alialbabe

Hi there Bad news for me today...:sad: I'm currently with an agent going for a 190 (Project Administrator) and we got to the skills assessment, which was lodged in March, then the agent emails today saying it's come back negative. They've accepted the qualification (Diploma in Project Management) but not my work experience. Just under 2 years in Records & Projects in Australia and 10 months as Records & Projects admin in NZ. He says he doesn't understand why and is going to talk to an assessor at VETASSESS. But then he also said more bad news, as of 01 July none of the states have your occupation on their lists - not one. I feel a bit p*ssed because I queried this with him back in September last year when we first made contact and he assured me Project Administrator would be put back on the lists and there was a huge ceiling for it - so I trusted him on this. Now...I have a history of 1 x WHV and 2 x student visas so I kind of know my stuff. But...back on my last student visa (just before I ran out of funds to fund a new student visa and therefore left for NZ) a company who were implementing my current employers EDRMS system, took an interest in my IT/Records skills and they knew I was a pom on a student visa. They called me a few times when I was in Auckland (crying in a backpackers) and talked about a 457 and told me to look into it. I did try but I couldn't call the DIAC helpline from another country and this was before the website had a makeover. I tried to get info from the Australian immigration office here in NZ but they didn't seem very sure about anything they told me and certainly didn't seem overly eager to help. Eventually the company seemed to think they'd have to pay heaps of money for me to work for them so they backed out. Although they keep in touch and emailed me only last week asking if I'd managed to get back into Australia yet. So my question is - how do they go about sponsoring me on a 457 and how can I explain it to them so they don't get put off? Process, timeline, tests required? I am willing to foot all costs incurred and do most of the paperwork but I think I need to take ownership of this or they may back away again. My background - Age - 32, partner - 31 (no skills). Quals: 2 x Cert 4's in IT completed in Aus, Diploma in Project Management done through RPL but also in Australia. In total 1.5 years Australian study (in WA). Work exp: About 20 months experience in Aus (WA) and 10 months work experience in NZ as Records/Projects officer. Both Native english speakers. No kids. Partner has a brother in Victoria who is a citizen. I've been at this since 2008 when I had my WHV. I've been stuck in NZ for nearly 2 years (haha just kidding... no I'm really not :dull:). Please help :cry:

I've been here before for a year as a student, going to Tafe and working at the same company for most of the year, even though I did a little travelling inbetween. I ticked the box to be taxed as a resident. I'm back now as a student again for 1 year, I'm back in the same job and at the same Tafe so I've ticked the box to be taxed as a resident again. I'm assuming this to be correct as so far, the ATO has not pulled me up on this. Generally if you've stayed in one place most of the time you've been here, you're good to be taxed as a resident. :biggrin:

I've been in Perth a couple of years now on a student visa but I have stayed at the same GP who charges above the gap, quite a lot above. I pay $75 for a simple doctors visit. If you know the student visa score, you'll know we have to have private health insurance (even though as a Brit I'm entitled to Medicare), so mine is with BUPA. But BUPA said there are GP's in Perth who charge accordingly to the gap fee so you're not left out of pocket by much. I've found a whole heap of lists of doctors but I don't really know if they're any good.... Any advice, recommendations? I'm in Belmont area but a doctors in the city or Vic Park, Mt Lawley, anywhere close is also OK. Thanks :cute:

I'm not sure anyone really will answer you now, it's got a tad hostile and people on here are long term members who help each other regularly. It's not really a debate forum, or a social networking site. Why don't you just call immigration with your question, after all, they're the people who know the definate answer. If you call the general helpline, they don't generally take a name or any personal details so you can ask any questions you like, no judgment. Or...why don't you just call them and be honest. Tell them you have an employer that's willing to sponsor you to stay in your job/position and you've called to find out how your employer can go about it. DIAC do actually want skilled workers to stay in the country so they won't discourage you, their job is to advise and help. When I call them and come across someone unhelpful, I tell them to put me on to someone else, which you are entitled to do. You get the odd few staff that don't really want to answer endless questions or tell you just to look at the website, when this happens to me, being smart, blunt and not rude, will actually get you everywhere. The DIAC helpline is a hurdle in itself to get over.:dull:

Even if they "created" a manager role for you and you did that job regularly and then they nominated you to be sponsored to stay in that position....you would still have to have a qualification to be a manager. A skills assessment is required for any job on the SOL. Skills assessments assess if you have the right skills and quals to be a manager. It does state, only in some cases, will a qual be overlooked, for years of experience. Sounds dodgy to me too, if it was that easy, I'd get my company to sponsor me, I have quals in IT support but I work as a Records Officer. DIAC are not easy going like the country is....

Thank you, that's really nice. :cute: I honestly had no idea that I HAD to have the work experience to get a TRA skills assessment. The girl on the phone at TRA could tell I'd got my hopes up and just kept saying, "I think you need to go away and read this section first before you call us back..." Now I know why. I'm not doing great at the moment, I've been going at this since 2008 with WHV's and student visas, and I'm thinking about giving up and going to New Zealand. I'm 30 so I can still get a 2 year WHV over there and I figured because I could work full time, I'd be able to get the years work experience quite easily. When I finish my Diploma in December, to be be able to stay in the country, I'll have to continue studying. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to fit the years work experience in when I'll be at Tafe all the time. I struggle at the moment to get my 20 hours in. And a whole year, does seem like a long time, another long time bfore I can get any answers. :unsure: Question, how do they expect a student studying IT to fit in an entire years work experience when they're at school all the time? Thank you, your advice has actually made me feel a little less like jumping off a cliff.

