Hey everyone,
I hope that you all are safe and well at this time. I have a visa question that I'm hoping those of you with some experience may be able to help me with.
I'm hoping to apply for a 189 visa to Australia using either the life scientist (general) or university lecturer code. I've been fortunate enough to complete a PhD in Australia, which gives me a number of points towards my application. However, for the VETASSES skills assessment, I require 1-y experience post qualification. The catch that I'm forseeing is that I started a full-time post-doc 7 months before my PhD certificate was issued, and so I'm assuming that that time will not be counted towards my experience. Unfortunately, this leaves me with only 4 months remaining experience and pushes my EOI submission timeline back considerably. I'm anxious to apply soon, as I will turn 33 in March 2021 and lose 5 points.
So, my question is, is it possible for me to apply for my VETASSES skills assessment and 1-y experience using either my undergraduate or masters degrees (achieved in the UK) but still be able to count my Australian PhD towards my visa points?
Many thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Cheers,
Heather