DanUK

Hi Dave, we are also down in Bonbeach (as are a lot of other expats). Happy to meet up.

It might not be quite the same but there is a Disney in Hong Kong too - maybe you could do that as a stop over on the way out here.

Completely agree with you its a big move and not one to be taken lightly. But for us when we came out here, it was a matter of trying it and if it didnt work out at least we would have had the experience and would know one way or the other. Admittely I was sponsored out here so didnt have the same expense in terms of visas and shipping but the fact we had not placed ourselves in a situation where anything but absolute aussie assimilation would have felt a failure is very liberating. We have been here 2.5 years now, are PR and plan to take citizenship when eligible but even then would not say we are 100% committed to being here forever. The fact we are comfortable leaving if we want to actually increases the chances we will stay. The OP expresses a desire to give it a try but with the friction he knows it will cause, saying the move is only temporary at first should make the whole process less stressful for everyone involved. Maybe they can rent the house instead of sell, bring over only what they really need and tell family it is just for 2 years to begin with (and even look at getting a sponsored temporary business visa rather whilst the regional sponsored PR goes through). Either way, it always seems unnecessary to me to say a move anywhere is forever - you wouldnt say that if you moved towns in the UK, so why when you move countries. Things change and to paint yourself into a corner is just adding more pressure to an already stressful time. Just my thoughts and not criticising anyone else.

Hello. I don't really agree that you cannot have doubts about a move or that you must commit to it being permanent for it to be successful. There is nothing to stop you going for a couple years and returning, or trying somewhere else, if you don't like it in Australia. Kids under 8 are not going to be too disrupted and treating it as an temporary thing takes the pressure off everyone making it easier. At least that way if it isn't for you, you will know and not be left wondering.

Fragomen handled my 457 and ENS 856. Slightly different experience as I didn't get notification of a CO and I handled the visa evidencing myself but the same result. 856 was lodged on 7th Jan 11 in Sydney and was granted on the 14th. Fragomen said it would take 5-7 months when I asked but the employer sponsored decision ready applications are usually no brainers and seem to sail through.

Me too

Whilst it is not a guaranteed route, it does allow people to essentially try before they buy. A 457 allows people to try Australia to ensure it is right for them before investing a lot of money. The fact you can live and work in Australia also allows you to gain Australian work experience and in the case of the OP access to employers her husband would otherwise not have with the potential to gain sponsorship ( or not ). This might make the difference between gaining a permanent visa in the future or not. It is also worth mentioning there is absolutely nothing to stop someone from lodging an independent visa application, or state sponsored the minute they arrive in Australia or at some point in the future if employee sponsorship is not available. Yes a 457 has risks but it also has rewards.

If your job is in demand can you not try for sponsorship under 457? that would get you out here and would enable your husband to work (in accordance to the conditions of your 457). That might allow him to join the Police here who after a couple years might be prepared to sponsor for PR. Not sure if this will work but could be an option you have not considered.

The Medicare reciprocal agreement covers British citizens for basic health care and satisfies the medical insurance requirement. If you are not eligible for that, I believe medibank is one of the more competitive for hospital cover. Your husbands employer may well have a corporate plan which usually works out cheaper. Be aware you will generally pay more for the same cover on a 457 as you do not have full Medicare cover. I paid $380 for a family of 5, hospital and extras on a corporate plan. I now pay $120 less for almost top cover as a permanent resident.

wow! That seems very unreasonable. A 457 is probably the cheapest visa you can get so for a company to hold that over your head for 4 years is pretty poor. Essentially you will be tied to them, on a potentially unlivable salary in no position to negotiate or leave. Most employers seek to recover some of the costs ( especially if they offer relocation assistance) but only in the first 6 - 12. At least that is my experience. Alarm bells would be ringing for me at this point if I were you.

..... so pretty much the lowest they can get away with factoring in Super

The Min Salary Levels are as follows Subclass 457 – Market Salary Rates Because the occupation is not IT related, the threshold is lower. My reading of the information is the applicable MSL for Graphic Design would be $47,480

Short answer is yes. Getting a company to sponsor you on a 457 means you are essentailly looking at weeks to gain your visa (depending on employer, job etc) rather than months or even years. It also means you have immediate employment when you get to Australia so you do not need to worry about finding a job which is far less stressful. For me I was in Melbourne a little over 2 months after being offered a job. It can be quicker than that or it could take longer but 2 - 4 months is certainly achievable. A 457 is also not points tested and you do not have to undergo the same level of scrutiny you do for other visas (so less extensive medicals, less paper work and usually no Police Check, all of which speeds the process up). There are of course several major down sides to a 457. Firstly you have to find an employer willing and able to sponsor you (and for that nomination to be approved). Secondly you are bound to that employer and if you employment ends so does your visa. Finally you have no guaranteed path to PR at the end of it all.