Yes I think you're right, and I was going to, because this whole thing is frying my brain, but one agent quoted me $600 for an assessment and pathway consultation, which seemed really expensive, or is this about the average price for an agent fee? The 15 mins free phonecall she said I could have wouldn't tell me anything more than I already know as I already know a great deal. Thank you

WOW it must be hard, I don't have any degrees in English, but it has always been something that comes naturally to me. I'll just have to hope for the best and study for it. I don't have any work experience in my occupation yet and I have spoken to TRA and they have said this is something I need before I can even get a skills assessment. I didn't know this, someone on the immigration helpline told me that I didn't have to have any work experience in my occupation as I'd been an Australian student who'd gained their qualification IN Australia. Now after speaking to someone in TRA, it seems this is incorrect. I'm really disappointed now and don't know what to do. I wanted to ask an agent but she's quoted me $600 just for a consulatation where they work out a pathway for me, It just seems very expensive, is this an average fee, do you know or should I get some other prices off agents? Thank you

Without sounding really stupid, Im going to ask anyway....do I have to have actual work experience in IT to even get a skills assessment? I was hoping to avoid having to get this. The impression I got, was as long as I had the qualification, I didn't need work experience as the qualification was an Australian one. ???

Hi Millie Thank you for your reply. I don't gain any extra points for Australian study, the 10 points IS for my qualification, which was all done in Aus. With regards to State Sponsorship, I've been onto the correct web page on the WA State Sponsorship website and it says to gain State Sponsorship, I have to first submit an EOI, so don't understand how I can get it??

Hi Guys You all seem very knowledgable on here, so I thought I'd ask for your advice and I'm desperately stressing about this every day and don't know what move to make next. I'm on a student visa 572. I have a Cert 4 level in IT Support already and am currently doing my Diploma in IT Networking, due to finish in December. I have a job that's on the CSOL - ICT Customer Support Officer. Once I've finished the Diploma, I'll also be qualified to be a Systems Administrator - also on the CSOL. Under this new Skills Select system, it seems I can submit an EOI now, as I'm pretty sure Cert 4 is the level for ICT Customer Support Officer. (I'll have a Diploma level by December anyway). I already have; 30 pts for my age 10 pts for having an Australian trade qualification/diploma and am aiming for another 20 points for getting a level 8 in IELTS once I take the test, (as English Language is one of my strong points). With this in mind, I will have the required 60 points. I am going for the 489 Regional Nominated/Sponsored Provisional Visa as I feel this is my best chance. (I'm willing to live ANYWHERE). So according to the immigration website, I need a positive TRA and an IELTS result, before I can submit an EOI. My questions are: 1) Can I submit an EOI now for ICT Customer Support Officer occupation, or do I need to wait until I've finished my Diploma so I can nominate System Administrator occupation? 2) If I do submit an EOI now, and then I still haven't got an invite by December when I finish studying, would it be a good idea to keep studying (so I can stay in Aus on a student visa) or just leave the country and go elsewhere to wait for an invite? 3) If I did neither and just waited until I'd finished my Diploma to submit an EOI, and started another course (to stay in the country), would the course have to be IT related also? Only asking because I'd only be studying just to stay in the country basically, and I was thinking of doing a Cert 4 in Business or something similar). 4) Is it true, people applying for a 489, have a greater chance of getting an invite, because they're willing to live anywhere, so could therefore be sponsored by any state? Thank you, must go now, should be working...:huh:oops

Hi Dermo I was in the process of getting a skills assessment done for my occupation and realised a few days ago, a whole bunch of occupations had been taken off including ICT Customer Support Officer, which was mine. I'm pretty "in the know" with most immigration info but this is the first time I've considered applying for permanent residency. If you don't mind me asking, what occupation on WA list are you going for? And what do I have to do to get a skills assessment, I've emailed TRA twice but they've ignored me. I currently have Cert 4 in IT Support and am due to finish IT Diploma in December. However I think I may be able to lodge an EOI only being Cert 4 qualified as ICT Customer Support Officer doesn't neccessarily require a Diploma. Any thoughts?

For the first 9 months, we were in the UK and I was in a houseshare and he was with his parents, then we came to Aus for 1 year, me on a student visa, him on a WHV, we lived with other people the whole time, we did have our bank statements coming to the same address for about 5 months, but thats it really, and we had a joint savings account with Commonwealth opened in March 2010 but we haven't got any major activity in it! Since July 2010, we've been back in the UK, but still living in different places, (as we cant afford to live together). Don't really know what to do?

Hi there My partner and I just spent 1 year in Aus, he was on a WHV and me on a Student Visa and I want to go back again in May to do my 2nd year of study. We were going to go and get married in the Caribbean or Florida, but as we're going to Aus in May, we have now thought, we may as well get married in Aus when we get there. Although this raises visa questions. (We've been together since October 2008 but don't have enough evidence of Defacto, as when in the UK, we've always lived with relatives and friends and in Aus we lived with friends, so no proof of rental agreements etc and its actually too expensive for us to get our own place together for 12 months in the UK, when we're trying to save.) Getting married in the Caribbean would mean we could apply for a Student visa in UK online, like I did last time and then fly to Aus, no dramas. But if we want to get married in Aus, I'm guessing we'd have to go over there on a 3 month tourist visa first, get married, THEN apply for our Student Visa, whilst there. But I don't want to do this the wrong way, if maybe there is another way. Should we do that or should I apply for a Student Visa in the UK, then add him to it once we're married? P.S - if you're an agent that can advise and have a pretty good idea of what we should do, please contact as I WILL pay to get the right advice. Feeling confused Thanks Alial :err: