mattress

Thanks very much for the advice. I'll wait for a response from Fragomen and go Matilda first and see what they have to say. If there's any dragging of feet, I'll get onto one of the two that you've mentioned.

I would try for the 190 route first and if not able to get it in on time aim to get employer sponsored through the direct route. The only extra you may have with the 190 would be the IELTS if your required extra points.

 

George Lombard is a Sydney based agent that has excellent reviews! also W Russell posts on the forum is based in Sydney both well respected agents.

A 186 is not points tested so you would have until the day before you turn 50 to apply for that if your employer is willing to sponsor you now via the Direct Entry stream but keep in mind what I said earlier about 'a bird in the hand'. If they can't/won't do it NOW (i.e. as soon as you have skills assessment), you will lose your chance at a 190 because of the age points and will be completely reliant on them to come good on any future promises. Also, 190s are currently going through faster than 186s so you would probably have your PR several months sooner.

:confused: Ok, 190 it is then!! I just hope that these migration agents get things moving quickly.

Hey, if you're happy with your employer and you think they'd support you the 186 direct entry is a great option, you said skills assessment wouldn't be a problem and the employer sponsored visas are prioritised. We're just moving off my 457 and my husbands new employer is lodging the 457 and the 186 at the same time, basically they are happy to do PR for him, but want him there sooner and the 457 takes weeks as opposed to months with the 186. Have a word with your employer as it seems like it's the security that's important, exactly the same for us. We want to start a family so want to get PR in order to settle down

 

Beauty of the process is that everything you've done for the 457 can be applied for the 186, so my husband has already done skills assessment and if we do it all now then we don't need to pay twice for checks etc down the line

 

Good luck, i'm sure you can work it out

Thanks for that. I haven't done a skills assessment as it wasn't required previously, so that will need to be done, I suppose. Is there an age limiting factor (points loss) with this visa, as with the 190?

I'll email my employer now and see what their stance is with the 186. If I am willing to pay for it myself and they're happy with me I cannot see an issue......but you never know with bigger companies.

I've also been in touch with Fragomen's Brisbane office as they sorted out my 457 visa. I suppose i'll go with the one who can promise to get me across the line on time.

You should go for 190 now as the others have suggested, a registered migration agent may help get the application moving quickly for you as you need to apply before you 45 birthday, depending how long the skills assessment will take is doable.

 

Once you are PR your daughter will qualify for local fees at uni or TAFE, the savings on these fees will cover the cost of visa and migration agent alone. Be sure to keep a paper trail on how you support your daughter, ie putting money in her bank account - even if she gives it to you back, paying for her bills etc from your account. Will make things a lot easier to prove dependence if you have proof.

 

I wouldn't wait around for an employer to sponsor, there is no guarantee that they will sponsor after 2 years, they could even remove sponsorship tomorrow and there is very little you can do about it apart from find another sponsor within 90 days.

I've been in touch with GM but I'm thinking that maybe I should have got in touch with their Brisbane office (as I live here) rather that their UK one?

I had to prove the daughter's dependence on us financially at the beginning of the year. Will I have to repeat the process again...in full? I pay for her mobile, insurance on our car, gym fees, tuition, 'pocket money - cash', clothing shops and regular $1000 deposits into her bank account. Just hope that it's enough.

A bird in the hand is worth 10 in the bush when it comes to comparing a 190 NOW against a 186 (or 187) in a couple of years. There are literally dozens of threads and posts on PIO where promises of sponsorship for a permanent visa after 2 years on a 457 have fallen through. Sometimes because the employers were unethical and simply reneged on a promise but many times because of circumstances beyond the employer's (or employee's) control. There could be a business downturn, a sale of the business, you could have health issues or any number of other situations could arise over the next couple of years.

 

If you can get a 190 now, you should definitely go for it now.

I'm all over it and hopefully can get the ball rolling this week.

You need to be quick. It is almost impossible to pass the points test once 45. A skills assessment can take a couple of months and then a few more months to get back. It doesn't matter how much experience you have, once you lose the age points for being 45 it is probably impossible. I would call a good agent such as go Matilda now to get things moving asap.

I've only got seven months before I turn 45, so I'll get onto GM now and see if they think there's time.....or if it's worth doing (financially) or just seeing out the two years.

Many thanks.

Ah, well if you are willing to move away from Brisbane to a regional area (I think you could move to somewhere between Brisbane and Dalby rather than being restricted to Dalby itself), an RSMS is a possibility.

 

Re the points for a 190 - if you have a few years of post qualification experience, 5 points for the state sponsorship and good IELTS results, you may manage the 60 points and that's all you need. 60 point state sponsored EOIs get an automatic invitation so there's no pressure (or even incentive) to score any higher than 60. You'll need to get a move on though so that you can lodge an application (not just an EOI) before you turn 45 and lose all of the age points.

I don't think the wife or the girls would go for that one. We're struggling to convince the girls that living in Mooloolaba would be a nice change!!

I've got many years of experience, so getting the 60 won't be too difficult.......hopefully! So, it looks like the 190 is probably the way to go?

How old are you? It can be an issue.

I'm 44

You need skills assessment for a 190 application and Queensland needs to be willing to sponsor you. It's a points tested visa so you also need 60 points but if you have the points and can get a positive skills assessment, this is the fastest route to PR.

 

If you can't get to 60 points, a 186 ENS application via the Direct Entry stream is an option if your employer is willing to sponsor you for a 186 now without waiting for you to finish the two years on your 457. You will however need skills assessment.

 

The only permanent visa for which skills assessment is not needed for many occupations (generally only required for trades where the qualifications were obtained overseas), is a 187 RSMS but Brisbane is not an eligible location. If the job is in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast, a 187 is not an option.

