sazm2k12

Thank you, I think part of my misery is working in a job that I find unchallenging so I think it would be a mistake to stop studying. I've unfortunately had to cut back on how much study I can do though because of finances. I liked the heat in Darwin to start with but recently its becoming very overwhelming and there doesn't seem to be any relief from it. A few people have recommended Brisbane to me though and I have a friend who has recently moved from Darwin to the Gold Coast and is a lot happier there!

I thought about joining the local running club but haven't actually followed through as I have struggled to get back into running with the heat at the moment after having a break over Xmas. Other than that I'm not really sporty and haven't been able to find anything else to join as there isn't that much going on in Darwin. I finished my study in the UK (didn't defer) so it wouldn't be a case of me getting back into it if we went back as there wouldn't be any more study for me to do. I have to do further study here as the Australian legal boards require it for admission. I think the consensus seems to be get the citizenship and then reassess the situation and at least getting the citizenship will break things up. Thanks for all the feedback.

Thanks, we both love so many things about Darwin but I think the things we don't like here are probably signs we should try somewhere new. We did talk about moving to Perth next June but I've heard that Perth is very expensive to live too so don't know if we would be in exactly the same place financially. Then we have the worry about finding new jobs as one thing there is in Darwin is plenty of jobs. Not sure if the same problems would exist in a new city though - lack of friends etc.

Thanks for your Advice Rupert. For some reason I thought we had to have been in Australia for the full two years before we could apply but I've checked and I think we will be eligible from June. At least that is something for us to aim towards. I think my boyfriend is quite happy in Darwin now, he has made some good friends and has just started a good job with the government. He is always scared about being unemployed, especially as we have no support system out here but I think if we lined up jobs in another city he would be prepared to move. Neither of us think that Darwin is for the long term for us.

I'm feeling pretty miserable at the moment out here and don't even know if things are going to get any better. I certainly don't want to pack it all in and go back to the UK but its starting to seem more and more appealing. My partner and I came to Oz as backpackers and we have been out here for roughly 4 years now. I started working for my company in August 2012 and they lodged my sponsorship in December 2012. My 187 visa was granted in June 2012. Since we have been here it seems like one thing after another. When we were backpackers money was good as you forget about all of the extras you need to pay for like phone bills, internet, medical, furniture etc. Since I was sponsored it really has been one thing after another. I've never really been happy at my job and there have been problems from day 1. Although things there aren't so bad at the moment I feel like my attitude and morale is so low that I'm making it worse for myself and my tolerance for thing is becoming less and less and I'm getting more worked up about things. The thought about having to endure another 15 months here is unbearable at times and at the moment I'm ready to walk out and deal with the visa consequences at the smallest thing. Money has also been really, really tight and were struggling to make ends meet at the moment and I often spend nights lay awake in bed worrying about how I'm going to pay for everything. I started training to become a lawyer in the UK and thought it would be easy to continue it out here but it is going to involve a lot of further study and the tuition fees are crippling. It is also going to take me 2 years plus studying part time and I don't even know if I have the motivation for it anymore. I have to go to work at a job I hate, come home and spend my evenings and weekends studying and I'm not even sure if I have the drive to go through the whole legal recruitment process again as my self-esteem has suffered a lot through my current job. My bf has a few good friends as he seems to make friends really easily and plays sport however I don't really feel like I have many people here. The only girl friends I have like to go out drinking a lot and although I try to get involved (for the purpose of making friends) I either don't have the money for it or when I do drink I feel so terrible the next day it hardly makes it worth it. I work in a small office too and don't have anything in common with the people I work with. I have had a few good friends here who like the same things I do but because Darwin is so itinerant they have moved on. I love spending time with my bf but I miss girlie company so much and my family and feel lonely all of the time. I had a really good group of friends back home and often find myself just looking at things on facebook and wishing I was back home to join in or that I had good friends here. Has anyone else felt like this? Is it worth me sticking it out until I finish this employment and seeing if I'm happier in a different job or city?

Hello, I've been in Darwin for a year now and am looking to make some more friends. I'm 27 and here with my partner so it would be good to meet up with other people of a similar age who enjoy going out for a few drinks at the weekend or having a BBQ.

I have sent a further email and no luck. I have had a response from a person with a direct line but she has told me that although she sympathises with my situation there is nothing more that can be done. She also told me there are hundreds in exactly the same situation as me - I would be really interested to hear of anybody else in this position and what they have done or are doing???

I have sent an email to that inbox, it advised me of 7 days for Perth but I am still waiting. I will send another email and see if they respond this time. I would have thought today they would have some kind of flag come up informing them our visa expired and we haven't left the country.

Thanks for your response Blossom. I don't have an agent - doing the application myself with my employer. There is an immigration office near me and I have been in but they told me there is nothing they can do other than email my processing centre which is either Melbourne or Perth (depending on who I speak to). I have not sent an email to that inbox though - is the notice on the immi website?

