getupkid

Hi nurse sue and blossom79, thank you so much for your helpful responses, very much appreciated! I think my dilemma is resolved because I've just found out that my employer has applied for a 457 which is several months longer than my contract, phew!

Hi Suzukiscottie, thanks so much for your reply! Hmm, it definitely seems like they are valid from the date the visa is issued then, but this brings up another issue... I obviously wouldn't be able to fly out the second my 457 is granted - even moving as quickly as possible, it wouldn't be physically possible to be able to go with any less than a week or two's notice (just in terms of having to book flights and accommodation in Australia, etc.). So if the 12 months start ticking down from the point of the 457 being granted whilst I'm in the UK, then it seems like that will result in the visa expiring before I've actually been able to finish my 12-month work contract. If it's only possible to get to Australia a few weeks after the visa is granted, then wouldn't that mean it expires a few weeks too early? Anyone have any ideas of how to deal with this or anyone have a similar experience? I feel a little bit like with every answer I find, it brings up more questions...!

Hi MaggieMay24, thank you ever so much for replying so quickly! It's very much appreciated My employer has just confirmed that they will sponsor me for a second 457 visa if needs be, but that I'll be liable for the costs, which is what I expected really. It's quite a relief, as I was worrying that I wouldn't be able to get a second visa at all and I'd only be able to stay in Australia for a year, even if another job were to be available! I just have one further question, if you or anyone else can answer... If I'm granted a 12-month 457 visa, when does it become "active" (i.e., when does the 12-month visa period officially start)? Is it active from the day it is approved, or does it start counting down from 12 months when I arrive in Australia? I'm just thinking logistically, as it's hard to plan exactly how long it will take for my visa be approved, but if it were to be approved, say, shortly before Christmas and I wanted to come to Australia at the beginning of January, would I be wasting my visa time by delaying flying out until the new year? Or does it not work like that? Sorry for my ignorance and thanks so much for your help!

Hello! I'm really new to these forums, someone recommended I join as it seems like there is a wealth of excellent information here! I really hope you don't mind me jumping in and asking a bunch of questions straight away - I feel like I've done everything I can with Google, either I can't find the answers I need, or the advice is somewhat conflicting depending on what website or forum I'm reading. I have a few rather fiddly 457-related questions, and I wondered if anyone here can possibly help me as I have hit a bit of a brick wall. Just to give a bit of background information, I have a job offer from an employer in Australia who is an approved visa sponsor and they are nominating me for a 457 visa. My questions are as follows... thank you so much to anyone who can help with any of these! 1. Employer references to support my 457 application. I understand that once I've lodged my online visa application I will be able to upload references from previous employers. I'm about to approach my referees, but I just wondered what guidelines I should give them for writing their references. Should they be like the standard references that would be supplied when applying for a job (e.g., where the referee briefly states some factual information about the tasks that the candidate has done in their job, and then elaborates on their views about the candidate's personal attributes), or are they meant to be much more structured and factual (i.e., just outlining the basic tasks that the candidate did, and for what length of time, without much comment on aptitude/personal qualities)? Also, should the references be written with regard to any specific document - for instance, the ANZSCO guidelines for the relevant job category, or the job description for the specific post I've been appointed to do? I was just wondering if referees should be asked to make sure they've "checked off" certain points against the job description/ANZSCO classifications, if required, or if this isn't necessary. 2. Question on 457 application form, "Proposed period of stay for this application". For the role I've been nominated to do, the contract is for 12 months. However, it is likely that there will be further work opportunities available after the contract is up, and my future line manager in Australia is entirely aware and supportive of my desire to stay longer than 12 months (the contract is 12 months as this is the duration of this particular project, so I would hopefully be able to work with them on another project). I have been told that their HR department will request a 457 visa lasting 12 months because this is the length of my contract - so should I answer "12 months" to this question, or should I answer longer (i.e., the maximum of 4 years) - as I hope to be able to move to another position once this contract is up? 3. "Extending" the 457 visa - is this possible? Following on from the above, I wondered if it would be possible to extend my 457 visa beyond the 12 months if I found another position in the same organisation. I know that they can be valid for up to 4 years, but I also read that there is no such thing as an "extension" to the visa, and that one would just need to apply for another 457 instead. My future employer's HR policy states that they will only make one visa sponsorship per employee, however, my line manager is in the process of clarifying this - whether they can sponsor me more than once, or whether they can "extend" the visa. I'd be really grateful for any knowledge around this as I am so confused! Thank you so much for taking the time to read, advice on any or all of these issues is tremendously appreciated! Best wishes, Rosie