bigfishybob

My visa has just been granted! 75 points, IT Developer. submitted 02/08/17 info request 02/09/17 info supplied 20/09/17 visa granted 16/02/18 Good luck all! Regards BFB

I went with my family to this last year near Manchester. It wasn't cheap, particularly given that it was primarily migration agents advertising their services, and I found the content to be comparable to that which could be found with limited internet research. I certainly wouldn't recommend it, but perhaps others had a more positive experience... Regards BFB

I successfully completed mine last year, on mine I put both the Hours Worked and stated Full Time: with a note: My reading of the guidelines was that just stating Full Time or Part Time was sufficient. However, as per the previous post, I felt more comfortable stating both. https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/acs-skills/Skills Assessment Guidelines for Applicants - August 2017.pdf Relevant bits appear to be: • Hours worked - Full time or Part time –must be a minimum of 20 hours per week Full-time work is considered to be 20 hours or more per week and must be stated in the reference. Any experience that is less than 20 hours per week will not be considered in an assessment. Also, in the example they state: "Mr Bob was employed on a full time basis..." Regards BFB

Congratulations very similar dates to my own. Applied for visa on 2nd August 2017, submitted additional info on the 20th September 2017. Hopefully mine is on a similar to yours for the visa grant. Lots on here the home affairs site regarding Resident Return Visa: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa-1/155-#tab-content-0 Seems like there is a general expectation that you have lived in Australia for 2 of the 5 years, though there are noted exceptions. Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157) Features A Resident Return visa is a travel facility for: current Australian permanent residents some former Australian permanent residents some former Australian citizens. You will need a Resident Return visa if the travel facility on your current visa has expired (your first granted permanent visa has a 5 year travel facility) or is about to expire and you want to travel overseas and retain your permanent resident status. Departing Australia without a RRV may impact your permanent residency requirements for citizenship. Eligibility You must be: an Australian permanent resident a former permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled a former Australian citizen who lost or renounced your citizenship. Length of stay This is a permanent visa that has a travel facility of up to 5 years. Cost From AUD 365 The process You can apply online right now, without providing any documents and you may be granted automatically if: you are a permanent resident you have resided in Australia for a total of at least 2 years within the last 5 years your name and date of birth have not changed since grant of your last visa. You can still apply online if you have not resided in Australia for two years in the last five years or you have changed your personal details, however, you must attach your supporting documentation when you apply otherwise there will be delays. Or, read information about: eligibility criteria the visa, including what happens if you do not meet the 2 in 5 years residence requirement the steps to apply, including the documents you might need to provide. Eligibility Residence status You must be: an Australian permanent resident a former Australian permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled a former Australian citizen who lost or renounced their citizenship. Passport You must have a valid passport. Character You must meet our character requirement. Limitations You are not eligible for this visa if your last permanent visa was cancelled. We will not accept an application if you have received a notice that your permanent business visa might be cancelled. You should not apply for this visa if you hold: an Authority To Return (ATR) that was granted between 1 March 1976 and 31 August 1979 a Return Endorsement (RE) that was issued between September 1979 and 31 December 1986 a BF-111 Read the information at Authorities to Return and Return Endorsements. The visas What you can do Both the 155 and 157 visas are permanent visas. They let you undertake all of the activities that your original permanent visa let you undertake: stay in Australia indefinitely work and study in Australia enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the travel facility is valid apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible. How the visas differ The difference between the visas is the length of the travel facility: Subclass 155 - up to five years from the date of grant Subclass 157 - 3 months from date of grant. Which visa you will get The visa you are granted depends on the information you provide in your application. Subclass 155 visa Subclass 157 visa Cost AUD365. If you apply on paper, you need to pay an additional AUD80. While they usually do not occur, if there are any additional costs associated with this visa, you are responsible for them. Location If you are in Australia and the travel facility on your current visa has, or is, about to expire, you need to apply for, an RRV before you leave Australia. You may depart Australia without your resident return visa application being finalised however please ensure you have a re-entry visa to return to Australia. You can apply for the visa outside Australia, but it must be granted before you enter Australia. How long the visas last The subclass 155 and 157 visas are permanent visas, however, this does not mean that the visa always lasts indefinitely. If you do not travel outside Australia the visa lasts indefinitely (it does not end) and you will not become unlawful when the travel facility ends If you do travel outside Australia after the travel facility on the visa ends, the visa will end when you leave Australia. So it is best to apply for another Resident Return visa before you leave Australia. You can also apply from overseas. How long the travel facility lasts The length of the travel facility attached to your visa depends on information in your application and the visa subclass you are granted. What to do when the travel facility ends. There is important information for New Zealand passport holders. Family You cannot include family members in your application. Each family member must complete their own application. Your obligations You and your family members must comply with Australian laws. Regards BFB

I think the list of the e-medical locations are on here: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/lega/lega/help/location/united-kingdom

I think this is the form 80 link: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Forms/Documents/80.pdf

