Dgc007

Thank you, it can be quite stressful but worth it all in the end!

I thought I would write this as when I have previously looked for information in regards to my situation I found very little info and had to call immigration numerous times, which took forever to get through and they don't have a lot of this information on their website. Me and my partner came to Australia in february last year (2015) on a working holiday visa 417. We came here knowing we wanted to stay and settle here and with that in mind we set about applying for PR as my partner is an electrician. We first had to get all of his skills assessed which we did through TRA and future skills; this whole process took around three months and we only started this after around 5 months of being in Australia. Firstly they assess the paper work side of your qualifications such as the certificate you get when you complete the electrician course, we had to supply various references from people who he had worked for. We also had to send ID, Tax returns, bank statements from the UK etc,. etc,. and it all needed certifying before we could send it off. This took a few weeks to get everything together and sent off. Once the paperwork section had been classified as an eligible electrician course my partner then had to go and do a physical and written exam which took most of the day, and we had to wait 3 weeks before he could do it and another 4 weeks for the results. By the time the exam results came back (which he had passed) it was September. Using the points system to apply for a 189 visa we were short of the 60 points pass mark due to being in the youngest age bracket and having 3-5 years experience in this trade, so he attempted the IELSTS Test to boost our points score. Unfortunately he didn't get high enough marks to get us the extra ten points on two occasions and we were now in November. We were cutting it fine to do farm work and get our second year visa and we had already spent about $3000 on this part of the application, we hadn't even lodged the actual visa yet! Fortunately for me I had started working for a recruitment company in June, first doing admin then i moved into a recruitment consultant position. It got to November and I told my boss that unfortunately our PR 189 application would not come through in time to continue working for my company as I was nearly up to the 6 month maximum amount of time you are legally allowed to work for one employer. My company then offered to sponsor me and my partner so I could continue working for them. Again I had to submit LOTS of paperwork, I had to fill out the 1066 form, copies of my university degree and high school certificates, send in certified copies of my ID, copies of all my bank statements, payslips, my employment contract, all the stuff you need to provide to show you are in a committed relationship with someone eg stat decs from people who know us as a couple, letters addressed to us both, a joint bank account and a few extra things for good measure. However due to the time it takes to collect all of this information and the fact I had pretty much worked the full 6 months with one employer caused more complications. I had to apply for an extension to work for the same employer past 6 months (using the 1445 form) which takes two weeks to come back and you need to show how you not working could effect the company and yourself eg financial hardship. During the time it took for this extension to come through I had to take some time off work as I couldn't be paid to work during this time. Thankfully the extension came through after a week rather than the two weeks advised. The extension came on the 12th of December and allowed me to continue working until my WHV expired which was the 6th of Feb. I would have had to stop working by this date until my sponsorship came through, which should have been around the 8th of Feb with the two month turnaround for low risk applicants. However it was granted 2 weeks early and I am now sponsored for the next four years! The best part about it... I never had to do no farm work!!!!

Hi Danni, im from near leeds too and my name is also dani! me and my bf moved from perth to Brisbane for work and have stayed in a few areas until we found somewhere to settle. south bank in south Brisbane is gorgeous, definatley the best place we've stayed in in Brisbane so far, although we do prefer perth to Brisbane! hope it all goes well for you.

Hi everyone, hopefully you can help me! Me and my boyfriend are looking for somewhere to do our three month regional work for our second year visas, preferably staying in a working hostel that provides transport too or from the farm/work and that pays too, we can't afford to do voluntary work. If any one can recommend a place they know of or have worked at that would be great. Were looking to do it in Queensland but would relocate if needed. Hope to hear from you soon, Dani

Hi just out of interest are you in oz now? How did u find getting a job in support work? I currently work as a support worker and have a degree in psychology and I've got my whv to go to oz next year and just wondered how you'd got on.