Mr and Mrs Holmesy

Thanks for posting this. AASW are currently carrying out a skills assessment for me and I similarly have a fairly unrelated undergraduate degree (Primary education) and a 2 year masters degree in social work. The date that the clock started for me was 24th Nov 2017 and they quoted me a 20-25 week wait. SUCH a long process!! Hoping to have it back sometime in May. Fantastic news on your positive skills assessment and good luck with the rest of the journey for you :-)

Makes for depressing viewing....?

Thanks Toots- Berry is my favourite of these. I think north Nowra is supposed to be ok? But like you say- maybe it’s subjective and down to a personal preference.

Ah, I see. Thanks for pointing out the geography (still haven’t quite got my head around it all yet!) You make some really good points and actually given we have come round to the idea of NSW over QLD for a number of reasons, I can see the merit in having some of these ready to outline to support our application. Thanks for the heads up re employment too.

No- my occupation is not listed for sponsorship on the central coast- we were looking initially at Tamworth (Northern Inland) but were drawn more to the far south coast. Nowra, Berry, Batemans Bay- those sorts of areas. But we did go to the central coast on our travels, to some of those places you mentioned and they were absolutely stunning!

Thank you. To be honest I have done a lot more research on NSW since I posted this- including taking a trip to some of the suitable areas when we visited my sister last. We think NSW is lovely and will be more than happy to make it our home- we have looked into domestic flights to see July sister and her family regularly and are more than happy with our options. Thanks for the heads up though and I will bear this in mind when applying. Best wishes

Hi there, did you make the move to Nowra? Think this is where we are potentially heading (has to be far south coast, NSW) and thought I would see how you are finding it.

It Thanks very much- you too. My skills assessment is being done by AASW (social worker)- seems to be one of the longest skills assessment processes going. I submitted it in November 17 so counting each week that goes by.....seems that every step of this process is designed to test the patience of a saint!

This is a similar position to me- I am maxed out on 60 points and would ideally liked to have gone on a 489 family sponsored visa. This is to join my sister who would be sponsoring me from Queensland. Because of the wait for 60 points, I am now looking at the state sponsorship option however this means NSW and not QLD. But as long as it is an option, I am happy to go with it. I am awaiting my skills assessment (which is such a long process- 20-25 weeks) and hope nothing changes drastically before I can lodge an EOI and fingers crossed be invited to apply for a visa. It's looking unlikely that the current wait for 60 point 189s and then 489s will change anytime soon.....good luck whatever you decide.

I do qualify for a state nomination woody2709 but QLD (my preferred state) wants more post qualifying work experience than I've got....A few areas of NSW are suitable though. So it might be a slightly different path to our journey than we originally thought

Presumably, the current difficult situation on 189 visas being invited with points at the lower end has a knock on effect on 489 family sponsored visa invites? Am trying to work out if all EOI quotas are being filled/taken by 189's then 489's won't have a look in? I will have 60 points to submit for a 489 family sponsored EOI but assume as it stands I will have a very long wait? Many thanks

Just wondered if it would be possible to run two EOI's at the same time and effectively go for whichever comes through first ? (489 family sponsored and 489 state sponsored)

Hi there, Does anyone have a rough idea on current waiting times for 489 family sponsored visas? I know these are probably fairly few and far between at present but wondered if anyone has an idea. Many thanks in advance...

Thanks for your replies... We seem to have a couple of options now in that we can apply for 489 state sponsorship (you're right Apollo, it has been reinstated on Queensland's list) and also the 489 family sponsored option (we want to locate near to my sister on the Sunshine Coast). Sadly due to my age, the 489 is the only option, however it IS an option and that is the main thing! So next step is the skills assessment...my understanding is that it is a lengthy 20 week lead time for the social work assessment so all in all it is going to be a long, drawn out process...!

Hi there, I have asked this on the general forum however wonder if I could ask the 'experts' here.... Is it not possible to receive an invite to apply for a family sponsored 489 visa with only 60 points? I am maxed out with 60 points: age: 41: 15 points superior english (ielts score 9): 20 points bachelor degree: 15 points state/family sponsorship: 10 Is state sponsorship my only option? I would really like to avoid this as my occupation (social worker) has recently come off the QSOL and we would like to be on the Sunshine Coast which is where my sister is based. However we would contemplate state sponsorship from a different state if we absolutely had to. Many thanks

Yeah- completely maxed out at 60 points....shouldn't have left it so late in life! Will maybe have to look at state sponsorship rather than family sponsorship. My occupation is no longer on the list for Queensland however which is ideally where we would like to be (near my sis). Will maybe look at NSW.....

Thanks Paul...sadly thats what I thought.....

Is it possible to get a family sponsorship with only 60 points or are they only offering invites to those with 65 points or over? Thank you

Hi there, We are looking at the various regional area in NSW which are sponsoring my occupation (social worker). These are Northern Inland, Far South Coast, Orana and Southern Inland. It's so difficult to know where would be best as I'm sure each place within these areas has its own pros and cons. It really is a job to know where to start.....! We have briefly researched Tamworth (Northern Inland) and Shoalhaven (Far South Coast). My sister lives on the Sunshine Coast but unfortunately that is not an option for us. We will travel to see each other but once you're on a flight it doesn't matter if its 1, 2 or 3 hours to me. What is more important is that we find a place that suits us and that we enjoy living in. Has anyone else had to chose between similar areas? Can anyone give any advice based on their experience of these areas? We are a small family of 3, daughter will be around 8/9 when we make the move and we would probably look to send her to an independent school...just in case that has any bearing? Many thanks :smile:

We are in a similar position...my occupation (social worker) was taken off the Queensland list for state nomination (489 visa) earlier this summer and so we have been looking for alternative options. It seems as though regional NSW is also a possibility for us and we have been doing lots of research on Tamworth also. I must admit I am a little worried about how we will find it, but I guess sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture. We are going to visit my sister who lives on the Sunshine Coast at Christmas and will take a trip down to Tamworth for a quick look around. Great practical advice on areas to look for/avoid Bobj- thank you. Good luck with your journey ukclarkes and perhaps we can hook up for a cuppa in Tamworth one day..!!

Thanks for that...I think you're right, I was confusing all of the different sponsorship options! My occupation is on the SOL and CSOL so perhaps family sponsorship is an option. Although I only have 60 points and I believe that as family sponsorships are few and far between they generally only offer this to those with 65 points or more. We did think that maybe we could initially go to a different state for 2 years Marisawright as you have suggested. Like you say- sometimes you have to take a longer term view approach. Thanks again for all of your replies- much appreciated.

Hi there, I am a social worker and as of 25th July my occupation came off the QSOL list but is still on the CSOL (and every other state's occupation list frustratingly enough). My question is can my sister who lives in a regional area of Queensland still sponsor me on a 489 family visa despite my occupation being off the QSOL list but on the CSOL one? Or does it have to be specifically on Queensland's list given that is where I would like to be...? Thanks for reading and i hope my question makes sense....!

Look forward to following your progress as this is hopefully the visa we will go for. Unfortunately I need to finish my Masters in the meantime (2 years away..!) so hopefully nothing too much will change between now and then. I think we will also use Go Matilda...my sister used them nearly 5 years ago now to secure her 189 visa successfully and she was really pleased with them as agents. Good luck with it all.

Thank you very much for that advice and clarification- much appreciated