Sid007

Dear Captain C, Captain R, Some of the websites have already published 2016-17 SOL and Ship's Master is still there. Hope its a good news. Kind regards Sid

You are right Captain C, I'll go for the assessment atleast and then think over it again.

Captain C , Thank you very much for the information. I am still in the process of collecting employment letters and deliberately delaying one till 15th of March , so as to get full points for employment (8yrs out of 10 yrs). Considering this, even if I apply to AMSA by mid or 3rd week of march, I may get a chance to take orals by 2nd or 3rd week(depending on the availability) or even ending May. Do you feel I should initiate the process or wait till new SOL is out for this year, coz otherwise all effort and money will go wasted. waiting for your suggestion Sid

Dear Captain C, After going through first 10 pages of the thread , I started from the last posts and realized you also faced the same problem regarding bermuda PCC, but Captain R's views on this were also very interesting as to why seafarer's need it. Also Sierra had to contact australian high commission for his Stat decl. But one thing i did not understand is you had to submit your pay slips...... what exactly is a pay slip, coz what we get is a contract letter and monthly allotments sent to our bank accounts. Just a small chit is distributed among the crew with all the wages detail, but its neither an official document like portage bill nor it has got any official stamp on it, just master's initial are there. Moreover I have'nt kept any of them with me, but I have the old contract letters which we sign before joining the vessel. Do we really need them and if so, will bank statements do the needful...... Kindly give your views Rgrds Sid

Thats Right CaptainC, coz just now I was going through the Old thread and Captain R has given quite a lot of information in the first post itself. Will read it in detail before going any further.

******You have to enter australia as a new resident before they run out.*******. Okhay Okhay !! Perhaps my over-enthusiasm is doing more harm than good. Thanks for your timely suggestion, I will gather all the information and forms but apply only once I clear orals ,PTE. Otherwise u r right I'll have very short time to enter Australia. Rgrds Sid

Got that !! Just now sent one mail to acro policecertificates regarding this, now waiting for their reply. meantime surfing the internet to get contact details of panaman flag state to get clearance from them also. Dropped the idea of contacting liberian and japanese flag states as onboard tenure is less than 12 months. thanks! Sid

Dear Captain C, thanks for your valuable comments and guidance. I will start making enquiries regarding PCC asap. I had stayed in UK from Sep 2006 to Aug 2007 and already have Police clearance for that, so shall I apply for my next tenures Oct 2013 to Feb 2014 and May2015 to July 2015 also ?? On my Police certificate for Immigration purposes they have not mentioned any dates for my stay but yes Date of issue of the certificate is 10/09/2009. Does that mean I will have to apply again (but no where its written validity of the certificate). I guess i may have to apply for it again coz I have to include my tenure on british registered ships ( Oct 2007 to feb 2011) also. Am I correct Sir ?? Sid 007

Dear Captain R, You are correct...... its indeed a very slow process where I am finding new hurdles after every step. To add insult to injury, australian economy is going through recession and like you said work / job opportunities are very limited at the moment. I am nearing 38 so thought its better to have a go at it, coz I will be loosing more points next year due to the age. I will go through the old thread also to get some info as to how others have managed to get this flag state clearance / ceritified statements. Determination is Ok, but the zeal just fizzes out sometimes, when I realize its very tough for mariners as compared to people from other fields. Really Sir, it gets frustrating sometimes, even the AMSA website is like a Jigsaw puzzle. Thank heavens I found this thread otherwise since last one month I was like Alice in wonderland. All the immigration agents i have contacted are after their commission only and dont have indepth knowledge of our line. What I have figured out till date is :---- 1. Get Sea time / Employment letters from previous companies . ( A tedious task/ coz old companies dont show interest in emlploys who have left and present employer asks too many question coz they fear you might leave them.) 2. Pay the fee and get the Skill asssessment done by AMSA. 3. Pay the fee and book your orals. 4. Fill up all the forms to get COR for GMDSS also. 5. All STCW courses to be updated as per 2010. (My COC is expiring after dec 2016) 6. Medical test before the orals. 7. Clear the orals. ( Had goosebumps after going through the sets in the drop box, unlike MCA orals, theres no pattern, no hot topics, just random questions. Seriously thinking of taking some prep classes , otherwise spending all the money , flying all the way, medicals....... oh boy !! Arsenal had more chances of beating Barcelona last night as compared to me clearing orals .......) 8. IELTS or PTE ( I had appeared in IELTS last year and got listening: 8, Reading:9, Speaking 7.5, Writing 6.5 and my agent told I wont be getting any points . So I was thinking of having a go at PTE this time, coz the public opinion is its not easy but the markings are quite fare as compared to IELTS. In our forum also theres a fantastic thread on this subject) 9. Get Police clearance..... ( Another Monster waiting to get his share........ Just imagine the plight of a person who after clearing all the previous steps get stuck here!! // anywayz tonight I will try to go through all the posts (probably 1000 of them) to find a solution to this , coz getting a reply from panamian, liberian , japanese flag states in itself is mission altogather.)) Well Captain R, this is what I have figured out so far, the odds are heavily stacked against us. Still I was thinking of initiating the process coz next year I wont qualify bcoz of the points (age bracket). By the way Sir, Is there any agency who has done all this paperwork for a seafarer and can guide me also ?? My local agent here is useless, I beleive i have gathered more information from the forum than from him. Just wanted to give vent to my feelings, thats why wrote all this. Your and captain C's comments are eagerly awaited. Kind regards Sid007

