armada

Midwife onshore on a TSS, lodged ROI for Victoria in November 2021, not yet been invited. Was told to expect response in 2-8 weeks.....but it's been 3 months! And nothing  

3 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

It provides clarity if nothing else as any American will tell you in what the individual can do without censure by authorities.  I

I have relatives in several states across America, I see how they live their lives, I wouldn't swap with them for anything. And they are supposedly the "fortunate" ones with well-paying jobs that provide health insurance.

2 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

But Australians (or some) claim that Australia is an egalitarian country with UK having the class system. (some Poms as well) No some countries have a Bill of Rights ensuring the elites do not run rough shot over the rest. This is not a case the world over. Giving a damn, some folk maybe. In my location though more about enriching selves and self preservation. Although I admit appearances may be suggestive of otherwise. 

Not sure the Bill of Rights is providing that much protection in the US...

2 hours ago, beketamun said:

I agree with that, and the old "Aussie Labor is very different to UK Labour"...it's possibly more of a right wing, self-provisioning, personally responsible society in Australia and we have some of the richest, greediest people in the world living here, but haven't yet gone down the more self-destructive and extreme route that's made the UK run off the rails. 

I still cannot work out why facilities, protections and provisioning here is so much better, and people in a rightish society insist on these public facilities.....that is the opposite trend of the UK local authority areas where they've just bred people full of spitefulness and incessant complaints, almost enjoying closing down facilities that bettered them as a nation because they no longer care and can't be bothered if they think it will cost a penny.  When you get to the point about complaining about bin collections and start dumping your rubbish in the street, you're going more 3rd world with regards to personal pride than in the opposite direction.

I've just spend 20 minutes comparing neighbourhood dog parks here for what they offer, they have toilets, swimming ponds, free doggie bags, bins, segregation, some of these run zones are hectares, they get reseeded every year, shade sails for your bloody dog to go under, cold water taps in all corners, free bowls....and one has light sensors so you can go 24 hours a day and it opens up for an individual.  Nobody smashes them up, breaks bottles, sets fire to them.  Things like that make it worth living here, it's the quality and pride.

Hit the nail on the head. Australia's politics may still be dominated by the elites, as they are the world over, but the Aussie public generally (in my city at least), still seem to give a damn about each other and the space they inhabit. 

18 hours ago, Ruth1 said:

Thanks everyone for your helpful and considered replies. To answer some questions, I was a student at university whilst in Aus previously, so my experience was probably somewhere in the middle between mundanity of work and the carefree life of a backpacker..

I work in healthcare, and my job in the NHS has changed beyond recognition since the pandemic hit. We have been working harder than ever, which is fine, but have been treated pretty badly in my opinion, so genuinely do think the prospects in Aus would be better. Also, I hate to say this, but seeing the state the NHS is in makes me worry for if myself or my husband ever needed medical care and I know the healthcare system in Aus ia one of the best in the world. My job would be on a temporary 482 visa but costs are covered..

Finally, its just me and my hubby, no kids which undoubtedly makes the decision easier. He is up for it, even though it is my dream really, as he is feeling a bit bored with his work atm.

I think the idea of treating it like a sabbatical is a good one.. Nothing to lose by trying it then (except perhaps a bit of money)

Hi Ruth, just a bit of positive encouragement - myself, my husband and my pre-school child moved here in September 2021 and are loving it. Despite it being a long-held dream of mine, we still had reservations up until we got out of quarantine! But the alternative was to raise a family in a society that continues to vote in right-wing disaster capitalists who are hell-bent on dismantling anything that does not enrich them. Australia may have it's own issues in this regard but it doesn't suffer from a class system like in the UK and is all the better for it. 

I also work in healthcare and the pay and conditions at my particular hospital you could only dream of back home in the UK. It's not perfect, but relative to the NHS astonishingly good. At least I feel like I am being appropriately compensated for my time and expertise and treated like a human being rather than some kind of automaton. My husband is not medical but he got a job pretty easily before we left and got a 20% pay rise for less work. I have seen my pay nearly double. We are also on a 482 as this move has been a dream of mine for a long time and the only way we could move forward with it during covid was to get onshore. So here we are! None of our costs were covered so if yours are, what are you waiting for!? Certain things are more expensive when you don't have PR, like childcare (that you won't have to consider), and not being able to raise bank loans or enter into novated leases so having to rent a banger for a grand a month! Rent is comparable or a bit more expensive but the standard of build here is better. And you can definitely build for cheaper than in the UK. Depends where you want to live. Overall we are more comfortable than in the UK. And for us, with a young child, the amenities just on your doorstep are world class and would cancel out any drop in salary. We rarely sit around at home flicking through netflix, even with covid there is so much more to do than in the UK. We kept our property on in the UK 'just in case', and we have family in the UK that we miss but we have no intention of going back if we can help it! I think having some friends and family here already has helped us to settle but people are out and about, things are happening, there is scope to meet people. I just think Aussies have had such an incredible lifestyle here for so long that their "terrible" is pretty good! It's all relative

Hello, wondering if someone at PIO can provide clarity - I commenced a healthcare job in September on a 482. At the time it was a requirement to work full-time (38 hours a week) and to earn above a certain threshold. Since then, it appears that the requirement to work full-time has been removed, as long as your salary doesn't drop below the threshold set for a 482 visa. This has not been explicitly announced, so much as quietly removed from the T&Cs... Just wanting to know if I could reduce my hours as long as I still earn the same hourly rate and don't drop below the salary threshold? I cannot find anything on anything on a gov immi site that mentions working full-time. Thanks to anyone who can help!

