LeeHo

hmm but I've heard they are very anti-commuting whereas I'm desperate to commute to Australia ?

I sent you a contact via the form anyway

Hehe. Damn.. I was counting on questions on that in the assessment. I knew I should have been a sugar cane farmer... So do I have any options here?

OK, thanks I will

And finally (sorry for all the questions) what if I got assessed by VETASS as a physicist or mathematician? Surely then my PhD would count?however I've not done more than 6months further work as a "physicist".... Would this road be worth exploring however.

So I guess my question is. Is it even worth spending money on this? How much would it cost me to get to EOI stage as a rough estimate? Would I have any better chance if I found a job in Australia first? Or are there any other avenues worth exploring like the state sponsored visa? Would my qualifications and work be enough for that?

Also what if I just went to Australia on a tourist visa and landed a job in software. Would this help my chances at the independent visa or would I just remain on a visa tied to the job?

OK I'd be interested in talking to an agent to get some feedback if anyone could recommend a few reliable ones. It's very annoying that physics will likely be deemed not a relevant qualification to software, as so many physicists and mathematicians end up being highly sought after in that domain (often more so that comp Sci grads believe it or not). Sigh.

One other question. The ACS applications says: Does this mean I should scan my passport, print it then take it to a doctors or otherwise and have them stamp it, then scan that back in and create a PDF from it?

I submitted an assessment to PT labs, so thanks for that ? Another thing I should mention is that since I work as a freelancer, I'd be quite happy to relocate to Australia on a temporary/tourist visa over the next few months if that would help my case being physically there

Thanks, I guess I'd be willing to pay in the region of upto 4000aud. I would like to make sure I had a high chance of success before parting with that money however. I don't mind studying for and taking the IETLS or PTE if it's required. I guess my main questions now are if my unusual route is going to eligible (physics - > freelance/self-employed software developer) to scoop enough points.

Thanks for the fast reply. So without the exam I'd just get "competent" English for the UK passport, else I'd need to sit IETLS or an alternative to get superior? Thanks how much would this process typically cost with an agent? Just as a ballpark figure. I am indeed quite worried that all my qualifications (Bsc, Mphys, Phd) are all in Physics, and whilst there was a component of programming taught and I gained a lot of experience writing software, it still wasn't formally a computing course. It might be better in fact if I applied under Physicist/Mathematician for the purposes of assessment despite not working now in those areas. At least then I would get the education points presumably, despite losing the years working points.

Could anyone give me advice on the best way to proceed as I'm right at the beginning of this. My background is UK citizen, 33 years old, native English, PhD in Physics from UK university, 4 years self-employed/freelance software developer since graduating, so would probably apply under "Developer Programmer". The points test I took gave me 75 points (25 for age, 20 for English, 20 for education, 10 for skilled employment). I'd also be willing to consider state sponsored and other visa. Questions: 1) Given I've been working as a self-employed freelancer for the last 4 years with a variety of clients, would this still count as skilled employment? Would I have problems? Would I perhaps need to contact all my clients and get them to sign documents or some such? 2) Given I am born and raised in the UK and English is my native language, would I still need to have this officially certified with an assessment? 3) I presume if I want to work as a Software Developer in Aus, then I should submit assessment through https://www.acs.org.au? 4) Given my degrees are in Physics, not directly computing despite now working in it, would that be a problem? 5) Would I have a better chance of making this application through one of these immigration websites? (if so which?). Approximately what would the price difference be? Thanks for any help