ricco56

You can't 'lodge a BVA'. A BVA is granted when you lodge a valid application for a substantive visa and comes into effect for the period between when your current substantive visa expires, and when a decision (grant or refuse) on your application for another substantive visa is finalised. Hence the term 'bridging' as it bridges the gap between having substantive (proper) visas. Agencies can be of assistance but aren't essential. To get work with an agency you need to have a visa with work rights (eg BVA or 457 or 417 etc) , and to have necessary registrations. Agencies can provide help and advice on these matters as do registered migration agents. All the best with the process.

Yes you could arrange to have a new Aus passport issued in your new name. See http://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/pptnamechanges.html If your wife lodges a valid Partner visa while onshore in Australia she will be granted a Bridging Visa A (BVA) which comes into effect as soon as her existing visa (eg tourist) expires. The BVA cones with full and unrestricted rights to work and hence would allow her to pursue her nursing registration/career without constraints imposed by age etc. "My head is a shed": Interesting turn of phrase which may produce blank looks from your typical Australian. I had to Google it. Sorry there's no Australian slang equivalent that I can suggest. Clearly Australians do not get frustrated by obstacles. Obstacles just don't exist.

Anyone has the right to change their name irrespective of whether or not the change was initiated by marriage. You may have some difficulty formally changing your name in Australia without having been a resident for some time. If you have a current passport in your former (unmarried) name then you can still use this to enter Australia. Bring any 'change of name documents' (eg marriage certificates etc) with you on your travels in case of any difficulty and then when you get settled arrange for your name to be changed here in Aus in your home state. Note although you may manage to change your British passport to your new name but you cannot use this to enter Australia. Australian citizens cannot be issued with a visa (on their British or other passport) to enter Australia. You can only enter on your Australian passport. Yes Partner visas are expensive but they are a guaranteed way (as long as your relationship satisfies all criteria) of eventually achieving permanent status. Getting a visa through the Skilled Migration program is also a possible path but be aware there are costs involved (skills assessment + application fees) and some hoops to jump through.

Applies to VET mainstream courses only. https://www.tafeinternational.wa.edu.au/Documents/visa-subclass-guide-vet.pdf TAFE Higher Education courses have a different fee structure. https://www.tafeinternational.wa.edu.au/Documents/visa-subclass-guide-higher-education.pdf

If you are under 18 (and you are not engaged, married or in a de facto relationship) you are automatically considered to be a 'dependent child' of your father and hence if you are holding a 457 visa you can work and your financial independence/dependence is not an issue. Once you turn 18 you can only satisfy the conditions of the 457 if you remain as a 'dependent adult child' which means you need to rely on your father to meet your basic financial needs. In other words if your father (the main 457 holder) is the single most significant source of financial support then you are his dependant. If resulting from your income through work your father ceases to be your main source of financial support then you may in breach of the 457 conditions. Being a secondary applicant holder of a 457 does have the advantage that some education providers (eg TAFE WA Colleges) classify you as a 'local' student and hence you can enjoy unrestricted study opportunities and only pay local fees. I'm unsure whether this applies in the other States. if you wish to go fully independent a Working Holiday Visa (417) may be the way to go but be aware that it has some restrictions with regard to study opportunities.

No. Not directly. If you (as a partner of the main applicant) have an occupation which is also listed on the current Skilled Occupation List, and you meet the age criteria, and English competency criteria, and have received a positive skilled assessment then your occupation can contribute points (5) to the main applicant's score in the points test for General Skilled Migration (GSM). Your business experience may contribute to your own positive skills assessment in an occupation listed on the SOL but otherwise if it is not linked to a listed occupation then the business activity is not relevant to the GSM process.

If you have a current Australian passport you can enter, and re-enter Australia as you wish. When you live in Australia your Aust citizenship means you have all of the right and responsibilities enjoyed by all citizens. When onshore you need to register with Medicare, Aust Electoral Commission and Aust Tax Office.

Although (for 461 applicants) there is no minimum period specified in the Legislation to qualify as a de facto partner, policy documents suggest that relationships of less than 6 months would be difficult to classify as genuine de facto relationships.

