Day N Nite

I on a PR visa and have been in sydney for 5mths now and cannot get work in my field (Engineering). Luckily enough i did manage to get part time work (14 hrs a week) after about 3mths in and that made all the difference as my bank account is no longer decreasing but rather stable. (not increasing either). I only have myself to look after and that makes a difference money wise. I know the feeling of bleeding money on a monthly basis as before i got this part time job i estimated i would last 7 mths on my savings. Now it looks like i may last way longer. We are about to enter the christmas period and recruitment generally shuts down in december and only picks up in late january, early february. If i dont get something by november, i can expect to be chilling until february............. The struggle is real and it continues........

A little background BSc in Mechanical Engineering (USA) 2009 MSc in Building Services Engineering with Sustainable Energy (UK) 2012 1.5 years experience as an engineer Skilled Migrant Subclass 175 Visa (Permanent residence) I arrived in Sydney in the middle of May on my own. I didn’t expect to hit the ground running in the first month, but after 4 months I am beginning to get worried. I have lost count of the amount of jobs I have applied for but I am pretty sure it’s over 50. I am limited in the types of jobs that I can apply for as I have very little experience and so I apply mostly to graduate positions. In the UK, when I applied for a position I knew I would at least get some sort of reply from the company. Over here it seems as if a response is optional. The excuses I like to tell myself are: 1. Most of the graduate schemes for my field are open in February and close in May. So my arrival was just a bad time. 2. It’s the election and things will pick up soon 3. Australia is now starting to feel the effects of global financial crisis and so people aren’t hiring. I thought that maybe I was just having bad luck but after taking a skillsmax course that is provided free of charge by the NSW government to new migrants, I really began to see how many more people are in my position. Each class has about 10 to 15 persons of many different nationalities and there were about 4 classes in total. I would say 75% of the people there were engineers looking for work and with far more experience than me. One guy I met is a sri lankan who studied in the UK and has 5 years UK experience as a site engineer, he has been here for 7 mths and still cannot find a job in his field. I was under the impression that Australia had a shortage of engineers but this doesn’t seem to be the case. I think the real problem is that there are too many skilled visa holders like myself and little to no jobs available. The last time i worked was in London from October to December 2012. (Am currently living off of those savings).I left the UK in January I have not worked for the entire 2013 and it’s not for a lack of trying. With 3 mths left in 2013, it looks like 2013 might just be a year of unemployment for me. Hopefully in the not too distant future i can look back on this year and have a good laugh............

Try 55 yurong street. Its very central (on the edge of hyde park) and has single rooms available. If you would like to know more, here is their website : http://www.55yurongstreet.com/ Prices for single bedroom are a little out of your range currently 350 a week, however if you are staying for a longer period (website says 3mths and over, but after 1 month i got the discount) they bring down the price to $330.00 a wk.

I am staying in Darlinghurst, which is quite close to the CBD. Its like a small apartment complex, 3 stories. Its just temporary accommdations for another 3 wks, so may actually change.

Hi guys, Thanks for your responses. I am happy to report that I did not have a panic attack like i thought i would, lol. In fact, i do not even miss my family, although this may come a bit later as i am in the honeymoon period. I spent the first couple of days doing the basics, opened bank account, changed my pounds and put it onto the account. I applied for a medicare card and TFN, so i am expecting that in couple of weeks and i also converted my really old (expired 2009) American driving Licence into a NSWs P2 driving licence. So happy i hanged onto it, or else i would have ended up taking a written and practical driving test. I am too busy walking around and exploring the city to even thing about jobs at this point, although i did apply to about 3 jobs as the closing date was may 31st and i wanted to get them in. I responed to one job posted on gumtree and i spoke with the employer and things are actually looking good for this job, even though it maybe a shorterm contract job. I really don't mind as i just want to get my foot in the door and get that "Local/Australian Experience" that everyone wants. Sydney is very expensive, and even though i must have read it a thousand times on other posts on pomsinoz, it doesnt really doesn't sink in until you get here. I am paying 350 a week for a 1 bedroom apartment and have to share a bathroom. In my home country this amount would be worth the entire month in an apartment. Besides all of that, i am enjoying myself here

