Joy Hay

This law around related entities may come into play in your husband's case. As noted in the thread, working in the same job, same location, same pay can give him continuity of two years (for the purposes of eligibility for the Temporary Resident Transition stream) but great care needs to be taken around who will be the sponsoring entity for the 186 and which entity needs to meet the training benchmark. When looking at his two years on the 457 visa, also take into account any unpaid leave periods, the need for licencing or registration in the occupation (if required) and confirming that he has been paid as stated in his nomination. Joy

Hi, Yes, type of qualification and 'date deemed skilled' is a complex aspect of points calculation. Have you received an invitation to apply and are now compiling the paperwork to lodge? Bear in mind that you must be able to verify the exact points claimed in your EOI. Joy

Hi, I advise that you look at the 189 and 190 PR visas. Engineers who hold a degree from certain universities do not need to have work experience to pass the skill assessment as they are assessed under one of the Accords. Timing of invitation to apply as this depends on your overall point score and the number of other chemical engineers waiting in the pool to be invited. You could apply for sponsored from NSW as this state does not require you to have post-degree work experience. It is a moral obligation (not a condition of your 190 visa) to settle in NSW after your PR visa is granted. You can elect to be considered for both the 189 and the 190 at the same time. You can lodge a skilled visa whilst in Australia on your 476, but you would need to hold a positive skill assessment, lodge your EOI, apply for state nomination (if you opt for this), get invited to apply and then lodge your visa, prior to your 476 expiry. You would then go onto a bridging visa with work rights during the skilled visa processing time. You cannot 'apply' for a bridging visa; it is only associated with a lodged visa application. Joy

Hi Kevin, If you are nominating 133112 PROJECT BUILDER, your degree will need to be the equivalent of an Australian degree, and be in a highly relevant field of study to meet Vetassess Group A requirements. Vetassess can take 12 or more weeks to process a skill assessment. You'd need eight years (of the past 10) paid work experience in the occupation, post-degree. As stated above, you need to score 8.0s in all parts of IELTS or an equivalent approved English test. If your sponsor is a relative, you need to confirm that they are living in a designated postcode. Your occupation also appears on several 489 state nomination lists. This would also give you 10 points. Joy

Hello, You will get 10 points for Australian work (between 3 - 5 years) and 5 points for overseas work (3 - 5 years) = total 15 work experience points. Joy

Hi Bec, Do you mean a 186 or a 187 visa? You might be eligible for a skilled visa, depending on your occupation, age, points, etc. Joy

Hi, You would need to be offshore at the time of application and time of decision of the 457 visa, but you can be onshore whilst the company obtains its Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS), if needed, and the nomination. You can hold a BVA to lodge other visa types, including a 187 or 186. Joy

Hi, You also need to have spent at least 36 months (of the 48 months) in Australia, and no more than 90 days outside Australia in the final 12 months. Joy

Hi, A 4 - 5 month processing time is usual. Joy

Hi, Each state has different requirements for nomination (years of experience needed, showing evidence of funds, obtaining a job offer from an employer) so make sure you are able to meet all requirements. Joy

Hi, Childcare Centre Managers do not required a skill assessment for a 457 visa or a 187 Direct Entry visa, but they do for a 186 Direct Entry visa. If you meet the point score for a 189 or 190 skilled visa, this gives your permanent residency. Joy

I agree with MaggieMay24. If your 457 visa is still valid, you remain on this visa if you withdraw the 186. If your 457 has expired and you are now on a Bridging Visa A, this limits the visas you are able to lodge onshore. Joy

Hi, IELTS tests are valid for three years for visa purposes. Agree with the above. If you need to claim points for English, you will need a current valid test at the time you are invited to apply. If you are a UK passport holder and are thus exempt from IELTS, you will score zero points for English but you can lodge an EOI, and be invited to apply. Joy

Yes, in the past, you could make a claim for exceptional circumstances based on specialised skills. Under current legislation, you would either need to be nominated as a senior academic by a university in Australia; nominated as a scientist, researcher or technical specialist by an Australian government scientific agency; meet the *Fair Work Australia High Income Threshold* for each year over the four year 457 visa period with the same sponsor (as appears to be the case for OP) or be nominated as a medical practitioner and meet certain requirements. Joy

Hello, It is more than reasonable that the secondary applicant/s arrive later, due to employment, schooling or other family circumstances. Joy

Hi, As you probably know, you need to show evidence across the four key areas and make sure that evidence can be substantiated. Case Officers look at things like relationship status on Facebook as well as reviewing the more traditional means of showing an ongoing and committed relationship. Joy

Hi, You won't need IELTS. If you are on a four year 457 visa (and this is your first one with this company), you would need to have started work on the 457 visa on the day of grant, and not taken any unpaid leave, and then lodge on the final day of the 457 visa. If not, you would need to first be nominated on another 457 visa so you can cover the four years required to meet the age exemption. Has the employer kept up with their training benchmark requirements? Joy

Hi, Just make sure that you can meet both Vetassess requirement and the 186 visa requirements. Joy

Hello, Yes, you can be included as his dependent on the PR application, even though you are living overseas. Joy

Hi, That does seem to be a very high fee. True Blue Migration's fee is $4,400 and this includes managing the employer side of the paperwork too. It is essential that they get it right, as your PR is at risk if they do not. We also provide a No Visa, No Fee so we don't take on cases unless we are really confident of a positive outcome. The nomination can take 4 - 5 months, and the visa, the same amount of time. You can lodge both together but if the nomination is refused, you will lose your visa fees and have to relodge. Joy

Hello, What is your nominated occupation through the ACS? Have you considered the other English tests? Many of our clients score better on the Pearson Academic Test (PTE). Joy

Hi, You need to make sure that the lodged documents reflect the points claimed in his EOI, as his invitation is based on this. For example, if he claimed 10 points for overseas work experience, he would need to show the right evidence of employment (either salaries, contractor or self-employment) and payment for all work claimed. If the documents do not reflect the claims in his EOI, the visas may be refused. Joy

Hi, Our agency is finding 4 - 5 months as the average. As noted, you can lodge your visa now and link to the pending nomination. However, if the nomination is refused, so is the visa - and you will lose your visa application fee. Did you lodge through Direct Entry or Temporary Resident Transition? When does your current visa expire? Joy

Hi, You may be eligible for Direct Entry now. If you are in a regional area, you may not need a skill assessment (depending on your occupation) as you may be able to go for a 187 without it. You will need a skill assessment and three years post-qualification work experience for a 186 Direct Entry visa. You'd also need to meet the age and English skill requirements. It is important that your sponsor keeps up with their obligations, including meeting the training benchmark. We hear from lots of candidates whose employer is keen to nominate, but won't meet the requirements. Joy

Hi, Your occupation is on the Western Australian shortage list for the 190 residency. You would need a 12 month job offer from a Western Australian employer to be able to get approval from that state. You would also need to meet the point score, base on age, qualification, work and English test scores. But there is hope! Joy