l55lee

Hi All We've been living in Perth now for four months and it's time to start searching for a rental property. We've been really lucky as we've been able to stay with relatives so there's not been the need for references etc. We owned our own house in the UK, so the rental market will be a whole new experience. Will a letting agent be concerned about our lack of rental experience? My relatives are happy to write a reference but I'm not sure whether it's necessary to embellish the truth to make us look more favourable for the rental market e.g. say that we've been paying to live at my relatives. In terms of finances I've got a reasonable amount in the bank and have a good contracting job in the CBD with a well reputed IT outsourcer. Any hints or tips would be gratefully appreciated. Cheers Lee

Speaking to another agent may well help. Stephen Dickson helped us through the process and I had my 176 within 4 months. I had to take the RPL route and attained extra points for my IELTS score. One of Stephens areas of expertise is IT, he even worked in IT in the UK. You'll find him on the Migration Outcomes Australia website. Good luck (with the process not with Stephen, he know's what he's doing). Cheers Lee

Cool, that's good news for you and others that would have to travel some distance. :biggrin: It's a shame that their staff don't all understand that it can handled digitally! Hey ho, at least I only live 45 minutes from the CBD.

I tried to email my stuff in but they wouldn't have any of it, apparently/allegedly only a physical visit would suffice.

The SS doesn't kick in until you activate it. I don't believe that this has any impact on your visa though.

I'm a big believer in the moral obligation part of the equation here, I wouldn't have got to Aus so quickly if that hadn't been an option. I realise that there's a multitude of opinions on this and everyone's entitled to their own.

I was rather surprised, which was why I created the thread. It's a tad crazy that we're not either (1) notified how to deal with it when we arrive or (2) that it's done by default when our visa's are activated. When you get to Perth it's easy to find immigration, if that's any consolation. It's next door to Myer on Murray Street, on the second floor. Cheers l55lee

No worries, it's http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/172455-wa-ss-activation.html. Basically I took in my passport and the signed copy of the SS notification, that was all that they needed. Cheers l55lee

Take a look at the thread that I started on 02/01/2013 called WA SS activation. You'll see everything that you need there. I dropped in to their office with the required paperwork and was done within ten minutes. It's worth mentioning that the office is not open every day of the week, I went to see them on the Thursday morning. Cheers l55lee

Hi All I've read many conflicting views on POI about activating WA SS, so I thought it prudent to speak with migration myself. It turns out that I do have to physically activate the SS, it seems a little crazy that this can't be done at the same time that I validated my visa. It's worth having a look at this if you haven't seen it already... it tells you what you need to do - http://www.migration.wa.gov.au/skilledmigration/Pages/Newlyarrivedskilledmigrants.aspx. Cheers Lee

Speaking first hand I applied for a number of jobs from the UK earlier this year and received nothing more than a "thanks for your interested but.....". I've been in Perth for three weeks now and I've already had two job interviews. It seems likely that you'll need to get over here before employers/agents will take you seriously. Personally speaking, as a Manager in the UK, I would never have entertained employing somebody 12,000+ miles away. Good luck with you endeavours.

Hi All My wife and I are heading to Perth in a couple of weekends time and have the use of 40kg each available in the hold, as we're both christening our visa's. I'm thinking of taking over my PS3 and Bose Wave etc. and storing them in an ABS case, so that they will be protected from the inevitable battering that they're going to get. I'm going to buy some "fragile" tape, which I'll wrap the suitcases in. Has anyone experience of doing this in the past and, if so, is there any advice that you can offer? Cheers Lee

I was very fortunate, my assessment as 135111 took less than 3 weeks. It took me almost two weeks to compile the evidence! :biggrin:

Sorry, I meant SA SS.

Yeah, I don't see any issue with applying for your police clearance. It takes them 10 days to turn it around anyway. My WA SS application was approved within 24 hours. You'll need your TRN before you have your medical, so you'll need to wait for that. Hope that helps. Good luck with you WA SS!

Thanks for your responses folks. I've gone back to my relative with this thread; hopefully it'll help the process. Lee

Hi Ann Thanks for your response. I'm trying to ascertain what my options are if I can't follow the 457 route. If anyone has any thoughts on whether the 457 is an option that would be appreciated. Thanks Lee

Hi Janine Thanks for your reply; I haven't yet procured the services of an immigration agent. I thought that I'd gauge the response of the experts on this forum first of all... :cool: Thanks again Lee

Hi Folks I’m in a bit of a conundrum. A distant relative of mine is the CTO of a large Australian employer whose head office is in Perth. During a visit back to the UK he offered me a job as an IT Project Manager. I did some research and suggested that he speaks with his HR people about sponsoring me with a 457 visa; my intention is to seek certification as an ICT Business Analyst 261111 (I’ve got 10 plus years’ experience in similar roles) and they’re both on the SOL and ENSOL. He came back to me yesterday with feedback from his HR Manager with the following response “Although there is no problem with my offering you a position, under federal law, in order to sponsor immigration, we have to prove that the position cannot be filled by an Australian resident. It would be a heck of a job to do that across all of Australia”. They’ve been struggling to fill the post and have been using the services of a contractor whilst trying to recruit into it. The only interest that they’ve been able to muster is from the east coast but the potential candidates are seeking relocation which the employer is not offering. My relative has offered to keep the offer open 12 months to give the opportunity to get a visa. However, as I don’t have a degree I’m unable to get enough points for 175 visa, they work out as follows; • Age 39 – 25 points • Superior English – 20 points • Eight years’ overseas experience – 15 points My wife is a Graphic Designer 232411; her job can be found on the ENSOL but not on the SOL. Any thoughts/advice on what I can do here please? Thanks!! Lee

Hi Folks Newbie alert! Does anyone know if experience gained as an IT Project Manager is covered the all encompassing classification of Systems Manager? Cheers Lee