ABG

Hi all. I applied for State sponsorship (190 visa) from Victoria on 2 May. Apart from the acknowledgement email, haven't heard anything from them. I've got 2 questions. When should I chase them up? They said in the acknowledgement that it can take up to 12 weeks; is that 12 weeks from filing or 12 from acknowledgement? Second question is more general: how long did it take you to get State sponsorship and is anyone else still waiting impatiently? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hope this doesn't seem a silly question: when filling out the EOI you need to give the date you completed your degree(s). The date on the degree certificate is the date of the graduation ceremony on which the degree was conferred, the date that the degree was considered completed on my academic transcript is the date the examination board considered that I had met all the requirements for the degree. The passing of the degree tended to be anywhere between 2-6 months before the graduation ceremony. If I go with the date I received the degree certificate then for all my degrees (I have accumulated a few from my life as a professional student) then my post-graduate qualifications all start before the previous degree has finished. Which date has everybody used?

Hi All. I'm filling out my EOI and have a question regarding work experience. Vetassess docked me 1 year of my first relevant role (2.5 years in the role) as they believe it would take 1 year industry experience before I would have been suitably skilled to fulfil the duties of my nominated occupation. This resulted in my 8.9 years relevant jobs contributing 7.9 years relevant work experience. My question is do I split the first job on the EOI into 12 months and 18 months stints and state the first 12 months is not considered for points, with the second 18 months counting. Overall it makes no difference to my points as I'm still in the same role when I submitted to Vetassess and it is considered relevant, and the 7.9 years was as of January 2016 so with or without the 12 months I now have enough experience (7.9 years + 0.3 years) for maximum points, but don't want there to be any question marks on my application when it is assessed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another thing to bear in mind is that MBAs are generally not considered a Masters level qualification from a points perspective. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can you try get tax records from HMRC? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's not as bad as you think. I got 9.0s except for writing which I got 8.5. Familiarise yourself with the type of questions, pay attention in the listening and you'll do fine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A couple extra related questions for anyone who can help: for proving work experience with DIBP, can you use Statutory Declarations in lieu of reference letters/statement of duties? I used a Stat Decl. with Vetassess as I don't want to inform my employer right now of my intent to emigrate as it will be detrimental to my employment and there is no guarantee of getting the visa. My job is R&D Manager and with Vetassess I used Statutory Declaration, employment contracts, payslips and tax records, reference letter from the previous CEO of the company, and then copies of scientific papers, conference presentations and patents that I have authored/given/been inventor on to support my application. The papers and publications cover a number of years. Would these together with Vetassess' assessment be sufficient supporting documentation? Can I submit this and if it is not enough, wait to be asked for reference letters or with demonstrating work experience are you assessed on what you initially submitted?

Not sure about ACS, but I had identical situation and submitted 1 declaration for 4 roles with same employer to Vetassess. It was accepted and I received a positive skills assessment. I did however email Vetassess to find out if they wanted 1 or 4 and they said 1. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Many thanks!

Only thing I can suggest it to give them a call and/or arrange to meet them at their office to 'kick the tyres'. From recollection, they are Surrey based Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry of this seems obvious, but don't want to stuff it up. On my EOI, for year's relevant work experience is it simply what VETASSESS credited me plus any extra accumulated since submitting the assessment- VETASSES gave me 7.9 years, I would want to claim 8 years as application was sent to them in January this year and still in same job they assessed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He was when I met him in February this year. There are a few registered agents at his firm, whilst I met John at the show, it was his son who sent me the engagement letters and quotes and he also had a MARA number

I haven't used them but met John at an emigration fair. Seems knowledgeable, friendly and would do a good job. They are usually at all the shows and he's a columnist in Australia and New Zealand magazine in the 'Immigration Advice' section so wouldn't worry if they're legit or not. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There should be a button 'Edit Post' underneath the post you want to change

I'm going it alone too. So far, so good. Successfully navigated skills assessment on my own, done my english test, and just submitted my application for State Sponsorship. This forum is definitely helpful when you have questions