So the day is finally upon me. I have to enter Australia by 1st of June, 2013, according to my Permanent resident visa and will be arriving in Sydney on May 27th. I could have traveled earlier but i wanted to come home (Guyana, South America) to spend a couple of months with my parents, after completing my Masters in London. I do not have any friends or family in Australia. I have Never traveled to Australia before and i didn't have money to do a reccie so i'm heading right into it and hoping things work out. I've sorted out accommodation and a bank account, but thas about it. Little Background Single 27 years old male BSc Mechanical Engineering (USA) MSc Building Services Engineering with Sustainable Energy (UK) about 1 and half years experience as an engineer I was super excited to travel but now that its about to become a reality I am starting to worry about settling in and finding a job (biggest worry). I can probably sustain myself for about 3 months before i really have to take any job i can find. I have applied to over 50 jobs online and for about 90% of my applications i do not get any response and this is worrying. That coupled with reading other posts on pomsinoz from other engineers still looking for work isn't too promising. My parents told me to treat it as another vacation and just take in the sights and try to make new friends, while i understand this, in reality i know its not just another vacation because i have to try and make it work (Not too keen on going back to my home country and working). I know that my fears are probably normal at this stage, but it sure doesn't feel normal...................... who knows, maybe in a month's time i maybe be writing again to say how wonderful things worked out for me...........

Good on ya!!! Is too proofs of address really necessary or just one? Did you apply for you TFN before or after you arrived in Australia. If after, how long did it take for them to send it to you? Thanks

Hi, Really can't answer any of your questions, but just wanted to say that i am in the same boat. I'm an Engineer from Guyana in South America and I have a skilled 175 visa. i will be arriving in sydney sometime in the end of May, as my visa stipulates i have to enter australia by 1st June. What's really concerning me is how hard it is to find affordable short term accommodations (say 2mths). Really don't want to stay in a hostel, but it seems like this may be the only option. Interested to hear answers about your second question concerning accommodation.

i applied for the Skilled Independent Subclass 175 Visa approximately 1 year ago and these were my expenses (in sterling pounds): 2000 for the Visa itself 120 for IELTS test 400 for Skills Assessment (Engineers Australia) 270 for Medicals (Knightsbridge Doctors in London) 300 for Background Police Clearances For a Grand Total of 3090 Sterling Pounds for the Entire Process Notes - lucky enough to get all 8's on ielts first time around, or else would have had to keep paying the same 120 pounds over and over until i got it. Repeating the test multiple times will greatly increase your overall cost as you can already see. - I had to get police clearances from 4 different countries (Guyana, British Virgin Islands, USA and UK), that is why my cost for this aspect is so high. - I would probably add another 100 pounds in there as this would probably signify the fedex or other shipping costs involved e.g (had to send fingerprints to USA via fedex and skills assessment for all the way to australia also)

The proof that i provided was the fedex airway bill to the FBI in USA and this seemed to suffice. I did not provide any receipts.

As i needed police clearances from USA, UK, British Virgin Islands and Guyana, there was no way the 28 days would ever apply to me. You are not alone, explain your situation to your CO. I did and she gave me a 12 week extension on top of the initial 28 days. They are very accommodating, just be truthful.

Hi guys, I havent been on this thread for a couple of months. Just returning to let u guys know i just got my 175 visa, so u can go ahead and turn me purple. I applied march 17th. It took me this long because i had to get police cleareances from 4 different countries, which was quite a hassle. None the less, all the hard work is over. So to all the rest of you guys still going through the process, just hang in there, the time really does fly.

I was assigned a case officer since around May 28th. No update from her, as i am still uploading all of the required documents. So far have submitted all of the required documents except police clearance for USA, which i just requested friday 8th of June. Since the FBI takes up to 8wks to get back to people on that, my guess is i have at least another 2mths wait before i get the visa. Was it not for this wait, i would probably get it next week. Ahh well..... that's life.

Hi guys, Woke up this morning to great news. Application being processed further!!!!! I checked my inbox and there was an email form my CO requesting additional documents. Its only been 2mths and 11days since i lodged my application. Totally caught off guard and surprised. But i guess its just the beginning now,I have to get three police clearances from three different countrie because of my constant moving, medicals and a new birth certificate. Will keep everyone posted. Hang in there everyone else, it will happen

CO within 2wks of lodging application!!!. That must be a new record for 175 visas kevinAnderson2.