Husker

got the visa grant letter today...what a mix of emotions all rolled into one! mad props to this forum, found some great advice in here. cheers!

For the 190 visa you have an obligation to live and work in the state that nominated you for the first 2 years only. After that you are free to remain or move to another state if you please. For the skills assessment I am not sure if all have the same validity period. In my case when I applied to state sponsorship I was asked by the online system if my skills assessment was done within the last 2 years. You may check with the relevant assessing authority to be sure. IELTS is valid for 3 years (when you fill out an EOI you will be asked if you have taken an english proficiency test in the last 36 months). This used to be 2 years if I am not mistaken, was extended to 3 years last July 2012. With migration laws being revised annually who knows if the IELTS validity will be reverted back to 2 years.

laurajanette, massive congratulations!

Hello rapid1980paul and welcome to PIO, I suggest reading through Booklet 6 if you haven't yet, this provides general information for the 189 visa. http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1119.pdf . I assume you have checked the SOL Schedule 1 (http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/_pdf/sol-schedule1.pdf), your chosen occupation of Plumber looks to be on the list and are therefore eligible for the 189. The assessing authority shows as TRA. 1. Prior to submitting an EOI, try browsing through booklet 6 and assess yourself if you are able to get 60 points based on the criteria. It is not necessary to submit an EOI before getting a skill assessment. For the skill assessment process, I suggest going to the assessing authority website for information about the process. Different assessing authority have different fees too. Here is the link for assessing authority information: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/_pdf/assessing-authorities.pdf 2. The skill assessment guidelines will give you information on process, requirements, fees, etc. Please check the website of the relevant assessing authority. 3. You can earn 5 extra points for state sponsorship (via 190 visa). The process is slightly different wherein before you can get invited by DIAC to apply for visa you need to be nominated by a state where your nominated occupation is also on their skilled occupation list for that state. Check Booklet 6 for information on the 190 visa, and the individual state's website for guidelines on how to apply for state sponsorship. 4. Doing the english test gets you 20 points if you score at least 8 on each band of the IELTS (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking). 10 points if you score at least 7 on each band. Not sure about where and how to go about taking the english test in your location. Perhaps other forum members can provide input. For additional information on the 189: http://www.immi.gov.au/skills/skillselect/index/visas/subclass-189/ The entire process can seem overwhelming with all the information you have to take in, but it gets easier over time thru research and advice from others. I hope these tips help. If your situation is straightforward yes, it can be done on your own however if your circumstances are more complicated it would be helpful to seek the advice of a registered migration agent (RMA). Cheers and best of luck!

Here's hoping for a positive result, Ishaan.

That is correct, everyone who applies for state sponsorship has to provide them. The difference between the 'Limited' and 'Open' occupations is that you need to go through the verification process for 'Limited'. If occupation is 'Open', you can apply straight away.

In my opinion I think you would still need to show evidence of work experience since the whole point of state sponsorship is to attract people who have the skills and experience needed by the state. If still uncertain how to proceed, I suggest sending an email inquiry to Migration Services. They were very prompt in responding to my questions when I applied for SS, I'm sure they can give you the official answer.

Yes, you will need to provide. These are stated explicitly in the nomination guidelines. By the way, what do you mean by 'not planning to claim points on work experience'? If you are into researching options for SS, I would assume you have gone through the skills assessment; your years of experience should account for points to determine if you are eligible to apply for 190.

Congratulations Somudra! Would you care to share your timeline?

The ACT says in their guidelines not to inquire about the status of the application within 30 business days as this may delay processing if everyone inquires. True enough, the result came out right before 30 business days was up. I did a "print as PDF" because they state in the guidelines that links or screenshots to the advertisements are not accepted, you must provide a full copy.

Big congratulations! Good luck with the move.

Hi Ishaan, Did it say in your VIC SS result the reason for the rejection? I assume you have emailed migrationservices@act.gov.au for verification of the limited occupation. The guidelines say they will send an email with the outcome, though they did not specify X amount of days. I would like to say just be patient and hope for the best. If it were me, I'd give it about 30 business days (this is the same amount of days they say to NOT inquire about the status of an application to prevent delays in processing). Or you can go ahead and email the same address and inquire. Your call, good luck!

You can go over the guidelines for applying for ACT State Nomination here: http://www.canberrayourfuture.com.au/workspace/uploads/documents/190-skilled-nominated-guidelines-dec-12.pdf I did mine without a migration agent, so yes it can be done. Just takes a lot of time and research on your part. However, if your circumstances are complicated then it may be better to seek the guidance of a RMA. Good luck!

The job vacancies that I used for my ACT SS application were within the same month. In my case, I completed the employment opportunities document late December 2012 and the job adverts were posted in December too. However, I lodged the SS application Jan. 12th and got the sponsorship Feb. 21st. Job vacancies should be suited to your nominated occupation and skill set. No more than 6. Provide a copy of the full advertisement, not just a link or screenshot. What I did was to open the online advertisement and print as PDF. I also made a cover page (pdf format) stating the sources where I got the job adverts, the skills required for the vacancy and how my skills and experience suit the vacancy. Then combine the cover page and the adverts into 1 PDF file. Good luck in your application.

Great post! Glad to read about your insights on how you had to adjust lifestyles but in the end you are happier and I guess for a lot of us that's the bottom line.