oppyddrum

Beautiful. Congrats!!

I only sent in the FBI one. for the work visas i had before that, i only sent state. I would say get the FBI one. based on the information on the immi website, they direct you to the FBI for the PCC. no need for state.

You would have to hold the PR for at least 1 year (not being out of the country for more than 3 months within that time) before you can apply for citizenship. you need a minimum of 4 years of residence in Australia and at least 1 year out of that has to be as a permanent resident.

thanks, i know. the "and" between the first 3 clauses suggests that all 3 have to apply. not just one of the three. that's what i wanted to know, if i was/am right to think that. and by overseas, i meant 120 days in one country. but in this case, second clause does not apply.

i know someone has the answer...

I am hoping someone can help with this little confusion i have. I think i just need to know if what i am thinking is correct. I copied the below statement from the immigration website: "You will need to provide original penal clearance certificates from overseas countries if, since the grant of your permanent Australian visa: you lived or travelled overseas since the age of 18 years or over, and the total time spent overseas added up to 12 months or more, and the time spent in any one country was more than 90 days, or you are requested to do so by the department." My understanding of this is that you will need a PCC when applying for citizenship if you meet all of the first 3 criteria, OR if they ask you to get one. So, if you were overseas for 120 days but did not spend up to 12 months in total overseas, you don't have to get the overseas PCC. Is this correct? Thanks in advance!

I am confused, wondering why the attacks on me but i have noticed you are just a grouch and are attacking others too. i won't feed this rubbish. say or do what you will. it is easy to be a troll from the safety of your house hiding behind your computer. thanks and bye.

If he has an engineering company, i would think sponsoring you on a 457 (temporary work visa) or a permanent sponsored skilled visa (i forget the subclass) might be a better way to go. Family streams tend to take forever. Talking to a migration agent might be worth it in this case.

Ridiculous as in ridiculously hot.

it read 43 around noon on sunday in Newy... just ridiculous!

wow... lol Congrats AA... i had a flip through my passport everyday for almost 2 weeks when i first got it. it is a good feeling. enjoy.

seems like time is of the essence here mate... you've got 7 months to do the needful. good luck Kemkaltech.

you might also want to have a chat to a good, MARA registered agent...

someone needs to find a way to shut those clowns down... they are just ridiculous!!

wow, 7 years? massive kudos to you for hanging in there. that is amazing and congratulations on the eventual grant. Things you need are exactly as Lady Rainicorn said. can't think of anything else to add.

I believe if you have a job offer, that can be accepted as signifying ties to Australia... i believe i have seen some people on other threads say they used that and it was accepted. Good luck

I can tell you Lake Mac is not the middle of nowhere... it is scenic enough and close enough to Sydney, you can get to sydney in about an hour and you can be back to nice quiet serene life. that said, Perth is a fantastic place and i am in the process of moving there myself. i do know i have heard about the cost of living there, but i dont think it is too ridiculous. In the end, it is up to what you want. a reccie trip might help inform that decision. both places are very good and they both have merits and demerits.

Congrats and Welcome!

the clouds ruined my view in Newcastle

I have seen the "fit in or fk off" stickers... i have also seen "speak english or go home". I live in Newcastle NSW. lol. To the OP's question, i don't think there is a yes or no answer for you mate. I am of African Descent, Black. I have lived in Melbourne and Newcastle. I have seen racism, but not more than i experienced when i lived in the midwest of the United States. It has always been subtle though and so i have had the luck of not having to deal with blatant racism. I have talked to other people who have experienced more blatant forms of racism. It is very subjective and one person's experiences almost always differ from the other. My parents (more "african" than myself lol) lived in Karratha and now Perth and folks in Karratha were exceptionally friendly and they never had a complaint; they had loads of friends and people were always coming and going from their house... everyone was just a person you know? I know a few Indians and Africans who live in really small towns and are largely full of praise for the people. It is also possible that their significance in those societies (small town doctors) might add a bit of respect to how they are treated in those towns. I can go on about examples of good and bad but my point is Australia is not more or less racist than any other country in the world. Like a lot of people already said, they are one of the least PC people i have ever been amongst, so where an American or British person might think it and just not say it cos it's not PC, an Aussie is likely to say it regardless. My advise to you, you already stand out in a crowd just by appearance, migrants tend to form stronger bonds with each other and stay within themselves... don't do that. Expand your horizon, your network, world view. I always say, if you only want to live amongst, say for instance, Nigerians, then live in Nigeria... if you only want to live amongst Indians, then live IN India. If you come to live in Australia (or any other country for that matter), you should try to assimilate, make friends with the people of your new country of residence, learn the local vocabulary, enjoy some of the "culture", you are at an advantage cos you get a hybrid (and probably more robust) culture. it makes for a better experience for you, and you become part of the people (which does not make you less Indian). However, if you stand to the side and ignore the locals, they will notice you standing over there and they will have opinions about you that might have been different if they got to know you. All the above said, there are just some people though who can not be fixed, they are just racist and that is unfortunate. you might have the misfortune of meeting one of those people. Just deal with it on an individual basis. Not all (aussie)people are racist and i tend to assume everyone is sensible until they act like fools, then they go in the fools' corner. N.B. I am Aussie and if you met me somewhere random, you will see how nice and cool "we" aussies can be regardless of the diverse backgrounds. hahahaha P.S. I have been attacked by a random drunk at southern cross station in Melbourne. He really went all out, but not one word about my skin color or racial characteristics. Scary at the moment, but i actually smiled at the fact that even some liquor did not make that guy say anything racist... what a stand-up guy. lol (he was upset because he asked me to make sure i use sunscreen and i said "no, thanks" lmao, racist? i just thought he was a nice guy concerned for me not to get skin cancer. :smile:)

I would think an MBA is the more expensive option though. that said, i did do a combined electronic engineering/MBA program that added up to 2 years and it counted for the 2yr study requirement. Maybe someone else with a more current view might shed some more light on this... or to be safe, just do a related degree.

my understanding is your degree program has to be a part of the accord at the time your degree is completed/awarded. if they join the accord after you already graduated, technically, your degree is not covered under the accord. My Uni has always been a part of the accord, long before i even started going there.

The answer to the question you asked, no i did not have to. The question you are not asking is whether having the Washington accord is back-datable to degrees earned before the accord was gotten. truthfully i am inclined to say it is not back-datable but i believe someone else might have a definite answer for that

If your educational qualification is recognized under any of the accords (Sydney, washington, dublin), you could be assessed based on that as an electronics engineer. I had a degree from the US (washington Accord), 1.5 years experience working as an Electrical engineer. I did not say anything to EA about my work experience, and they assessed me as electronics engineer. If your degree is not covered by any of the accords though, different story. your experience matters greatly then.

My Nigerian passport has the same issue. they never can get the scan thing to work in Australia. works fine in every other country i have been to though. And yes, things are more electronic nowadays but its always good to check if you can. I don't expect you have much to worry about though.