As I stated in my original post the 12 month qualifying period only applies for applications for certain visas. For other visas (eg 461) you must establish that you are de facto partner but you don't have to have been defacto for any pre-determined period. Nevertheless to be defined as de facto you need to meet the legislative requirements and if you don't have a history of living together, nor made a commitment to a shared life together by having combined financial, administrative and household arrangements then it is unlikely that you would be considered a de facto couple. So to answer your question: No you cannot be considered a de facto couple just by being a couple. Being a de facto couple means you are 'family'.

Thank you very much! That clears some things up:) Is there any other way to find out what courses/schools should I take to even it out? (my 5 years versus their 6 years)? Cause it seems like I have to pay APS 1000$ to find out what it is that Im missing, pay for schools or exams or whatever and only after that apply for the visa, which probably won't be on the list anymore #Frustrating See http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Education/Approved-Programs-of-Study.aspx

It's impossible to predict if and when an occupation is to be removed from the SOL/CSOL until the decision is made and the results published. For APS assessment times see their website. Waiting times for INVITE depend on too many factors to predict. All you can do is get your EOI in as early as possible and ensure you are competititive.

Congratulations on falling in love with your New Zealander. The 12 month minimum relationship length applies to de facto partner applicants for permanent visas and some selected temporary visas (including Partner 309/100 or 820/801). The 461 is a long term (5 year) Temporary visa and as a consequence the 12 month qualifying period does not apply. Therefore if you can establish that you are in a defacto relationship with your eligible NZ partner (and hence are a member of their family unit) you are eligible to apply for the 461 without having to wait 12 months. The 461 provides 5 years of temporary residency in Australia, and can be renewed, thus giving you ample time to learner the finer points of Australian and New Zealand culture (including the Laws of Cricket).

I agree completely. There are some fundamental issues to be dealt with in regard to compliance with the existing 457 conditions. These need to be resolved before the transition to a 186/187 visa even becomes a possibility. The consequences for the 457 holder arising from lack of compliance (either accidental or intentional) are far too serious to be resolved in a public forum without all of the relevant information at hand. It is time for the original poster to seek a considered and confidential professional opinion (from a registered provider) based on all aspects of their specific case.

Each State runs its own selection process based on their own time scale and priorities. I suggest that there is no disadvantage in leaving your current EOI and re-submitting it (if required) based on future advice from the Qld government. Are you hoping to live and work in the Brisbane metro area? If you are looking beyond Brisbane, and you have eligible family who can sponsor you, then a subclass 489 is worth considering.

Existing invitations/applications would be honoured but no new invitations are issued for an occupation that has been removed from the SOL/CSOL.

Yes only paid employment that is closely related to your occupation can be counted. Employment must be at least 20 hours per week. Note the two occupations listed above are on the Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL) but are limited in terms of the number of States which have listed them for nomination. Neither occupation is listed on the SOL and hence are not available for Skilled Independent applicants (subclass 189).

Hi Shanners Is Queensland your only option? You could consider expressing interest in nomination by any State and leaving your EOI active on the system. All EOIs evaporate after 2 years (if they haven't resulted in a successful application) irrespective of whether they are active or suspended.

You are wise to research this thoroughly before committing to a program to ensure that this is the best path for you. The normal path to obtain trade qualifications in Australia is via a formal apprenticeship where the apprentice, employer and training provider enter into a joint training contract which can last up to three to four years. Due to the length of the contract generally only existing permanent residents and citizens are eligible for such an apprenticeship. Alternatively you may be able to access a vocational Cert III program on a student visa in a limited range of occupations but in order to complete the work experience requirements of the Job Ready Program you may need to commit to a period of post-study work experience through a another visa (eg 485). Clearly obtaining an Australian qualification and corresponding work experience can contribute to your competitiveness in the skilled migration program but you need to look carefully at the overall costs, compared to obtaining your trade qualifications and experience in your home country.