Getting the paperwork together is a big part of the preparation, also getting all the relevant documents certified (not all required certification, but I got them all certified anyway). These are the documents I supplied on Immi Account. Proof of Identity: Birth Certificates Drivers Licences Marriage Certificate Passport Qualifications: Degree Transcripts (I went to the Universities website for these as I didn't retain a copy of them, charged service) Language Ability: IELTS certificate Travel Document Passport Work Experience - Overseas, Evidence of Work Reference Skills Assessment Skills Assessment Character, evidence of Form 80 Police Clearance Certificate Health Assessment e-Medical (no documents, direct access to data) I would suggest looking through Form 80, lots of fun here (amongst other items): Travel Movements for the last 10 years! Employment history Education history Police checks can be done very quick with the express service. Arranging a suitable date for the medical can be challenging as we all had to take time off school/work to attend this, also expensive (~£900). If you want to submit everything all at once, then make sure you have everything else lined up for completion to coincide with completion of the medical. We couldn't arrange to do this until we had completed the skills assessment and didn't know how long the skills assessment would take. Similarly for the EOI. In retrospect, I would have frontloaded all documents and booked Medicals at point of completion of EOI. Good luck! Regards BFB

Excellent info, many thanks for this. Regards BFB

Correction: Each ward has a Senior Sister in charge and each Senior Sister has 2 Sisters working under them on the ward. So, the following seems accurate: NUM = Senior Sister ANUM = Sister ??? = Matron Regards

I think in the hospital my wife works at, they have Matrons who are typically in charge of one area i.e Respiratory / Medical Assessment Unit etc... Each of these areas will then have a number of wards (3-4), with a Sister in charge of each of the wards. Presumably a senior sister would oversee multiple sisters (less clear on this point)... You also then have a Nurse Director overseeing multiple Matrons (and Deputy Nurse Director assisting them). I've attached wiki's breakdown of Nursing Roles in the UK, annoyingly I can't see an equivalent for Nursing in Australia. Though based on what you've said maybe: NUM = Senior Sister ANUM = Sister OR NUM = Sister ANUM = ? (assistant to sister?) Doesn't appear to show any layers of management between NUMs and Nursing Director? (Maybe one can draw the conclusion that there are too many layers of management in the UK or just that different systems, different ways of operating) Thanks again for your time, much appreciated. Nursing Roles[edit] For more information, see Registered Nurse. Traditionally, on completion of training, nurses would be employed on a hospital ward, and work as staff nurses. The ward hierarchy consists of: Staff Nurses/General Nurse/Staffer of Nursing – the first grade of qualified nursing staff. These nurses are responsible for a set group of patients (e.g. administering medications, assessing, venepuncture, wound care and other clinical duties). Under Agenda for Change they attract a Band 5 salary but sometimes a Band 6 salary. Senior staff nurses/Staffer Manager – these nurses carry out many of the same tasks, but are more senior and more experienced than the staff nurses. Many NHS Trusts do not have Senior Staff Nurses as the role is seen to be superfluous. Junior/Deputy Ward Sister; Charge Nurse; Deputy Ward Manager – responsible for the day-to-day running of the ward, and may also carry specific responsibilities for the overall running of the ward (e.g. rostering) in accordance with the wishes of the ward manager. These nurses are assigned band 6. In some NHS Trusts, these will be known as Sisters/Charge Nurses. Ward Manager/Ward Sister/Charge Nurse/Nurse Manager/Clinical Ward Nurse Lead – this nurse is responsible for running a ward or unit, and usually has budgetary control. He/she will employ staff, and be responsible for all the local management (e.g. rostering, approving pay claims, purchasing equipment, delegation duties or tasks). These nurses are band 7. They are generally Senior Staff Nurses or Charge Nurses as well. Senior Ward Sister; Senior Charge Nurse; Senior Ward Manager – if there is a need to employ several nurses at a ward manager level (e.g. in A&E), then one of them often acts as the senior ward manager. These nurses attract a banding anywhere between 7 and 8c.

Applying for 189 on my visa (IT Developer). As the skills assessment looked less intimidating for my job type. Though still have AHPRA to do, which could take a while.

Here is the link in case the document did not embed properly: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/441443/nurses-midwives-wagerates.pdf

Many thanks both. This is the document I’ve been looking at, which makes reference to Grades and also roles such as Associate Nurse Unit Manager and Nurse Unit Manager. Which seem like similar sorts of roles to Sister/Matron, but I have no idea to be honest:

For clarification, I only recall seeing this following a request for further information. As I recall, in the letter emailed with the info request, they said to email to notify that info has been provided. Though following the email I then received an automated “please don’t email us” type message. I think it also said that after 28 days the application would proceed in its current state.