Dear Captain C, Thanks for the information, you are right they want to see all round competency. Also I am trying to get hold of AHP20. Another thing is while going through broder.gov website I found this bit of information ''''''******** [h=3]What if I have been working on a ship?[/h]If you have spent a cumulative total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years working for the same employer on a merchant ship, cruise ship, private yacht or oil rig, you should request a police certificate from the relevant authority in the country under whose flag the ship sails, or country of ownership of the rig. You will also need to provide a letter or statement of good conduct from the ship’s captain or company attesting to your character. The letter should include the vessel’s name, the job you had while on the ship or rig and the start and finish dates of employment. ********** This has caught me completely unaware, coz I have sailed on british , panama, liberian, japanese flags and getting clearance will be a herculean task moreover they also need company attested letters as statement of good conduct. I have some Sea service testimonials from Ship's captain but alas!! stopped taking them once I cleared my masters COC ( For last 2 vessels). Can you please throw some light on this issue. Eagerly waiting for your reply Sid007

Dear Captain C, Previous reply which I typed got erased ( i dont know how ) but thanks for the morale boosters. I have already received seatime letter from one of my previous employers and the other one I am deliberately delaying for another 10,12 days, so as to get full 8 years total in last 10 years. Regarding English proficiency I was thinking of having a go at PTE instead of IELTS this time. While going through orals questions in the drop box, i realized AMSA surveyors are very thorough, inspite of the fact oral examination is not for COC but for COR. Last year while preparing for UK masters COC at South Tyneside College it was a different story altogether with regular prepatory classes, group discussions with classmates and so many past question sets. But here it looks like entering totally uncharted territory. Anywayz looks like I am jumping the gun here, must go step by step. Will go through AMSA website in detail, so that I dont miss any nitty gritty in a hurry. Will contact you for further guidance once I get the employment letter and initiate the process. regards Sid007

Dear Captain C, I was searching the internet for Aussie PR related queries and out of the blue I came across this amazing forum. Really Hats off to you and Captain R for putting so much of effort. I obtained my masters COC (unlimited) MCGA Uk, last year and am very much interested in initiating the process. Infact I started contacting my previous employers for seatime letters also but alas !! they are not issuing the letter in the same format as u have mentioned in the drop box. So I fear I might loose those valuable 5 points for my sea service (5 out of 10) instead of (8 out of 10). Moreover that GMDSS and continued onboard training remark (as mentioned by you) is also not there in the letter. Kindly suggest shall I go ahead with my application or this may cause some trouble.... i mean objection by AMSA during my sea time assessment. Another thing is my Masters COC is issued by UK maritime and Coastguard agency, where as my GMDSS is issued by government of India, will that cause any conflict ?? I had appeared in IELTS last year and scored band 8 in all except writing , where i scored 6.5, my local agent says I wont get any points bcoz of that and suggests me to appear of a new test called PTE which is recognised by Aussie immigration authorities. As its a computer based test so chances of scoring high marks are much more in this. Your expert advice in all these matters are awaited......... regards Sid