sonofthesoil Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Here is a rundown of events, I am one of those people who were still on a student visa during the time of the 8 February 2010 announcement. I finished uni in July 2010, and applied for a Subclass 485, which was granted in Nov 2011. I had a Skills Assessment with ACS (2231-79) Computing Proffessional (nec). Then managed to secure a job this year in April as a Service Desk Analyst. The primary aim of having a Subclass 485, as the gvt put it, was so that those who did not qualify for an 885 or 886, would use that opportunity to either find employment or do a Professional Year. My main hurdle is that that the ACS does not consider someone in my position to apply for Skills Assessment as an ICT Support Officer (313112), and at the same time, TRA, which is the assessing authority, requires applicants to posses 3 years work experience, of which 12 months would have been prior to applying for Skills Assessment. My current employer has expressed interest in trying to sponsor me through Subclass 186 or 457, but the Skills Assessment pre-requisite is what is giving me nightmares. I dont know what would be expected of me, if I am on a visa that allows me to spend at least a year gaining work experience, yet when it comes to applying for a subsequent visa, the bar is set so high, you can only but wonder whether 485 was meant to be the end of the road. Any ideas on alternative pathway, would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 You don't typically need skills assessment for a 457 visa. If you have a willing sponsor and your occupation is on the list, then this seems like a good path for you to pursue for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofthesoil Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 You don't typically need skills assessment for a 457 visa. If you have a willing sponsor and your occupation is on the list, then this seems like a good path for you to pursue for now. Thanks Rupert, if I may seek clarification, considering that the skill I would like to nominate, is on the CSOL, I only need to mention it (in this case, 313112 for ICT Customer Support Officer), but do not have to through the Skills Assessment process with the TRA? Sorry if this seems like a silly question :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I am rather confused. Who is your assessing body? I would be surprised if it was tra as they do trades. If it is them then they have the job ready programme for recent graduates. And think yourself lucky. My job was taken off the list totally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Thanks Rupert, if I may seek clarification, considering that the skill I would like to nominate, is on the CSOL, I only need to mention it (in this case, 313112 for ICT Customer Support Officer), but do not have to through the Skills Assessment process with the TRA? Sorry if this seems like a silly question :unsure: As I said, it is not normal that 457 applicants have to carry out a skills assessment. Although I think that DIAC retain the right to ask, you would have to just see what happens. Also as somebody else mentioend, why are you referring to TRA? Is TRA the skills assesing body for htis occupation, I thought ACS did most of the IT related roles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Senise Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Here is a rundown of events, I am one of those people who were still on a student visa during the time of the 8 February 2010 announcement. I finished uni in July 2010, and applied for a Subclass 485, which was granted in Nov 2011. I had a Skills Assessment with ACS (2231-79) Computing Proffessional (nec). Then managed to secure a job this year in April as a Service Desk Analyst. The primary aim of having a Subclass 485, as the gvt put it, was so that those who did not qualify for an 885 or 886, would use that opportunity to either find employment or do a Professional Year. My main hurdle is that that the ACS does not consider someone in my position to apply for Skills Assessment as an ICT Support Officer (313112), and at the same time, TRA, which is the assessing authority, requires applicants to posses 3 years work experience, of which 12 months would have been prior to applying for Skills Assessment. My current employer has expressed interest in trying to sponsor me through Subclass 186 or 457, but the Skills Assessment pre-requisite is what is giving me nightmares. I dont know what would be expected of me, if I am on a visa that allows me to spend at least a year gaining work experience, yet when it comes to applying for a subsequent visa, the bar is set so high, you can only but wonder whether 485 was meant to be the end of the road. Any ideas on alternative pathway, would be much appreciated. It can be very frustrating for international students as the rules have changed regularly and considerably since the announcement on the 8th of February 2010. Initially the intention of the 485 visa was that those who did not qualify for an 885 or 886, could use that time to either gain employment experience, do a professional year, or improve their English in order to gain enough points for PR. With the 8th of February 2010 changes however, this all changed. The preferred pathway currently is Student visa to 485 to 457 to ENS. Note that you would not need a skills assessment for a 457 visa if nominating an IT occupation. I recommend that you obtain some good advice specific to your situation, as there is a huge amount of misinformation doing the round of the student market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Senise Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I