From memory you do not have to undergo a police check for a 457 visa (unless requested) although you are asked to declare convictions. The best option is to declare the caution and submit a statement explaining what happened, it was a one off and out of character etc. You could also interpret the requirement as only needing to declare convictions and omit the caution if you felt comfortable with that. The Character requirement is detailed here Character Requirement - Applications & Forms but in general a caution from 5 years ago would not be deemed reason to deny a visa. Given your partner has already obtained his Police Cerfiticate was it something that was requested?

My mistake. Private Medical insurance was a condition of my employment when I came out on a 457 (as a British Citizen) but that was 26 months ago and I believe the rules changed in 2009. Either way, Private Medical insurance is good to have if you can include in the terms of the contract at the negotiation stage.

Hello $52k is not massive so I would suggest you get some clarification of exactly what the conditions of the offer are, namely 1. Does the $52k include Super? 2. Will they pay for private medical (otherwise you will have to pay this yourself on a 457) 3. Are they prepared to offer LAFHA? If you can get LAFHA you should get another $400ish a month (assuming the minimum salary level for that occupation is $47500 and my interpretation of the msl is correct). That would take you up to about $3600 a month which should be perfectly liveable if you have realistic expectations. With the 457 you will also be eligible to work which could also make a big difference.

Technically you are only told to declare convictions on the form so you could not declare your caution without lying. However you will have to declare it on the police check and it will appear on the certificate even if it has stepped down (as no active trace) so you would be much better off just declaring it rather than having to explain it and potentially hold the application up. From everything I have seen, they only care about convictions involving lengthy prison terms (1year +) when assessing good character although a lot of petty convictions and cautions especially if they are recent will no doubt raise eyebrows and doubts in whoever is assessing your application.

It will depend on whether the company sponsoring the 457 is prepared to sponsor for PR. Of the 6 people I know who have come out on a 457, me included, most have gone the ENS 856 route which works very well. The two who applied for independent skilled PR are both still waiting and of course had to pay all the fees themselves. As has been said, the 457 is not a guaranteed path to PR so you may come to the end of your visa and be unable to continue as a perm resident. 457s can run for up to 4 years however and I believe can be extended for another 4 so that might still be good enough for what you want. It is linked to the job so will ultimately be determined by the length of contract an employer offers you but worth considering when negotiating with employers, along with their willing and ability to sponsor for PR.

As has been said already the biggest challenge is finding an employer willing to sponsor. Until that happens you cannot start any sponsored application. It will depend on what you do and how in demand you are. Big multinational companies often hire internationally so the process is much simpler through them. It also reduces the risks associated with being tied to a single employer. Unless you have contacts in Australia, work for a multi national with local offices, your best bet is just applying for jobs on the local website like seek and careerone. Many jobs will be advertised stating you need to be eligible to work (i.e. no sponsorship) but some employers will still entertain it. There are certain conditions placed on employers hiring on a 457 such as minimum salary levels which can make it more expensive than hiring locally (they also need to prove they were unable to fill domestically before the nomination is approved i believe), so it may be a non starter depending on what you do. I successfully obtained 2 job offers (with 457 sponsorship) from the UK so it can be done through phone interviews and email. Its not always going to be easy though.

As long as you do not open the sealed envelope containing the results you are fine.

Hi Melanie, For me, my employer sponsored a 457 in November 2008 and then sponsored the 856 through a migration agent once I was able to meet the 2 year requirement (thus avoiding the skills assessment). That was submitted "decision ready" and granted a week later on the 14th Jan just gone. So i have been through this recently. You are in a slightly different situation to me as I am in Victoria so my sons schooling was essentially free but would certainly say that is the easiest way to go, especially if you can get LAFHA, and worked well for us. If you do go that route it is likely to take more time than you are hoping which could impact your decision to home school. The LAFHA should however offset the school fees (mine amounted to almost 10k a year) which for now which would remove the rush to get PR until you have decided if Australia is the right choice for you.

Ok what I said previously was not 100% correct. You can apply onshore with a 121 but with a 457 the correct visa would be the ENS 856 (at least that was the advise I received when going through this recently). And when I said modl I should have said Ensol. All the info is here if you haven't already looked into it Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 121/856)

Hi I am not sure the 121 is the right visa for you as this must be filed off shore to my knowledge. The onshore equivalent is the 856. Your husband would need to be on the modl list and take a skills assessment as he would not meet employment (2years) or salary criteria. I might be wrong but just wanted to check your expectations are realistic before you commit to something on that assumption.

It is of course your decision but I would ask for both. Remember that lafha is an ATO benefit so essentially doesn't cost the employer anything. As you say you will lose lafha if you apply for PR or buy a house but even 6 months of free money is worth getting if you can. My lafha gave me another 800 a month and given we didn't apply for PR for 2 years (employer sponsored) it was definitely worthwhile.

Hello. I do not think you would be lying by claiming lafha regardless of your desire to ultimately stay. As long as there is a doubt over whether you will settle and decide to stay, or even be able to (a 457 does not guarantee PR) you can claim lafha with a clear conscience. It makes a huge difference especially if your salary will otherwise be tight. That said, if your employer is not prepared to sponsor a 457 they are unlikely to want to administer lafha which is an ongoing and potentially far more involved process.