Jim911

I think I already know the answer to this, that being that it is not a problem, but can you leave and re-enter Australia while you have a valid working holiday visa? We are looking at a possible trip to Indonesia while we are here. I am fairly confident you can, but I'd rather check. Thank you.

I appreciate you have been here a long time (at least, judging by your post count) but I'd love to know why you think you are in a position to be able to make broad sweeping statements like this? Having spent time in and around this forum it seems half populated with negative, bitter toads looking down their noses at people for either seeking a route into their beloved adopted country, instead of offering meaningful, factual advice. Yes, international study is often flogged as a route to PR, there are even organisations and businesses who will kindly take care of your application, your visa, and just about everything you need to get started, all free of charge. Obviously it is not free in reality, I am under the assumption these education institutes such as TAFE pay a sort of commission for these students who are paying hefty figures. i.e $7500 per semester, x4, plus fees. I personally know people who have successfully gained PR through completing two years of study, due to a combination of the graduate scheme and managing to successfully be "in the right place, with the right trade, at the right time". BUT it is expensive, there are simply no guarantees, and I would not even attempt it with a family to support or no fall backs. Even in an ideal scenario, I'd prepare to go in with the mindset that there will be no outcome beyond qualification, enjoy the course and continue to work along side your studies. Even if you do study say, carpentry, complete your two years, even complete your 18 months graduate visa, you have to be prepared to lodge a full application with all the associated risks and costs. Begging the question of whether it was even worth studying internationally in the first place as opposed to studying in the UK for example, where it is significantly cheaper. My partner has considered doing her masters degree here, but the costs are phenomenal. We are fortunate enough to have a permanent home with family while we are here (WHV), have significant savings and no children. But even then it is looking extremely likely we will not bother. In short, can you get PR from TAFE? Yes. Will you? Probably not. Is it worth $30k to roll the dice, condemn yourselves to 24 months of short working hours, being skint and trying to play the mysterious game that is the Australia migration system? If you think so, go for it.

Hello all, Can anyone surmise what is needed in terms of documentation/processes in order to buy a vehicle in WA on a WHV? I just want to ensure we can purchase one immediately and wondered if I would need to apply for anything in advance or whether it is simply a case of transferring the rego. I have been told you need a CRN number, but then subsequently told this was incorrect on a WHV. It will likely be a private buy. We will have an address straight away as my in laws have PR and a house. It will be WA. Thank you!

With PetAir Gold, I'm up to about £3,800 including quarantine. (She is actually there now.) Agents do take a lot of stress away, but it is still a lengthy, stressful process. We started in January. Worth every penny to us.

Me and partner applied for WHV earlier this year. Hers was done and approved within 4 minutes (I am not joking, I can show you the time stamps) Mine took a little over a week. So it may vary. Hope this helps a bit.

To be honest we wanted to go down the agency route, just mainly for the support and expertise. We did flirt with just submitting an EOI ourselves but we really do not want to do anything wrong or put an application in jeopardy. We are in contact with one at the moment. Re: re-training. You're completely correct, it would only be something positive for us going forward whichever country we end up in. Getting a PGCE and teaching sign language for example is something she has always wanted to do. Is there a way to see which regions/states are requiring which occupations from the short term list?

Thanks for the replies everyone, I will try and clarify a few things. I am being a bit unfair to them by saying they were dismissive; the initial contact was fairly brief and I just got a sense of them wanting us to pay to get anywhere, even if it was just an assessment. They certainly didn't say we didn't stand a chance. The early conversations with the second group were really positive and they even suggested a few occupations that were a very close fit. Hi Alan, There are 2-3 occupations that sit very closely related to my partners current occupation; just how interchangeable do they need to be? While she works very closely and supports social workers, she is more administration and or project support (but with much more to it) Welfare worker was one of the ones suggested as was Community Worker and Project Administrator. I don't think anything on the Skilled list would qualify, at least not without a bit of imagination but definitely the short term list. Would this mean regional sponsorship? This would be a great route, but as above. I will have a look at the occupation descriptions and go from there. I think the first stage is identifying an occupation she feels confident with. I've had roughly 5 years in hospitality management and 2 years in Sales (just starting a new sales role this month) so could also relatively easily pick off the Short Term List. I will say we observed their process from start to finish and we have no misconceptions about how difficult it can be, but we are very keen and would happily re-train if need be. Certainly not expecting a free pass! :-) Thank you for the help so far.

Hello all, I have come here for advice, as we are struggling to comprehend a lot of the information we are coming across, as well as trying to make sense of the myriad of options available to us. I will give a bit of a back story and if any body with experience can try and explain our potential options for emigration, that would be ideal. My partners parents emigrated in 2015, on a regional skilled visa (I believe) to a suburb an hour from Perth. They have (last month) been granted residency and have bought a house. We are hoping to follow within the next 2-3 years, ideally sooner if possible. I have looked at various options and we are still perplexed as to which route to take. As she is the one with a degree and close family already there we will be going on her visa. I will give you a brief run down of where we stand. Partner Age 25 - Has BSc Hons Degree in Health & Community Studies (several A Levels and has British Sign Language to a level 3, is due to start an NVQ this year also) She has worked for our local council since graduation for family support as a Project Support Officer (family welfare, looked after children etc) I myself have nothing higher than NVQ/A Level/BTEC Diploma, have done a combination of hospitality and sales but do have various City & Guilds in welding/fabrication. (from a few years ago) I think mainly we are wondering if having her parents as residents is going to be of any substantial advantage to us; I have seen family visa and sponsorship but getting my head around it is difficult and have heard conflicting stories. We did contact an agent who was very unhelpful and said we would struggle as my partners occupation wasn't on the skilled list and seemed very dismissive. Another agency seemed more upbeat about being able to secure a regional visa in either the northern territorys or the south. Ideally we wouldn't want to spend another two years away from family but if that is the only option it is something we are happy to do. Would appreciate any help and or guidance. Thank you!