Bungo

What is a "case agent"? The immigration department employs "case officers". You might use an agent. But I have never heard of a case agent. An agent might have just told you seven days to get you moving quickly but as above it doesn't mean the case officer will look at it before 28 days.

I wouldn't over think which shipper, they are much of a muchness and I have read nothing during my many years on forums to make me think there is any that should be first choice or any that should be avoided. You don't have a lot of time and it is getting close to Christmas, so just ring them all up and see who might be able to fit you in. It is good to get at least three quotes and the go with the cheapest. Remember you are only going to meet a salesman when they survey so don't put too much weight on how much you like that person. There is somebody on here that does vehicle transportation, Iron lady or something, I am sure if you search you will find the details.

I shouldn't think so. Andrew is a financial advisor, the OP needs an accountant. Two totally different things.

It is called the partner visa, not partnership visa. :wink: Very, very unusual for anyone to use an agent for this visa. It is a very straightforward application, I would only consider using an agent if there are medical or character (criminal record) issues.

It is a total no brainer. Take the cat. Leaving a cat in a re-homing center if you are lucky enough to find one to take him anyway, is going to be far more stressful than a 24 hour flight. Actually you proclaim to love this cat but have to ask this question? I am baffled.

Read it again. :wink: I have just read it and it states if you are applying for one on the skill select visas, like the 187, then BVC will have work rights.

I presume you mean are they changing the transition pathway rather than "stop 457 holders from getting PR". As there are many different ways to secure a permanent visa. Anyway, no I have not heard of such a change to the transition stream. And you do not need to restart your two years, you only do for that particular pathway, you could do a skills assessment instead though and a permanent employer sponsored visa would be available right away (if they are willing).

Well to be honest that just sounds extraordinary and in terms of extra payments, sounds like you just didn't read your documents properly. I have moved four times now and had quotes about 12 times and it has always been perfectly clear what I would be paying for. Three months is a normal time frame for a move to Australia. Yes sometimes it is faster, but that is within normal time frames.

You are possibly mixing up the two separate requirements of skills assessment and points requirement. A bachelor degree attracts 15 points and whether it is in a subject related to the nominated occupation has no relevance. On the other hand, for the skills assessment, the degree subject will often be relevant.

Well you said it was a shame they couldn't have that shared experience. But they can, the main applicant just needs to be first in the queue. What you can't do in this case, is have the family come in batches (as per the question in this thread) unless the main applicant is in the first batch.

You can take medicals whenever you want, who is going to stop you? It just isn't recommended by the immigration department. They specifically advise against it in fact. There is very little upside to doing it early, and I can see no upside at all for you with the timings you mention, but several possible downsides namely: it shortens visa validation time so if you have to change current plans for any reason it limits your options, if your application is delayed for any reason the medical could expire and need to be redone, if there is a problem with your application then you might have thrown even more money at this process by taking medicals when the visa application was going to be denied anyway. What benefit do you perceive there to be in doing them early? Perhaps that is the question you should ask yourself, as I say, I struggle to see any benefit for you whatsoever with your plans as they are. I know it is very exciting to be applying for a visa and you maybe want to feel like you are "doing "something" and making progress, but try to put this aside and make an objective decision. If yu can find benefit that outweighs those potential downsides (which are the reasons immigration advises against it) then go for it.

The only thing to look out for is that the visas do not come with the condition that the main applicant enters Australia first. This used to be quite common, I don't know if it is that common these days.

I am sure thousands and thousands of people have done that.

The recommendation is to take the medicals only when specifically asked to do so by a case officer. You are definitely not better off doing the medicals first.

If you lodge the employer sponsored visa application whilst you are still on the partner visa, a BVA will automatically be set up in the background. Unfortunately, if your partner visa is cancelled the BVA is also cancelled and you would end up with BVE which has no work or travel rights. You can apply for work rights if you are in financial hardship, but it takes time and you would certainly need to leave employment for a period of time. As you are going for 186 without a 457 prior, you must have a positive skills assessment? In this case, a skilled migrant visa might have been a better option, well it would certainly have been quicker than employer sponsored. Perhaps this is something you could look into now. The other suggestion, is to see if your employer would also sponsor you for a 457 which generally processed more quickly than the 186.

You said the employer went into liquidation, a year ago, so they probably do not even exist any more. That they have broken the rules "first" does not mean it is ok for you to breach your visa. What do you mean by "once you submit another permanent visa other than 457, immigration officer will look into your current 457 employment status"? This sentence makes no sense and whatever you think it means it doesnt change the fact that you are in breach of your visa. You need to stop burying your head in the sand. You have a serious visa problem and you need to attend to this not be looking for suggestions for an interstate move.