Thanks for this. I'm expecting she will have to take a step back to learn the ropes, which doesn't seem unreasonable, generally more straightforward to find and apply for jobs internally also. Do you know what the equivalent roles are? i.e. Sister = ?, Senior Sister = ?, Matron = ? (broad speaking)

Hi All, Is anyone aware of what the equivalent roles are in Aus for Sister, Senior Sister, Matron? Are the roles/responsibilities broadly comparable or does it work a bit differently? Has anyone moved from the UK into one of these sorts of roles in Australia? Or is there generally an expectation that you would find a job as a nurse first, then work your way up? I would be interested in anyone's experience of either stepping down and working their way back up or moving directly into a more senior role, and how they found the transition. We're planning on visiting Brisbane/SC/GC in May and were hoping to visit a couple of hospitals, with a view to meeting someone to discuss what it's like working at the hospital and what sort of vacancies they currently have. Planning on contacting HR and seeing if this is feasible/practical. Has anyone else done this? In terms of searching for available roles, how do people generally go about this? Contact hospitals directly, searching online, applying through agencies? Did anyone managed to secure a role prior to moving out? I'm asking on behalf of my wife, but I'm very interested to hear how it works too, as I've done a fair amount of searching and it doesn't seem entirely clear. Apologies, lots of questions, any info/experiences greatly appreciated! Regards BFB

My understanding is that this is based on general recent processing times, as such unlikely to adjust for time spent waiting for info. Clearly the number of information requests and period spent awaiting this information is going to vary from case to case, and is likely to be averaged out in this statistic, with at one extreme those who have front loaded documents (no info requests) and at the other extreme, those who require multiple information request. Also, this means 75% are processed within 5 months and 90% are processed within 8 months, rather than 100% being processed with 5 to 8 months. This may well change again next month. So, in my opinion only, likely to be from first lodgement. Regards BFB

After you log into immi account, select view details and it should be there as per the attached. Note also processing time appears to have gone back down from 6 to 10 month to 5 to 8 months. Regards BFB

Judging by quite a few similar threads, there are a fair few in a similar situation... We applied in August, supplied additional docs in September, 75 points. Not planning on moving out straight away, too much still left to organise. However, we were planning to validate our visa during a planned excursion in May. So, it would be disappointing and expensive, to have to fly the whole family out again if the visa isn't granted in time. In this scenario, I expect we'd have to fly out by mid-September, which is when we got our police checks. Also, my wife has to do an AHPRA application, which sounds like it could take 3-6 months to process and she would have to fly out shortly after completion of this (if we can't arrange to move out together at this point). Hard to plan for this as we don't know how long it will take. I'm expecting 6-8 months for visa grant, which would work for us both. But that's a pure guestimate based on other peoples stated completion times and factoring in known delays. I'm still not clear on what initial entry date you would be given if the visa takes close to or more than 12 months to complete (i.e. you've passed the 12 months post police/medical checks), presumably they give you a period of at least 6-12 weeks to fly out to validate. Perhaps an unlikely scenario... Good luck! Regards BFB

Hi all, First post, but long time reader of the forum... Submitted my visa application (IT Developer) on the second of August, with my wife (nurse) and 2 boys (5&7) coming under my visa application. We didn't use an agent. CO assigned after a couple of weeks, request for form 80 and medical/police checks on the second of September, which we sorted in a couple of weeks. I've been checking for progress in a fairly obsessive way, daily initially, but I've managed to get a grip and have this cut down to checking once every 1-2 weeks. I don't think there was initially an estimated processing time, but I think last month it started showing as 3-5 months, which has this month doubled to 6-10 months. Planning on heading out mid may to scope out the area, never been to Australia before, but all looks great and in need of a change after 16 years in the same job and living in the same city. Leaning towards Brisbane, Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast, depending on availability of suitable work. I was hoping to validate our visa as part of this trip, which gave us about 9.5 months to get the visa sorted. If it takes longer then it sounds like we would have to all fly out again before September (12 months from police check) to validate our visas. If my understanding is correct (?), it seems like you could end up getting a fairly small window of opportunity to validate your visa if your visa processing time is long. Probably unduly concerned, anyone else in a similar boat? Despite being in a fairly advance position on the visa front, we don't appear to be particularly close to moving out. My wife is definitely viewing the trip out as prerequisite to any ultimate decision to move out, whereas I'm more inclined to just go for it as we won't really know what it's like until we've lived there for a while, all being well she would then start her AHPRA application after the trip and we can then start looking for jobs. It seems like she will find it easier to find a job initially, so hopefully we can find her a job first and I will try and get whatever work I can (may have to retrain in another IT field, depending on availability of jobs). In my ignorance, I initially thought there might be some sort of assistance/incentivisation/headhunting for these in-demand occupations by states/employers, so you might get to a point (prior to going) where you have a reasonable idea of where you could live, what job you'd be doing and what you'd be earning (as per Wanted Down Under). In retrospect, it seems like you really have to commit completely in terms of paying for emigration, quitting jobs, selling up, moving out and finding a job when you are out there. I'm fully prepared to do this, but it's been quite an eye-opener and I can understand people having reservations and anxiety about the whole process. Massive respect to all who have been through this, whether it's worked out or not. Anyway good luck all, I'll let you know if and when I get my visa. Thanks all for your posts, v. informative. BFB