Just jumping on this thread - not a nurse but a midwife and only submitted our ROI for VIC last week. Been onshore since September on the TSS. Hoping we get an invite soon as not having PR makes life here extremely expensive!! But some of my colleagues have been here for several years on various visas and are still waiting for an invite since submitting their ROI in March/April this year! Also, I only have 80 points, which doesn't seem to count for much in the latest round of invitations as 85 has been the lowest score for invites for health professionals in VIC.

7 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

This is of course all academic.

You first need to find someone who would employ your OH

Next, you need to highlight your needs to have them assign working rights to your regional area

Next, you need their legal team to craft a contract that categorically states this

 

I'd imagine you could easily find someone who'd employ you, the majority of these would probably say they are happy to write whatever in the contract, only after accepting the offer will you run up against HR/Legal and they won't normally be as accomodating. 

 

Every company will be different, so there will be no size fits all answer to this question (it has been asked many times on this forum - including by myself, and it's why I went for the 190 rather than the (as it was then) 489)

All helpful points and kind of leads us back to where we started, going for a 190 but not in WA as they only offer this to midwives for regional work. Ho hum.

4 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

I do something not a million miles dissimilar to what I suspect your OH does, that being said whilst I almsot never work outside my home I am still technically employed in the City, it is what the contract says not the actual working patterns that govern regional working in AUS

 

This of course works in reverse also. He could therefore work for a local data science company but be deployed to a client contract in the City, so long as this was not a permanent move and he was still employed by the local company the fact he went to work in the City would not mean he was no longer a regional employee

So if a large multinational was headquartered outside of WA, but they had a satellite office somewhere in WA (e.g. Perth) - if the contract of employment stated that your primary place of work was your home address (e.g. in regional WA) would this be considered a violation of the 491 visa? In this instance you would be whole invested in regional WA, living there, spending money in the local economy, but just had an employer out of the area? 

1 hour ago, Ausvisitor said:

Even in the UK during COVID a worker in Milton Keynes that used to commute to London to do the job and is now doing it from home is still employed in the city.

It would require a massive rewrite of contracts to make them "regional" employees.

Remember that as soon as they say you have to work from home contractually they become liable to paying expenses when you need to go to the office and providing "office level" kit for your home and "office-level" Comms.

Whilst it remains an allowance and not a requirement the above expenses aren't required.

 

 

Yeah even before Covid he was working from home a lot and had been given the equipment to do this and now he has just changed jobs they have couriered all his equipment to him so I think it's pretty standard for what he does

58 minutes ago, ramot said:

The Sunshine Coast is a regional area, but sadly as far as I know according to a midwife friend of mine many positions  are casual with not that many permanent positions. 
It’s a lovely place to live, so might be worth a try looking for a position.

Good luck

 

Yes this is the impression I have been getting across the board really. My husband would be the main breadwinner once we emigrated so moving somewhere he can work is most important but we put me down as the main applicant as I am in healthcare, which seems to carry greater weight atm

1 minute ago, Ausvisitor said:

Yes - whilst you are the main applicant, you will end up with two visas (and any kid visas) that are essentially the same as if you had applied separately.

You will both be bound to the same regional restrictions

Otherwise every IT consultant on the planet would be getting together with a nurse/doctor/midwife etc to get a visa for (e.g.) the Kimberley's on the healthcare workers application and then just go work in Sydney or Perth anyway

 

So I'm guessing a 190 is our only way to go really. 189 seems impossible...

Thanks for pointing this out to me!

I just checked the immi website and it seems they are restricted to the same regional conditions

1 minute ago, Ausvisitor said:

Be very careful here...

A job offer from a Perth company that **allows** you to work from home (and home is a regional area) does not qualify as regional working - the job is still based in the city you have chosen to do it at home

However working for a company based in Perth from home in a role that **requires** you to be based in a regional area would qualify. However I don't know many companies that would tie themselves up in this sort of contractual construct

 

Ah ok, thanks. As a midwife I am the main visa applicant so the plan would be for us to live and work near a regional maternity hospital so that I am living and working regionally. Would my spouse on my regional 491 visa be held to the same restrictions as me? We have a migration agent but not due to talk to her until next week...

Just now, Drumbeat said:

I've posted a link to the WA Country Health Service careers site http://www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au/index.php?id=nursing

Thanks Drumbeat  I sent my CV and an expression of interest to them yesterday as they are actively recruiting midwives for regional WA. However, I'm not sure how desperate they are to consider recruiting from offshore. I thought someone on the inside might be able to give a little more insight into this...

