LostInCuba

Has anyone gone from a Work and Holiday(462) or Working Holiday(417) to a 491 visa? I am thinking of going to South Australia and relief teaching on a 462 visa and then after about 6 months apply for the 491 visa. Has anyone had any success going from a Working Holiday visa to a more permanent visa option such as the 491? In case anyone is wondering, I have a master's degree in teaching and 3 years of teaching experience in the United States. Thank you for any assistance. 

Hello, I am wondering how the following scenarios would work if I were to get a 491 visa down the road. I chose these scenarios because I am interested in getting a 491 visa and would ideally like to end up in either Wollongong or the Gold Coast depending on what the situation is post-corona. 

1. If I got a 491 visa for NSW and lived in Wollongong but was unable to get a teaching job in the Illawarra region and took a permanent or some relief positions in South West Sydney, for example, the Campbelltown area but still lived in Wollongong. Would this be allowed on the visa?
2. A different scenario I was wondering was if you got a 491 visa for Queensland and lived on the Gold Coast but say there was an opportunity to teach in Tweed Heads right across the border in NSW, would you be able to take that position and still live on the Gold Coast in Queensland or would you need to both live and work in the same state.

Hey, I have posted about immigrating to Australia as a school teacher but I am worried about passing my medical. I have been cancer free for one year and wouldn’t apply until next year when I am going to hopefully 2 years in remission. I had heard that it can take 5 years of remission before you are approved but those posts are from years ago. I am wondering if anyone else has recovered from cancer treatment and was able to obtain an Australian visa. 

On 20/06/2020 at 23:06, Marisawright said:

It has been tricky for some time. Some states are now requiring a job offer, and the fact is that there is NO way you're going to get a job offer unless you're already registered to teach and already in the country.   So I'd say the WHV is definitely your best chance.

That seems to be what I am going towards. I have a question, if I am living in say Brisbane for example on my working holiday visa but I decide to apply for a 491 visa while I am there, am I allowed to do this since I am not living in a regional area of Australia. I know that if I get approved for the visa I would need to move to the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast for example but I am unsure if I have to already be living there when I apply? 

On 17/02/2020 at 22:28, rammygirl said:

To add a partner to a PR visa you need to meet the requirements and marriage alone is not enough, you need to show other evidence.

this is the basic detail

Partner documents

 

We need to see evidence of your partner's identity and relationship with you. 

Provide:

• identity documents and photos
• character documents
• marriage certificate, if applicable
• documents about other relationships, if applicable

For de facto relationship provide either:

• evidence that your relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory 
• enough documents to prove you have been in a de facto relationship with your partner for at least 12 months before you apply

For both married and de facto applicants you must provide evidence that you are in a genuine and continuing relationship. Evidence can include but is not limited to:

• joint bank account statements
• billing accounts in joint names
• joint leases or mortgages
• documents that show your partner has lived at the same address as you

 

Adding to the existing application will be quicker and cheaper than applying for a partner visa after the grant.  If you did not use an agent for the 190 this might be worth at least a consult to look at options. 
 

You must declare the marriage if it occurs before your visa grant anyway.

In my case we have been together for 5 years but do not currently live together or have joint accounts. Would we still classify as defacto partners? 

On 29/05/2020 at 10:09, AndyWooly said:

Hi all,

First time posting.

I have been preparing information to apply for either the 189/190 Visa. I would like to include my partner (girlfriend of 6 years) on my Visa. I may have to apply for the 189 so I wanted to see if I can claim the partner skills points.

I can see that I can gain points under 'Partner skills' in the points tables on the immi.homeaffairs website for both Visa classes:

5 points can be claimed if  - 

"Your spouse or de facto partner must also be an applicant for this visa and has competent English
For you to be eligible for the award of these points your partner must be an applicant for the same visa subclass and must not be an Australian permanent resident or an Australian citizen."

My question is on "your partner must be an applicant for the same visa subclass".

Do I get the points if I include a partner on my visa? or are they saying the points are awarded if she was doing her own/separate visa application for the same class?

 

I would also be interested to hear advice on if it is simple to include a partner when applying and who signs of that you are indeed 'defacto'?

Thanks in advance 

Andy

I have a similar question about what makes the relationship defacto. Me and my girlfriend have been together for 5 years and I am trying to figure out what we need so she can come over if I was to get a visa. 

1 hour ago, wrussell said:

Do not take migration advice from a party who is not a registered migration agent.

I’ve had friends go through this company before. Some knew people that got placement after. I would ideally like a permanent visa but it seems to be tricky for teachers at the moment.

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, that's exactly what I was suggesting.  However I'm a little surprised that there's an agency which can get you work as a teacher in Australia. Do they help you get your registration, too?  Even casual teachers must be registered. 

It is called Leading Out, they help Canadian and American teachers get placement as casual teachers in Melbourne. They look over my credentials and then I apply myself. 