Hello, I have been in Australia for 2 years yesterday on a working holiday visa. My employer is sponsoring me under a 187 visa and the application was put in 2 weeks ago and the payment taken. I have not yet been granted a bridging visa due to a 'glitch' in the system. I have been calling DIAC every day for 2 weeks and am being told something different each day and haven't even been able to ascertain which processing centre my application is with. I am also now being told I am not legally allowed to be in the country or work however if I speak to somebody different I am being told I am allowed to stay. My partner has a job on hold and his employer are keeping this open until tomorrow. We also no longer have Medicare cover and DIAC have advised me to arrange private cover (which after having paid over $3,000 for my visa I cannot afford). I also need to put in an application for a Bridging Visa B, to travel home for an important family event, which I cannot do until I am on a Bridging Visa A. I do not earn enough money to fully support myself and my partner - particularly as we live in an area where rent is high and food is expensive. He cannot get another job either as technically does not have a visa and has spent all of his savings as has been unemployed for 4 weeks now whilst waiting for our visa paperwork to go through. DIAC are also refusing to put anything in writing to confirm the telephone conversations we have had and I feel completely trapped. Christmas is fast approaching and we are both very miserable at the prospect of him being unemployed and us having no money to enjoy the festive period. Has anybody else experienced a similar problem? Any advice on what I can or should do would be very helpful.

Hello, I am looking for a bit of advice about the obligations that adding a secondary applicant to a 457 visa would place on an employer. My employer has agreed to sponsor me on a 457 visa, however until recently I was of the impression that it wasn't really anything to do with the employer whether or not my partner could stay provided we could prove our de facto status and it was almost a separate application. I guess this is because I know a number of people who have been sponsored and their partners were allowed on the visa no problem. I have been preparing all of the paperwork and have quickly realised that the obligations my employer has for me extend to my partner and the employer has to agree for him to come on the visa too. I am starting to worry that they will not agree to this as they don't know my partner and I can't see why they would agree to be responsible for him. I would be really grateful if anybody could explain to me the main obligations and issues that cause employers to be reluctant to add secondary applicants to the visa and any alternative way that my partner may be able to stay without having to come on my visa. Thanks in advance :biggrin:

Thanks - is there anybody you could recommend?

Thanks for all of the feedback, its really helpful and I am leaning towards staying put. The company I currently work for is a large company so I agree that they are unlikely to change their minds. When I asked, I was told it wasn't a decision about me and they wish they could but the company just won't do it and they have tried on a number of occasions in the past. Although I'm only in my second month at my current job, I have worked there before on my first year visa so my manager knows me fairly well and seems happy with me. I have 5 months in total until my 2nd visa is up. In terms of my background, I'm mid 20's, University educated, and have worked since I was 16. I've got a years good work experience in what I really want to do and around 5 years admin experience mainly from working part-time when I was at Uni. I agree though, I don't think my bargaining position is that strong as a years experience isn't a lot - I asked for the sponsorship in my covering letter to the company as didn't think I had anything to lose and wanted to be up front. I don't think I was pestering HR though, after being offered the job they gave me time to think about it. I then followed up with a phone call to ask a few questions, they were supposed to put something in writing and I'm still waiting. Since being in Australia I've had a couple of bad experiences with employers not being honest, and HR at the new place mentioned somebody was going on holiday. My fear is that they are just going to use me as a temporary fix because I would be cheaper than going through an agency. I am really happy in my current role, love my lifestyle and can't help but wonder if its better to enjoy the remainder of my time here.

Thanks for the advice. I think I will continue my hunt for somebody who will sponsor me, if there is such a company out there!

I'm currently in Australia on a WHV and am on a 6 month contract. I absolutely love the job I work in and am really happy at the moment. The only problem is that I want to stay in Australia. I have asked about the possibility of sponsorship and unfortunately have been told the company will not sponsor anyone other than senior management, as much as they would want to. I have recently attended an interview with another company who have offered me a job. Initially in the interview they seemed really interested in retaining me and said that sponsorship is definitely a possibility and asked lots of questions about my qualifications. They have since offered me a temporary contract until my visa expires and have said they would possibly look into sponsoring me somewhere down the line but this involves a completely new interview and a series of testing and there is no guarantee. The more questions I ask, the less interested they seem in sponsoring me and HR at the new place seem very unaccommodating and quite grumpy. I wondered if anyone has been in a similar position and could offer any advice? Do I take my current employer's word they won't sponsor me or try and persuade them to make an exception? Do I take this other job on the chance that they may sponsor me, or stay at my current job knowing that at least I will be happy for the remainder of my time in Oz? I have heard that lots of employers use sponsorship as a metaphorical carrot to get and retain staff for the 6 months they can work on a WHV without any intention of ever carrying it out. I'm really grateful for any advice anybody can offer me. Unfortunately I'm not eligible for skilled migration, however there is a chance I could be eligible for state sponsorship but this requires a lot more investigation. Help ... please!!!

I'm contemplating whether I should apply for a skills assessment and then regional state sponsorship or if I would be wasting my money. I'm currently on a working holiday visa with 6 months left so am hoping to apply on July 1st or thereafter. I've been studying the SOL and noticed that "judicial and other legal professionals" are listed. I have looked at the ANZSCO description and I have covered most of the tasks in my one year of work experience as a paralegal that I would hope to have assessed. I'm just a bit thrown by the bit where it says "most occupations ... 5 years experience." Has anybody out there been assessed under this title?? Any advice at all on the process would be much appreciated. I'm aware that there are some changes coming in on July 1st, but as far as I've read regional sponsorship is being left alone.