If you are thinking of skilled migration, the occupation you select has no relevance when it comes to finding work. It isn't policed, you will not be monitored for the rest of your life to ensure you do not stray from your nominated occupation. :wink: So for skilled migration, you would select the occupation that you can more easily pass the skills assessment for or which has the better visa prospects. Sadly neither of these has very good prospects as neither are on the SOL (thus state sponsorship will be required) and there are few sponorship options. I would say sponsorship as Earth Science Technician is very unlikely and as a Geologist is quite unlikely but has slightly higher chances.

It is a condition of the 457 visa that they do not cease work for 60 (or 90) consecutive days. I therefore re cannot share your optimism that they are not flouting any imigration rules, if that is what you are saying. They certainly are.

Maybe go and see a new agent. The ones that post on here all have good reputations, why not try @wrussell. You have a duty to act within the terms of your visa. You have a duty not to breach it. That your husband has not worked for a year, well then you are almost certainly in breach of it. I would have been having sleepless night for the last year in your position too! Your visa position is very, very serious. I have no idea where you have heard "when you apply for another visa they will take action to cancel the 457" or in what context you mean this in. But I am pretty sure it is not true and does not help the situation.

I am struggling to understand what you are asking to be honest. Shellharbour would be quite an appealing place to move to if work can be found, but you mention the drive to Sydney? You surely do not mean to work do you, because I don't think that is achievable on a regular basis. It is a long journey and traffic is bad. Shellharbour to Sydney in 90 minutes is not realistic, I would expect it to be well over two hours, in fact it once took me three to Wollongong (I say once as I only tried it once). Then I am not sure how Parramatta comes into it, is that a job for you or the husband? If you have promised the children access to beaches I think you are going to be bitterly disappointed and will probably not see one much more than you do now. Also if you mean $500 or $600 not £ equivalent. Well this is not enough for Sydney, you would have to be at least two or three hours away before pieces start to come down to that degree, assuming you need a house for the family that is. I think I would stick to the Shellharbour plan anyway, subject to what line of work you are in and job opportunities. It is far enough away from Sydney for your budget to start to get realistic and the children get the beaches.

You really need to go and see an agent. Tomorrow. I think you must be very close to being illegal, if you are not already, anagent can clarify your status and help you with a strategy. The reason I would be concerned is that you are in breach of the 457 if you go more than 90 days without u retaking employment on behalf of the sponsoring employer. Forget what VEVO says, it's is wrong half the time. According to VEVO my OH never had a visa at all. So to your husband, yes people that don't pay tax will find it comes back to bite them when it comes to visas as this employment won't count in any skills assessment or work experience points. Sounds like you might be the best bet. Can your current employer not apply for a 457 for you? What is the relevance of two months before you think you would be eligible for a 187? I don't think this is the best route anyway because it takes a long time and you are groing to be visaless very soon if not already. I think a 457 with your employer might be best and quickest option. The other thing that your probably need to start to come to terms with, is that your time in Australia might be coming to an end.

I lived in Collaroy for five years, loved it. We rented, our three bedroom no pool house would have been about $2-3 million to buy. And this was typical. If that is the kind of budget you will have then I would not hesitate, but if that is out of budget then I would look to rent in an area you might buy in later. I don't know about schools, but they are all going to be pretty good on the northern beaches. Good area genegerally does mean good schools. I would be perfectly happy living in Narabeen too, but if I had the choice I would pick Collaroy as it is ever so slightly nearer the city, has a bit more variety on the high street, not that there is much there it is mainly eateries, but a nice selection and a couple of beach shops thrown in.

Yes those things would be classified as mental health issues quite clearly. As above, I also can't see it being a problem.

Yes they don't want you to include the citizen. It says so in the instructions and then it says so again in your error message. Not sure what is tripping you up here?

I was very surprised at the statement that your insurance company has made a condition of no animals in house, so I checked the PDR and it says no such thing. Hence just correcting an inaccurate statement or a misunderstanding you may have had. They just have a limit on that particular type of cover /claim. You were unlucky, with your tenant. But most people own pets without causing any damage to the property and certainly not more than a bond. Most landlords know that, which is why there are very many willing to rent to people with pets. I don't think there is any need to frighten those that are planning their move (not suggesting you are, but some posts in the thread might be a bit worrying). I had the frighteners put on me too, it was in fact one of my biggest worries before we moved, but turned out there was no need whatsoever. Would just like to reassure the OP and others that it is not so bad.