LisaPaul

Hi nicola494, once you have been there for 2yrs on a 489 visa, having worked for at least 1yr you can apply for a permanent 887 visa which is apparently straight forward and not very costly. However as is said in the above posts you need to be careful not to breach visa conditions or this can be refused.

Thanks lebourvellec but believe me if he thought it was possible to pass then he would do the test, and unfortunately after helping him with the practice tests I have to agree. He really does struggle with it. I just really can see no other way! Yes I'm aware of the visa conditions and consequences - thanks for the advice!

Hi Ozmaniac, thanks very much for the reply. I totally agree that the 189 or 190 are the best options however I'll explain where we are with the points situation: 38yrs - 25 points Qual & skills - 25 points IELTS would be a major problem for Paul as he suffers from dyslexia. I'm aware that there is help in the form of extra time but this will not help with the spelling. He has done practice tests and every part is fine except the writing which lets him down i.e. the spelling. I have helped him with this but we have now come to the conclusion that it's not possible for him to pass the test and unfortunately it would be a waste of money to do it. We had considered other options such as putting everything on hold for a bit in order for me to retrain and possibly go for the visa instead of Paul. However, there are so many things that could change or go wrong in that time: the skills list could change, we will be 40 in less than 2yrs so will lose points for age, I will not get points for experience, I will need to get 20 points on IELTS test. I'm also fully aware that procedures and visa requirements could change at any time. So taking all of the above into account we have decided to go for the 489 visa now on Paul's skills and gain the extra 10 points from regional sponsorship. The last few days have been tough but now we know where we stand and can move forward to get the process started. The feedback I've received on here has been excellent at pointing out the negatives about the 489 visa so hopefully we are going into this with our eyes wide open. If only there were another way of gaining the extra points to enable us to go for a 189 or 190 visa.....but I cannot see how this is possible. Many thanks for your help Lisa

Sorry Pumpkin I did mean it is our only option - I've just worded it totally wrong....apologies! My head is quite full of it all today, questions, questions, questions! Not making sense to myself or anyone else. And thank you so much for the advice!

Thanks Pumpkin that's really helpful. Yes the 489 is our best option. It's good to hear the negatives now rather than find them out later. Thank you Lisa

Thanks for all your help and it does look like we will be opting for a 489. Does anyone know what the healthcare differences are? Would we still have access to Medicare on the 489 visa or would we have to wait until we are permanent residents for that? Thanks Lisa

Thanks Tinaisrar that has put my mind at rest for a bit. I was worried that maybe there was something I was missing about the visa - the whole idea of it not being permanent makes me feel uneasy. If it was just myself and Paul I wouldn't worry as much but we have 3 kids now and everything changes! Thanks for your reply!

Thanks VERYSTORMY but according to our migration agent WA is not an option for Painting Trades workers on a 489 at this time. The most important thing for us is work to begin with so we will pretty much go anywhere (although not keen on very inland). Paul would need to work as soon as he arrives as we currently rent so we won't have any house sale proceeds to fund the move/set-up - we are just doing this on savings. It's just my thinking that there are better job opportunities in a major city - I'm probably totally wrong! By the way VERYSTORMY I had a look at Mandurah and it is absolutely beautiful. You are very lucky to live there! Thanks for your reply. tothemoon thank you and good luck also x

Hi all, we are new to this forum and are just at the beginning stage. It's likely that we will need to go for a 489 visa for points reasons and I'm just wondering if anyone has gone out on this visa? I would be especially interested to chat to anyone who has then gone on to the next stage for permanent residency after 2yrs - is this a straight forward process of low cost like our migration agent has told us? Does the 489 visa limit employment options? I have so many questions at this stage and am a bit concerned about work etc. as we will be going out there with 3 young children, currently 4yrs and 2yr old twins, and I may not be able to work until the younger boys go to school. So we will be relying on my partners income - he's a painter & decorator. We have been looking at Adelaide as it seems to be the only major city we can live/work in on the 489 visa. Thank you for your help. Lisa xx