Hi All,
Don't post very often, but I have a couple of questions and would be really appreciative if someone could help. Some background:
I've been here in Melbourne - for the past 5 years on a 457, I've moved around a few companies in that time but essentially I'm looking at a few options:
- Applying via the 189 Independent Visa scheme.
- Applying via 186 Direct Entry.
The 189 Visa has been proposed as an option because:
- I have a positive skills assessment (Analyst Programmer), but when i went to apply for my 186 visa I was told that was not possible, as i've been sponsored on a 457 Under "Systems Administrator" for the entirety of this visa. I applied for a skills assessment under Analyst Programmer as i believed this most closely matched what I actually do, but was told by my agent that would not go through.
I was then told i could go the 189 route. I have 55 Points at the minute. The only other option i have is taking the IELTS to get extra points. I took the test and got: 9: Speaking, 9:listening, 8:Reading, 6.5 Writing. This gave me an 8 overall, but it seems that you need at least a 7 for the extra points. to give me an overall score of 8.
In short, I have a 2 questions:
- Can I apply for a 186 Direct Entry visa, even though I've been sponsored as a systems administrator and had my skills assessed as an analyst programmer?
- Is there anything I can do for points, given that i have an overall IELTS of 8, but 9: Speaking, 9:listening, 8:Reading, 6.5 Writing. ?
Many thanks,
- Steve