Here is a rundown of events, I am one of those people who were still on a student visa during the time of the 8 February 2010 announcement. I finished uni in July 2010, and applied for a Subclass 485, which was granted in Nov 2011. I had a Skills Assessment with ACS (2231-79) Computing Proffessional (nec). Then managed to secure a job this year in April as a Service Desk Analyst. The primary aim of having a Subclass 485, as the gvt put it, was so that those who did not qualify for an 885 or 886, would use that opportunity to either find employment or do a Professional Year.
My main hurdle is that that the ACS does not consider someone in my position to apply for Skills Assessment as an ICT Support Officer (313112), and at the same time, TRA, which is the assessing authority, requires applicants to posses 3 years work experience, of which 12 months would have been prior to applying for Skills Assessment. My current employer has expressed interest in trying to sponsor me through Subclass 186 or 457, but the Skills Assessment pre-requisite is what is giving me nightmares. I dont know what would be expected of me, if I am on a visa that allows me to spend at least a year gaining work experience, yet when it comes to applying for a subsequent visa, the bar is set so high, you can only but wonder whether 485 was meant to be the end of the road. Any ideas on alternative pathway, would be much appreciated.