A colleague recently came in on a 190 visa with no issues but he is quite a bit younger than I, although much less experienced. I'm not sure if I'd qualify for 60 points...I'll need to look into it.

The 186 ENS looks the most attractive option but I'll need to speak to my employer about that one. I don't see any reason why the wouldn't back me but you never know. I don't think that the skills assessment would be an issue.

I actually work out near Dalby....in the middle of nowhere, although I live in Brisbane.

Te skilled independent visa would be your best option. Is your occupation on the sol list? To do it independently it needs to be. If it is only on the csol then you need to check if qld are sponsoring your occupation.

On the CSOL only. I'm fairly confident that Queensland are sponsoring my occupation but I will need to check first............................Just checked and my occupation is on the Queensland Skilled Occupation List (QSOL) Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190).

Hi all.

I'm just looking for some advice regarding my family's current situation and our desire to get permanent residency. Here's a brief outline of where we are currently...

We came to Brisbane in February this year - me, my wife and our two daughters, one of which is now 21 years old but is financially dependent on us. She is currently undertaking some online courses (full time study) and intends to go to TAFE or university early next year (depending on course costs!).

I'm on a 457 visa which should be converted to PR after two years with my employer - they've sponsored colleagues and there hopefully shouldn't be an issue with me.....hopefully!

So, while everything is fairly rosy and all I need to do is another 17 months with my current employer before the process of 457 to PR conversion can take place, I really wouldn't mind pursuing residency under my own steam. I have no intention of leaving my employer or even changing where we live.....it's simply for reasons of security, cheaper university fees (sorry!) and allow the daughter the freedoms that someone of here age should experience (work, travel, etc.) without the fear of being classed as a non-dependent and losing her right to be included on my PR application.

I was hoping for some direction on what path to take. I'm fairly confident that my employer will guarantee my job for the next three years (I've got more than that remaining on my 457) although they may not contribute to the costs of a conversion. Is the skills assessment route the only way to go or are there other routes......or should I just sit tight until my two years are up?

Many thanks in advance for any advice offered :smile:

Dogs arrived a couple of weeks ago. Excellent service and worth every penny. Thanks PetAirUK!

Just a bloody shame that the highwaymen at Sydney quarantine centre are about to triple the cost of holding them for ten days.

Like I said, it's the price of housing that bothers me immensly. If property prices start levelling off, the government just allow more rich Asians in to buy what's available and keep pushing prices up. How on earth people are supposed to buy a house is beyond me.......and the cost of renting is just as absurd. Something has to give.....surely?

Everything else isn't too bad, in my opinion. I was shocked at how cheap new cars were.....cheaper than back in the UK.

I don't mind the prices of beer in pubs....it's not too far off British pub prices (except Weatherspoons) but the cost of beer at BWS, etc is a bit of a rip off and discounts are laughable.

Beer and rent. Everything else I thought was reasonable or cheap.

Shocked at how cheap new, non-European cars are.

Thanks. I had done a bit of research on Google and thought I may be missing a trick, but does look like there are no unlimited data plans available at the moment. I have since been monitoring my internet usage to see what sort of plan I should look at. I have also been looking at the portable WiFi hotspots, they also look like a good option.

I'm in Brisbane and there seems to be plenty of wifi hotspots around. All the usual ones, many bars/restaurants and the council have a few around and are looking to increase numbers.

We all had unlimited data plans back in the UK but as everyone has already confirmed, these plans aren't available here. It's currently costing me a fortune but we will all just have to change our data usage habits and either find free wifi zones or do most data usage at home.

There are many plans available and I'm still struggling to find out which is best. At the moment, the rest of the family are on Vodafone's prepay packages ($35 & $45) and they both give double data for six months (I think). I'm on one of Telstra's pre pay packages as I need coverage as I'm working out in the middle of nowhere and they're the only provider out there.

Hey everyone

I am also looking at sending my two chihuahuas from uk to Aus so any price quotes would be very helpful. My 2 guys are 7 next year, is that considered too old to transport? I know chihuahuas can live until 14 so it doesn't seem old, but vets and airlines might think differently.

I don't foresee any problem at all.

I've completed the online enquiry and I'm now waiting for a quote!

Who's buying this property...apart from the Chinese, Singaporean and those from Hong Kong?

Some of the responses on here are making me slightly nervous about my impending trip to Oz!

I think I'm going to invest in two bins.....just in case.

Bob, you are indeed correct...it's going to be the beginning of May before thay can go.

Thanks guys, I'm sold. My nephew has a great deal of animal experience and is extremely reliable, while the vet is up to speed with the whole process but I think it would be wise to use a shipper to sort the rest out for us.

The vet can administer all of the required shots and tests, while my nephew can ensure they're being well looked after and transported to the airport on time.

I'll be contacting Petair today to get some quotes. The saving of £200 by doing it yourself hardly seems worth the trouble.....especially when we'll be out in Oz in January.

Many thanks again and I'll update the thread as and when I get info.:biggrin:

Hi guys,

I'm just looking for some general advice regarding taking two very small but fully grown chihuahuas to Australia with us.

We are looking at going in January but have only had the dogs rabies jabs done in the last week! Yes, talk about not having a clue.

So, it looks like we will have to leave the dogs behind until the beginning of April and then our nephew (who will be watching them) will take them to the airport for transportation, after having all of their jabs and treatments done by our local vet at the times prescribed. Then they will spend 30 days in quarantine in Oz prior to their clearance.

My question is, is it worth paying a specialist company to undertake the whole process or is it easy enough to conduct it yourself...with the help of your vet? Also, is there any real cost saving by doing it yourself?

Thanks