This has perhaps been dealt with in a separate thread. Arrangements between employer and employee (457 holder) are impacted by both Migration Law and Industrial Law and hence it is in your interest to discuss this particular situation with a Registered Migration Agent.

It seems you need to hold AUD$45,000 in 'total liquidable assets' including AUD$15,000 in cash in bank. Liquidable assets include cash, term deposits, fixed term investments, net value of stocks and shares, and termination payments (paid out leave, pensions etc). Fixed assets such as property and equipment don't appear to be accepted for this purpose. Note also that Queensland has currently suspended (as of 1 August 2016) the processing of offshore skilled nominations until further notice. See http://migration.qld.gov.au/skilled-migration-queensland/outside-queensland-or-overseas/

There is a increasing backlog of applicants in occupational group 2613 (includes Software Engineers) see https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Work/Skil/3-august-2016-round-results and hence this group will be processed on a pro-rata basis. In other words it is in your interest to maximise your points score by obtaining 'Superior English' status if you can. IELTS is one path but there are alternatives which many applicants find more fruitful. It is possible to hold an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) at the same time as another visa but the ETA will be held 'out of effect' until the main visa expires. Is there not more advantage in holding visas sequentially rather than at the same time? You need to be offshore to lodge and be granted an ETA or first stage Working Holiday Visa (417). The 417 requires that you complete 88 days of 'specified' work in a regional location during your first year in order to apply for an extension into a second year. Software Engineering is not included in the list of specified work and hence if you work in your profession you would only be able to do so for 12 months maximum, with no more than 6 months working for any one employer. If you receive an invitation to lodge an application under the General Skilled Migration Program (eg 189/190) and you lodge your visa application while in Australia (while on any substantive visa such as the ETA or 417) you will be granted a Bridging A Visa (BVA) which will come into effect if your current visa expires before your 'skilled' visa application is finalised. If the BVA does come into effect it allows you to work completely unrestricted (anywhere, anytime and for whoever you like), otherwise while your original visa remains in effect you are bound by the conditions of that visa.

Normally only paid relevant work experience which was completed 'after graduation' would earn points as part of the Skillselect process therefore it is important to establish when graduation was achieved. Was it 10 years ago, or will it be in Sept 2016 when the last of the requirements of the Bachelors are due to be completed? An AACA assessment may provide advice on this. When was the applicant first registered as an Architect in their home country? Any architectural work completed since registration (during the last 10 years) could be considered relevant for the points test.

Yours is an interesting situation. The skills assessment authority for Architects (AACA) is best placed to make the judgment as to whether (and when) the qualification meets the requirement to be considered equivalent to an accredited Australian qualification. It would be worth doing some research on their website at http://www.aaca.org.au/overseas-qualifications-assessment/ before you invest in lodging a formal assessment application. Note that currently in Australia trained architects enter the profession with a MArch which is the culmination of 10 semesters (5 years) of full time study. If you go ahead with an assessment, and AACA accepts the Bachelor degree, but make a judgment that it wasn't completed until Sept 2016, then this has implications for the points awarded under the general points test for General Skilled Migration visas. Also note that currently Queensland have suspended the processing of offshore application for state nominated visas (eg 190 visa). See http://migration.qld.gov.au/

TRA (Trades Recognition Australia) provides skills assessments for Trade related occupations such as Motor Mechanic as discussed above, whereas Systems Analysts must obtain skills assessment from the ACS (Aust Computer Society). See the CSOL at https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Work/Work/Skills-assessment-and-assessing-authorities/skilled-occupations-lists/CSOL for relevant occupations and the associated skills assessment authority in each case.

State nomination/sponsorship is not applicable to 189 Skilled Independent visas and Midwife 254111 is an eligible occupation for 189 potential applicants. As to when Queensland may resume processing of State based EOI's it is impossible to tell. Note Queensland is currently experiencing an economic downturn. See https://www.stgeorge.com.au/content/dam/stg/downloads/report-centre/eco_reports/QLD%20Economic%20Outlook%20-%2023%20March%202016.pdf The Queensland downturn has been gestating for some time. Only time will tell as to how the demand for midwifery services in Cairns will be affected.