As it stands, I will PIP as and when the borders open enough to allow me to do so. I applied for a travel exemption  to PIP last year but was rejected as non-urgent. So AHPRA just keep extending it. The NZ work around would be to avoid presenting in person at all, but I'm not at that stage yet. if AHPRA at any point said they will not extend it, and I was not physically able to get into the country to PIP, then I would apply to NZ. But I think it would pretty unreasonable of them to do this.

1 hour ago, Dusty Plains said:

Agreed. The "new" Busselton Hospital is excellent. SIL Doctor works there and he has nothing but praise for the institution.

Do you think your SIL might have any contacts at the hospital who I could speak to about work opportunities? 

Wow, so much helpful advice  Thanks for all your responses. I think we're slowly swinging back round to the idea that we could make it work in WA if we got the right area. My hubby already has a work contact in Perth so he's going to explore options for remote working or flexible hours. Since Covid there has been a huge shift to remote working in the UK that looks to be permanent. His current job is now 95% remote so if a company in WA would allow him to do that then we could easily live by a regional hospital in the South West. After a year of making no material progress on our visa application and getting very despondent, we're actually feeling some glimmers of hope, so thanks everyone!!

Thanks for that advice Cal, I'll check these out and see what the deal is. Our first hope was Western Australia but the thought of being sent to work in the Kimberley for 2 years really put a dampener on things! We're prepared to stay somewhere less than ideal initially just to get the in country but we don't want to compromise so much that we end up shooting ourselves in the foot.

Thanks for getting in touch

Re English, definitely do Pearson over IETLS. Pearson is all computer based, so fairer than the IETLS where it is up to the discretion of the person examining you. Our migration agent said that in 10 years she has not known anyone doing the IELTS to pass it first time. Much better prospects with Pearson. Sign up for E2 language online course to prep for Pearson. You get online video classes and can do mock exams to boost your confidence. Both myself and hubby did this and both got 90s across the board. You do have to work for it but once you figure out the formula for each section you'll be fine. We each did about 2-3 weeks prep. We are native speakers mind and have no strong accent. I believe a Liverpudlian recently failed on speaking...so guess there are downsides to computer algorithms.

Hi everyone,

I wonder if anyone has any insight into this for me? I'm a UK midwife qualified 2018 and have 75 points for 190/189 with my data scientist husband as a skilled partner. I am the main applicant (37 yrs old). Proper regional/outback work assignments are out of the questions as we have an 18 month old daughter so need and want to be by a city/suburban infrastructure, schools etc.

Perth is off our list as it only considers 190s for midwives OUTSIDE of Mandurrah and Perth.

Melbourne/Victoria I have family there (great uncle/aunt, cousins) but I didn't fall in love with it when I visited and the climate is not really what we're looking for.

NSW seems prohibitively expensive in the areas that we'd find work (Sydney) so that is also not a great option.

We have plumped for Queensland on our EOI as it seems to have the right balance of climate/affordability and my hubby says he has seen lots of jobs there for him but then I keep reading that midwife jobs are few and far between because this state is so popular. I've recently started to wonder if SA would be a better fit? We have a migration agent who has been great but she can't really help with choosing a state, especially in times of covid....any ideas anyone?

On 19/01/2021 at 00:17, DrDougster said:

Used to ride around there a fair bit - I lived out in Staunton in the Vale for a while. I went to med school in Nottingham back in the last century before it got too many guns! Plastic surgeon who taught me got stabbed by a former work colleague a couple of days ago after a longstanding work dispute - the guy broke into his family home in Hallam with a jerrycan and a knife at 4am ffs!

I work with the daughter of his friend! He's recovering thank god, but total madness. The perpetrator has got more than the original dispute to worry about now....

Maybe they changed the requirements? https://www.midwiferycouncil.health.nz/Public/Midwifery-in-Aotearoa--New-Zealand/I-want-to-be-a-midwife-in-Aotearoa--New-Zealand/I-am-an-overseas-registered-midwife/Public/07.-I-want-to-be-a-midwife-Aotearoa--New-Zealand/3.-I-am-an-overseas-registered-midwife.aspx?hkey=0f011b71-e56b-496f-b89f-9cfde0cd0b7d

On 02/02/2021 at 14:36, girlwander said:

My assessment with APHRA has now completed (after 5 months). They have emailed me to say instead of presenting in person within 90 days (April 2021) they are extending this to August 2021. I am in the UK currently, I very much doubt that I will be able to enter Australia before August as I am not PR or citizen (trying to obtain a visa but different now as off shore). Has anyone else been overseas and got round this present in person due to the current pandemic restrictions? Or had a further extension? Thank you

Nope, in the same situation. I have been having my AHPRA PIP extended since August 2020. They just extended it again until July 2021. At the time of lodging my AHPRA application I didn't have enough practice hours to register in NZ but now I do. If you register as a midwife in NZ then you can exploit the Trans Tasman Agreement to get registration as a midwife in Australia as well. Its a few hundred quid max for the NZ registration, less than a return flight to Oz. I know a nurse from India who did this, presented her NZ reg to AHPRA and they sent her her registration in the post!! No presenting in person required.