8 minutes ago, PickledRic said:

Just with AITSL, the states don’t assess your teaching qualification, but they require you to have the certificate from AITSL. But before you lodge an EOI, provided you’re successful with AITSL, you need to check you meet the other specified criteria given by whichever state you’re applying to otherwise there’s no point lodging the EOI.

Great, thank you!

18 minutes ago, PickledRic said:

No, for the 491 Queensland you didn’t need a job offer they just wanted you to be registered with the QLD teaching board and have 3+ years of experience.

I think the starting point is getting your skills assessed and then consider your options from there as like others have said; each state has its own criteria so you’ll have to pick which ones you’re eligible for. 

Just to be clear, get my skills assessed with AITSL then with a state thereafter? Do you need the skills assessed by the state before an EOI or just with AITSL?

11 hours ago, Marisawright said:

There are two authorities that you need to check with.  Firstly, what is required by Immigration and secondly, what is required by the registration body in the state you're aiming for.  

If your qualifications aren't acceptable to Immigration, you can't get the visa.  If you can't get registered, you won't be allowed to teach. They are two completely separate things.

I'm not an expert on Immigration's requirements, but I know that many British teachers fail because in the English system, you're qualified to teach once you've completed a three-year degree, whereas Australia demands a four-year degree, including a minimum of 45 days supervised teaching practice.  

If you're aiming for Victoria, the registration body is the Victorian Institute of Teaching:

https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/

However, I did a quick Google, and Victoria is not accepting History teachers for a 190 visa.  You could get a 491 visa, but you'd need a job offer - which is another argument for getting a Working Holiday Visa.  You've got no chance of getting a job offer while you're overseas, but you could well get an offer once you're in Australia.   But like i said, first thing is to check your qualifications are acceptable.

 

Yes, I am aware of that at the moment. I am not planning to head over until next summer but I was just trying to get some ideas. I have taken your suggestion about a Working Holiday Visa. I am working with an organization that is helping me to get my skills assessed and they offer placement for working holiday workers as casual teachers in Victoria. They also said this is probably my best option as it gets my foot in the door and will allow me to possibly get a contract from one of the schools. I have also seen that Secondary Teacher goes on and off some states lists, so I will also keep my eye on that as well since I am not planning to go for at least a year. I have another question for you if you wouldn't mind answering. My fiance is a primary school teacher and she has 4 years of teaching experience. When Primary-Teacher got taken off of the Long-Term list, I figured I was our better option into Australia but that was before the change to the 189 visa. Do you think she would be better at obtaining a 491 if states open it up to Primary Teachers? 

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

I asked earlier but didn't get a response, so just want to check again.  Have you double-checked that your American teaching qualifications will be recognised, both for the purposes of migration and for teaching?  A lot of British teachers find that theirs aren't, even though our education systems are very similar.

Sorry I didn’t respond. I am in contact right now with the Victorian government about my qualifications. 

On 16/06/2020 at 02:17, PickledRic said:

I had 95 points for the 491 but I think Queensland made it clear they weren’t nominating based on points anyway, as long you have enough to apply they would consider it.

The current circumstances are rubbish for everyone but things will recover soon enough and I wouldn’t give up hope. Definitely make a start on getting your skills assessed etc. And then you can be ready to apply once the states open their programmes up again.

Happy to chat more if you want to send me a message

Thank you for sharing. I will be reaching out more as I get closer to applying. I have a further question, did you have a job offer when you applied? 

6 hours ago, starlight7 said:

I reckon if you really wants to get here in the end you will - just don't give up because the hurdles are many . Sometimes I think they are there just to test you and make sure it is really what you want, if you know what I mean. 

Thank you for the encouragement. I have been working towards this for a while now and it seems that when I’m getting close there is a change in policy or a personal event that pushes it back. 

7 hours ago, PickledRic said:

I got a 491 nomination from Queensland as a history teacher granted so it’s definitely possible, although I have over 5 years experience on my side so that helped points wise and their nomination criteria was for 3+ years at the time - I don’t think they cared so much about the topic I teach though.

Thanks for sharing. Would you mind telling me how many points you had and when you applied?

1 hour ago, starlight7 said:

Do you only teach history? What about English? You might have more chance with that, even ESL or something like that.

I am certified in Social Studies(Humanities) so I can teach History, Economics, Psychology, and Sociology. 

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

How old are you and where are you from?   If you are under 30, your best bet is to apply for a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) as soon as the current travel restrictions are lifted.  Then you can get a year (or possibly two) working in Australia.  If your qualifications are suitable and you can get registration, then you can work as a teacher while on the WHV, which would count towards getting Australian experience for a future visa. 

 

I was thinking about that since I am 25 and am an American. I would like a more permanent option though but I can’t be too picky. 

Hello, I am in a predicament on choosing the appropriate visa as a Secondary Teacher(History/. My goal is to get PR. I am open to doing a 491 visa because a 189 seems impossible with the 75 points I have. I’m open to any state that would sponsor me as it would give me 90 points. The concern I have is that I am lacking in terms of experience as I only have 2 years of teaching experience. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions what my best options are?