nattheblessed

Hi Clairebear82, thanks for your reply. I have finally received an email back from TRA, they say that as we are not from one of the 'nominated' countries that they cannot assess him, but to check back with DIAC. His occupation is on the list but I still don't know. I will visit the immigration place again to ask. I'm guessing that his certificate of qualifications a long with his resume (14 years experience) and references, will be enough, but i'll have to get a definitive answer, like you say, there is a lot to do to apply and I don't want to mess it up. I don't mind form filling, it's something I have had to put up with so I am sure I can do it myself, just as long as I know I have everything I need to start. May I ask you, how did you find a sponsor from the UK? Our cousin did a WHV, didn't do farm work and ended up home after 7 months. Now he wants to be back in Australia, and wants to stay. I've told him the only way would be to get a sponsor, but I know this must be almost impossible to do if you're all the way over there. Any help on that would be great too. Thanks so much for your time.

Hey, OK...this is our experience.......We started our WHV in Darwin last May. We stayed here for 5 months. We were working, we were living in a tent (in a backpackers garden), and we were sick of the same old stuff. Darwin is a small "city". We lived in a tent as it was the cheapest place to stay in the actual city, and we needed to be there for work. We did all the tourist stuff and got bored. I was ready to just go back home coz it felt like we would never save any money to get anywhere else. We felt "Stuck". HOWEVER...... We found a farm in WA where we could go and do our 3 months rural work (which you need to get a second year WHV). I wasn't bothered at that time about staying, but my husband really wanted to be here. So we left in October ( at the start of the "build up", Very humid!), and just managed to save the money to get to the farm. I was just happy to be out of Darwin. We had a great experience on the farm and stayed for nearly 5 months. After that we just decided to go to Melbourne as the next place. Bad idea. We didn't like the city, far too busy! we also struggled to find work. My husband is a chef so it should have been easy, but it was too big and busy a place to get from A to B easily. We only stayed there 2 weeks. We were running out of money and decided to come back to Darwin as we knew it was coming to the end of the wet season and there would be lots of work available. In March we arrived back in Darwin. This time, we really appreciate Darwin. We like the laid-back culture, we like that we can just spend our days off in the bars/pubs/restaurants chilling. Yes, rent is high here, but you can find cheaper places if you keep looking. Anyway, the pay here is great. We both have jobs, we earn $25ph and for the first time in our entire lives we have been able to start saving a substantial amount of money, in just a short time. We don't do clubs but there is a good night life here. Always lots of young travellers around May-Aug. Not sure what the feel of the city is during the wet season, but it is much quieter than the dry. Everyone here is very friendly and sociable so you shouldn't have worries bout meeting people and making friends. Darwin also has a huge culture of Keeping Fit. There are gyms all over, and a lot of people go running in some really nice, picturesque areas. You see personal trainers doing sessions on the beach, and a lot of people riding bikes etc. They love their exercise as much as they love their beer!! ( some more than others). Hope this helps you get a picture of Darwin... :rolleyes:

Hi, this is my first post. I have been reading some of the other threads that relate to our situation, but I am still un clear on one thing.. If you are from the UK and want to apply for a 457 visa, do you need a skills assessment or not?? My husband has an employer willing to sponsor him, and they are already approved to do so. I'm aware that their next step is to nominate him. And from our side we have to make sure we have all the appropriate documentation in order to apply. I just don't know whether we need the skills test or not. He trained as a chef and has worked as a chef for the past 14 years. Is his UK qualification and certificate enough? Also wondering if anyone has any advice on whether to complete the application ourselves or to use an agent? thanks heaps