Thought I'd update this for the benefit of others. I submitted my application to Vetassess on 31/1 and it was accepted on 3/2. I was applying as R&D Manager (ANZSCO 132511). My highest qualification is an MSC and I've been with the same company since 2007, in increasing roles of seniority in an early stage life science company. As I am currently C-level management at the company, I didn't want to alert anyone to the fact I'm looking at leaving so used statutory declarations rather than statements of service. In total I submitted the following evidence: passport, photos, degree certificates, academic transcripts, detailed CV, statutory declaration, organisation chart, employment contract, pay slips, P60 tax records, 1x reference letter from former CEO of the company, copies of patents where I am an inventor, copies of academic publications I've authored, url links/YouTube videos to conference talks I've given. I didn't hear anything for 12 weeks, and the status application never changed once. After not hearing anything I emailed them asking when I could expect an outcome. The next day I had an email saying it was in final stages of review, and 2 days after that I received the positive assessment. They docked me 1 year work experience, citing it would take 1 year industry experience to meet the minimum skill level to be an R&D Manager. Now the fun starts with applying for State sponsorship and then submitting my EOI Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can someone walk me through the most efficient way of applying for 190 visa? I have identified the state sponsoring my occupation (Victoria, R&D Manager), and have completed the IELTS test and will hopefully receive a positive skills assessment from Vetassess shortly (application lodged 31 Jan, accepted 3 Feb, so that's 12 weeks now with no requests for further information so its either going really well or really badly). Is it simply a matter of applying for sponsorship to Victoria through their website, and if/when that is granted, then submit the EOI or are there better ways to apply to shorten the timelines (e.g. by doing things in parallel)?

They want a statement of service from your employers and often organisation charts so they can see how you fit in the business. If you can't get for previous jobs you can do a statutory declaration, where you make a sworn statement that is witnessed by a notary/lawyer or similar official. Plus then employment contracts, pay slips, tax records etc to prove you were working. Good luck with your application!

If you meet the minimum education qualifications with your BBC then I'd submit based on that plus your work experience, I'm not a PhD and I submitted. I don't yet have my skills assessment back so don't yet know how Vetassess will value my qualifications and experience with regards to the category I went under. What I submitted was BSc (chemistry & cell biology); BScHon (biochemistry); MSc (biology through research rather than course work) + MBA (finance). All my science degrees were done in South Africa (business school in UK) so it's a bit different in that BScHon is a 40 odd week full time post-grad qualification, and my MSc was 2.5 year full time research degree. Work-wise I submitted 2 years experience as project manager in pharma company doing all sorts of R&D from discovery to clinical trials (managing rather than actively doing the research), 3 years as Programme Manager where I oversaw all the R&D, and then for the last 2 years been COO in the same company, where my responsibilities have been not only responsibility for the company's R&D programmes, but also strategic decision making in what research is done and commercialisation etc. What I submitted to Vetassess was evidence of qualifications in form of degree certificates and academic transcripts. For evidence of work I submitted payslips and employment contracts. As I have not told my employer I'm looking at emigrating I did a statutory declaration rather than got my supervisor (the CEO) to write me a reference letter. I did get one reference letter from the previous CEO who I worked with as project manager and as Programme Manager. I then submitted copies of patents and publications spanning 6 years where I was inventor/author to show I've been active in R&D and it's independent verification, and also sent links to conference talks I've given on YouTube/conference programmes again as proof that I've been actively working in R&D. So, in a rambling (inebriated) answer, I don't think you need a PhD for Vetassess, as long as your BSc is enough for the category you're going for. The main thing Vetassess does is qualify your work experience years you are claiming. I'm not sure how it works if you want/need to claim points for your PhD, but I'd imagine you'd have enough points if you scored highly on IELTS not need them. My MSc and MBA don't add any extra points for my EOI, it's all coming from years work, age, knowledge of English, and my BSC. One thing I'd check though is hours worked per week as I believe you need full time work to qualify, do if you've been studying part-time and not working full time then they may dock you years of work.

Get your application in with Vetassess asap. I'm in similar profession (R&D Manager), also seeking 190 visa with Victoria (hopefully) sponsoring. I put my skills assessment application in at end of January and haven't heard a thing yet. Whilst Vetassess are taking their sweet time assessing your skills you can do English test. I suspect that like me, you'll need minimum 7.0 IELTS score to satisfy state sponsorship requirements. The language test is pretty straightforward and scores you extra points. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just did the practice tests on the ielts website to familiarise myself with the format. As a first language speaker with university education that was ample for me Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was quoted £1700 a couple weeks ago for a 190 where I had already done skills assessment and they would pick up from State sponsorship, EOI and main application. Think it would have been 2200 if they did everything. This was only their charge, visa fees etc on top of that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

General. Think the difference is in the types of reading and writing tests (eg interpreting graphs vs writing a personal letter). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The certificate is needed. We used NCS for my wife's citizenship application and it was a required document. You might try contacting the centre where he sat the test to see if they can reissue the pass letter. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk