movingtoaussieland

That's brilliant, congratulations!! Would you be able to share your timeline please? I'm waiting for a 457 for Melbourne too so it would be nice to know what kind of wait I'm in for! Monday is a fast turn around - busy week ahead for you! Best of luck with the move and your new life in Melbs. :jiggy:

It's not really an "upgrade" - you'd have to apply for a 457 through the usual process (company need to be approved to sponsor people, then nominate a position which you would then lodge an application for), but yes, a lot of people go from a WHV to a 457. I was looking at going out on a 417 while waiting for my 457 to be granted but decided to wait and keep my WHV in my back pocket just in case something goes wrong with my 457 in future!

Hi, My nomination and visa application were submitted on 21 November, Business Sponsorship (because my company haven't sponsored anyone before) was granted on the 12th December, about 4 weeks after being lodged. No word on the nomination or visa grant yet, there will have been a bit of a delay as the immigration department close for Christmas and would probably have had a lot of people on holiday the few days they were open. I'm hoping for a grant this month too, due to speak to my relocation agent tomorrow so I'll post an update if they have any useful information on timescales! Best of luck with your application, hope it doesn't take too long!

Works for me! I've been keeping an eye on rentals in central Melbourne for the last couple of months while waiting for my visa and was surprised at how high some of the rents are. This might mean I can afford somewhere close to work after all. Hooray! :-)

Hi, I'm also waiting for a 457 visa but we're anticipating it being granted within 3 months of the initial application - a year seems a very long time! Are you applying from a high risk country? Do you know if your employer is already approved to sponsor people in on a 457 visa? Those are the big things that might slow the process down, but I'm not sure it would take a year if all the paperwork has been submitted.

Hi Graham, I'm in the same boat as you it would seem, transferring from our UK office to the Melbourne office. Just to give you an idea of my timeline so far: Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) - Application lodged 13 November 2013, Approval: 12 December 2013 Nomination and employee application both lodged on 21 November 2013 - waiting for information. My MA told me the SBS would take 6-8 weeks but it was approved in about a month so that's a good start. Obviously the immigration department shut-down over the Christmas period will have added in a bit of a delay but we're hopeful for some good news sometime this month. I don't have the trx number from my MA to be able to track the application online, which is a little frustrating but probably saving me from developing an unhealthy "screen refresh" habit. I have asked for it though as I'm not even sure whether a CO has been appointed for my application yet and it would be good to know if someone's looking at it! Best of luck with your application, the waiting game is hard but it'll be worth it in the end! Amy

When I was looking for an agent, GoMatilda were the only ones to respond to my initial inquiry within a reasonable time (within a couple of hours in fact) and I had a call set up with them within a few days. I had a few conversations with them (prior to being overruled on my choice of agent by my company who had to use our relocation company's preferred supplier) and in my experience they were great to work with. Sarah White, who was the agent I dealt with, was really helpful and knowledgeable. As mentioned by Que Sera, Sera, they are very upfront and clear about their fees and they're also happy to discuss the basics of your application with you to give you an initial indication of your prospects. They also have UK-based contacts and and office here (in Southampton) so I could send my initial forms to the local office rather than having to pay for postage to Australia. I was not overly happy when I was told we were using a different agent. We've had no issues with the one we are using (so far), but I still think from my early experience with them Go Matilda would have been the better choice. Good luck with the decision!

Understood, thanks Rupert. I definitely see your point in terms of keeping the WHV in my back pocket as an insurance against something going wrong down the line. :-) I guess holding fire for a month or two wouldn't hurt, just keen to get over there as soon as possible as trying to cover the time zone from the UK is causing some issues. I also know the company want me out there sooner rather than later (despite the snails pace of the visa process) so I was looking for alternatives to try to help things along. Thanks for the advice.

Hi all, Thanks so much for the feedback, definitely given me some things to think about hearing from both sides of the fence! I think if the 457 didn't work out for whatever reason I would like to stay on the WHV for the remainder of the year and then see how I go from there! They're back-filling my job in the UK so the company wouldn't have a job for me here to come home too, so why not stay and make the most of it. I'm coming out on my own, from rented accommodation in the UK so I'm not really sacrificing a whole lot to do the move. The only real risk for me is ending up with no job there and no job to come back too - but I only have myself to support so it's not the end of the world. Obviously I'd be gutted if I had to come home, Australia has been a dream of mine for a long time, but at least I'd have given it my best! It's good to hear that other people have done it that way and it's worked out. I guess I'm putting a lot of faith in my company to not let me down in a few months time, but they're investing a lot in making this move happen so I'm hoping they wouldn't go through all this without a longer term plan in mind! Time to talk it over with the boss man I think! Fingers crossed!

Hi everyone, Sorry if this has already been covered (there's so much information on here I may well have missed it) but I was wondering if it's possible/advisable to go to Australia on a WHV while my company sorts out my 457 sponsored visa? Bit of background - I already work for the UK entity of the company and am being transferred to work for our Australian entity in Melbourne. I haven't submitted my application yet as I'm waiting for the company to get their application in to enable them to nominate then sponsor me. However, the company are being a little slow and I originally had a target of early November to be in Melbourne (I'm actually already essentially doing the job from the UK but the early morning conference calls will eventually drive me insane!) I am wondering if I could head over in November on a WHV while we sort out the 457? I've seen a couple of posts advising people not to waste their WHV and be patient, but given that I've recently turned 30, I would lose out on the chance to do a WHV in a year anyway. Of course there is a chance the 457 won't be granted, but presumably if I can go on a WHV I can work for the company for 6 months in Melbourne while we figure out an alternative? Any help/advice from the knowledgeable souls on here would be gratefully received! Thank you. :-)