earning a salary above the "high income threshold" (which in your trade you may). Not easy but maybe possible.

You will not get invited for a 189 with 70 points. Last invitation round required 95 points. You can lodge an EOI for NSW 190 and hope that NSW offers you sponsorship. Not a lot of time considering that you would need to obtain a positive skills assessment, lodge an EOI, get invited by NSW, lodge a NSW application, get approved by NSW, receive an Invitation form DOHA and finally lodge a visa application. It will depend on how many applications are ahead of you with more points. NSW does not publish time frames. If you lodge a valid visa while onshore, you will receive a bridging visa. As you are onshore, you would need to be living in a Designated Regional Area before NSW would consider sponsoring you.

The linked articles relate to recent Policy in regards to schedule 6D. There is always an element of risk in relying on Policy as Policy is not legally binding like the Regulations are. There appears to be some inconsistency with the Department applying the latest Policy.

This is not a simple matter and you would be well advised to seek professional advice.

If the business is sold and the ABN number changes, the new entity will need to take over your 457 sponsorship before you apply for PR. You would be well advised to seek professional advice to navigate this change.

Not necessarily, it depends on the circumstances.

No, you cannot select a start date for the new 482 visa. The new visa will come into effect as soon as it is approved.

This will depend on a number of factors, including the post which is processing the application.

About $150,000 per annum.

Difficult but not impossible. If you or your wife were able to secure employment and sponsorship in a high paying position, you could potentially still covert to PR at a later date.

If there is a clear error it may be possible to revisit the decision. Speak with your Agent.

That does not make much sense as occupations on the medium to long term list don't need to meet genuine temporary entrant criteria. You would be well advised to seek professional advice.

If your nominated occupation is Secondary School Teacher with ANZSCO code 241411 then the subclass 186 is an option, provided you can meet the requirements of either the Temporary Residence Transitional (TRT) or Direct Entry (DE) pathways.