chrispeck

Fair comment, but the other way to look at it is that the IELTS gives us a big advantage as native speakers in having a relatively easy way to get extra points. For plenty of the people we deal with (who aren't native speakers), achieving IELTS 7 is tough, and IELTS 8 is all but impossible. When I went to sit my IETLS I was in a room full of non-British, and the guy next to me couldn't believe I was sitting the test, till I explained it was the system and I needed the points. Without IELTS 8 I would never have been able to come to Australia as I am an old fart! For those struggling to get IELTS 8, hang in there, if it allows you to apply straight for PR, then it's worth it.

Just to clarify, the section (a) is incorrect, I have no idea why they have that on the website as it's not correct. So, in theory you should be able to apply for a 186.

My understanding is that you need three years of work experience in Victoria for your occupation. http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/visas-and-immigrating/occupation-lists/state-nomination-occupation-list-for-victoria It's also my understanding that just like for points, your work experience is only counted after qualification, and as ACS takes two years of your experience for skills assessment, you are only "qualified" after ACS recognises you to be qualified. So, put simply, thanks to ACS you only have two years of work experience for the purposes of being sponsored by Victoria.

Thanks benj. I have to admit I didn't have any preconceptions about it being tough, perhaps if I had known that I might have worried and failed to get 8! Regarding accents, i took my test in Edinburgh, and I wondered, presumably you can sit the test in the west country where you accent is not even noticed, or are there no local IELTS examiners? Best of luck with your test, once you get to Australia I am going to guess the locals will love your accent!

Get the pay rise to $129,300, with a 5% annual raise, and then get PR through the company, win win win? :wink: Or get out and about and start the wooing...

Yeah, odd that, you'd think the Queens birthday would be the same the world over... We will be thinking of you in WA as we put our feet up!

I know, the irony is that I am wondering if I would prefer NZ to AU, so I am delighted at the current setup! How you finding NZ? All the backpackers I spoke to said it was amazing, but I know plenty of Kiwis flee over here for work & better pay. Oh, and good luck getting the 8, as a native speaker you should be fine, although if the examiner is an Aussie I wonder how they will cope with a Mancunian accent?!

I just realised it's the Queens Birthday on Monday...three day weekend...maybe I am not a Republican after all! *waves a little union jack*

Lol, indeed, thrown on the trash heap at 45...cruel bastards! So, I know there is IELTS Academic, but i don't think that gives you any more points, it's just a requirement for some occupations. IELTS with scores of 7.7.7.7 will give you 10 points, IELTS with score of 8.8.8.8. will give you 20 points. I got all 8.5 and above...no bonus points for that, but the ability to puff out my chest! Well, I was actually a bit miffed not to get a perfect score...but hey. Lol to NZ citizenship and walking over. I don't know much about the rules for "Kiwis" coming to Australia, but from memory you are allowed to come here & work. You can check it out at this page: https://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/17nz.htm

If you are 44 it's going to be tough for you, when you hit 45 you will get zero points for age, and usually it's pretty tough to make up 60 points from then on, but it's not impossible. Also, my understanding is that if you put your expression of interest in and you turn 45 once it's in, your points will drop accordingly. As a native English (ok...Scottish) speaker, I did the IELTS test for points, leaving many non-native speakers baffled as to why I was sitting the IELTS test...I have to confess I felt as if I was cheating the system. It nearly bit me on the ass when I got too carried away with one of the questions and created a wonderful rambling tale of a one legged pirate committing a crime I had witnessed! Regarding the migration agents, if they are registered agents then legally they should not give you incorrect advice, but let's face it some unscrupulous types may do so to drum up more work. Just make sure you do your own calculations (as you are doing), and if you are going with an agent, find a good one. The fact sheet shared by Adonna is just what you need to make the calculations yourself. Best of luck!

Don't quote me on this, but there's something to do with loading for your health insurance (if you choose to get it), if you are over 30(?). They give some sort of offer which means it's advantageous to get your health insurance within one year of getting PR. Like I said, I didn't really understand it, but I did it anyway! Go chat to Bupa or one of the other insurers as they will be able to explain it better than me! :smile:

Just a quick question alex, are you in Australia or the UK right now? If your husband is working in his desired occupation in AU right now, getting sponsored may be possible. I mean, if he's working for someone, he can explain he wants to be sponsored, and talk it through with them. If not, it's going to be much harder, unless his occupation is in big demand.

I did Adelaide for 2 years as I had to (state sponsored). I didn't much like it, it seemed like a small town to me. However, some people really like the fact that the streets are quiet and it's easy to drive around. Also, now I am in Melbourne, which is a great city, with some great nearby countryside, but as the weather is much cooler, in some ways I am glad I got two years in the deadly heat of Adelaide! Also, I struggled to get work in Adelaide, which was one of the things that meant I probably didn't get the most out of the experience. Better to be working wherever you are, then you have the money to travel, explore, and make the most of it. PS, when I say deadly heat, we had 10 consecutive days of 40+, and our thermometer topped 53 in the sun on one day. Coming from Scotland, I can tell you my body is not designed to even be near 53 degrees, let alone go out in it!

Hi, Firstly, you are right, Tasmania is the only state looking for Residential Care Officers, for now anyway. Keep your eye on the states looking for the occupation, as for instance ACT was looking for them too, but isn't any more. It would be worth checking again for ACT on July 1st. However, for ACT they have different requirements depending if you are in ACT or overseas. If you are overseas you will need to show there are 5-8 jobs in your occupation, and that you have the relevant skills. A job offer would be even better. I am slightly confused as regards your list of visas. You would generally apply for 190 & 489 (as your occupation is not on SOL) as these are skilled migration paths. I am not sure of the relevance of applying for a 457, 186 or 187 as they are all employer nominated programmes. You would need a job offer in place to be applying for those, and it's not an expression of interest (which is for skilled migration).

Hi Katy, So, I won't comment on the skills assessment and ILETS 8, but I can help with your other questions. Firstly, there is never a guarantee of being invited, no matter how many points you have. However, in your case, you have an occupation on SOL which is great, and in terms of the states, there are seven states looking for Social Workers (only NSW is not offering 190's), which is almost as good as it gets. That said, we always have to warn people that the states, and indeed the occupations, are subject to change. The new occupation list will come out July 1st. Regarding your points, you have the option of applying for both the 189 and 190 at the same time, so in effect one application will have 60 points, the other 65. I should also say that as you probably know, people are selected on the basis of points, the more points you have the higher up the list you are. So, it really depends on the competition for the places, if there's lots of people applying, you want more points to appear higher up the list than other people. Best of luck with your IELTS 8, I am sure you will ace it. Chris Peck, Bravo Migration