Lynndloo

Hi Does anyone have experience of Employer Sponsorship for Painter/Decorators? Is it worth sending CV/letters to companies advertising in Oz or would it be better to register with an Agency over there? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks Lynndloo

Hi Daz81 We have since started using an Agent and have initially registered my fella on Skills Select under 457 to get the ball rolling, with a portfolio of his experience etc like a CV so that Aussie employers can now see him and offer him work, an easier way of getting in. Being self employed is not a problem as long as you can obtain references, receipts and supply a statutory declaration etc as long as you have at least a Level III qualification relevant to your trade. What we are having a problem with now is that he only has an NVQ II which he passed recently and which only took two days, taking into account his experience. What the TRA will want is for you to show you have completed an apprenticeship or training over a two year period. We were initially told that if we could obtain detailed information from his first employer whom he did most of his initial training with, stating what he learnt over the first two years, what tools he used etc etc, then TRA may accept this as equivalent to an Apprenticeship, But we have now been told that he will have to take an Australian course which will cost approx $3000! Instead of £300 to apply to the TRA. We wanted to apply to TRA first and see what happens, if they don't accept it, its only £300 compared to a couple of thousand pounds to lay out. We are feeling a bit frustrated by it all at the moment. Hope you have better luck! Regards Lynndloo

Have received a score of 7.5, does anyone know how the .5 will be calculated as its 10 points for 7 and 20 for 8, will we get 15 or 10?

Hi Shellyk I'm still reading up on what to submit, who will you get to sign your Statutory Declaration, am i reading it wrong or does the person have to be based in Australia?, I hoped i could use a JP here. Its going to be a long hard slog i feel :-/

Hi On the subject of TRA assessment, has anyone been self employed but did not use an accountant,or have a separate business bank account, my partners a Painter Decorator and when he was self employed he didn't use either? Lynndloo

Hello I'm Lynndloo! My partner and i have just started the process of obtaining a skills visa, IELTS booked for next month. We are still deciding whether to use an agent, we have had an assessment done so know what we need, but with the new system coming in it does sound a lot easier. I just wondered if anyone can tell me what getting your skills assessed actually entails, do you write to all your previous employers for references and collate your qualifications certificates or is it more detailed than that? Looking forward to chatting with you all, i've not done a forum before Lynndloo