am rather confused. Who is your assessing body? I would be surprised if it was tra as they do trades. Surprisingly, TRA is the assessing authority for a number of non trade occupations including, Child Care Centre Manager, Dental Technician and even ICT Customer Support Officer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 If that is the case then they go through the job ready programme which doesn't require all those years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofthesoil Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 It can be very frustrating for international students as the rules have changed regularly and considerably since the announcement on the 8th of February 2010. Initially the intention of the 485 visa was that those who did not qualify for an 885 or 886, could use that time to either gain employment experience, do a professional year, or improve their English in order to gain enough points for PR. With the 8th of February 2010 changes however, this all changed. The preferred pathway currently is Student visa to 485 to 457 to ENS. Note that you would not need a skills assessment for a 457 visa if nominating an IT occupation. I recommend that you obtain some good advice specific to your situation, as there is a huge amount of misinformation doing the round of the student market. Indeed it is very frustrating, given the fact that, as we all agree, the 485 was introduced as a way of assisting many of us who were no longer able to apply for 885/886, mainly due to the slashing of skills on the occupation list. It was a very noble idea to give us time to either acquire work experience or pay about $13 000 for Professional year. Fair and fine, but now it looks like going the Professional Year route would've been more viable. I had a meeting with my employer this morning, and they advised me that they will now start the process of finding out how best to get the ball rolling. After that, I called the immigration trying to find out about the 457 visa, and they told me that I have to satisfy the criteria of Qualifications, Skills and Experience. I asked them how it can be possible for me to gain minimum 3 years post-qualification experience whilst on a 18-month visa, but they just repeated that same statement to me, in other words, they're saying if my time is up, without the required work experience, better work elsewhere. Thank you for all the ideas though, the goal-posts are being shifted faster than I can keep up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Indeed it is very frustrating, given the fact that, as we all agree, the 485 was introduced as a way of assisting many of us who were no longer able to apply for 885/886, mainly due to the slashing of skills on the occupation list. It was a very noble idea to give us time to either acquire work experience or pay about $13 000 for Professional year. Fair and fine, but now it looks like going the Professional Year route would've been more viable. I had a meeting with my employer this morning, and they advised me that they will now start the process of finding out how best to get the ball rolling. After that, I called the immigration trying to find out about the 457 visa, and they told me that I have to satisfy the criteria of Qualifications, Skills and Experience. I asked them how it can be possible for me to gain minimum 3 years post-qualification experience whilst on a 18-month visa, but they just repeated that same statement to me, in other words, they're saying if my time is up, without the required work experience, better work elsewhere. Thank you for all the ideas though, the goal-posts are being shifted faster than I can keep up with. Do not rely on migration advice from the DIAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Senise Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Indeed it is very frustrating, given the fact that, as we all agree, the 485 was introduced as a way of assisting many of us who were no longer able to apply for 885/886, mainly due to the slashing of skills on the occupation list. It was a very noble idea to give us time to either acquire work experience or pay about $13 000 for Professional year. Fair and fine, but now it looks like going the Professional Year route would've been more viable. I had a meeting with my employer this morning, and they advised me that they will now start the process of finding out how best to get the ball rolling. After that, I called the immigration trying to find out about the 457 visa, and they told me that I have to satisfy the criteria of Qualifications, Skills and Experience. I asked them how it can be possible for me to gain minimum 3 years post-qualification experience whilst on a 18-month visa, but they just repeated that same statement to me, in other words, they're saying if my time is up, without the required work experience, better work elsewhere. Thank you for all the ideas though, the goal-posts are being shifted faster than I can keep up with. Be wary of making any definitive plans based on advice from the Immigrating Department as they only give basic information which is not always correct. If you have formal IT qualification you may not need any post-qualification experience to meet the skill level requirement for a 457 visa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofthesoil Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Be wary of making any definitive plans based on advice from the Immigrating Department as they only give basic information which is not always correct. If you have formal IT qualification you may not need any post-qualification experience to meet the skill level requirement for a 457 visa. I agree, especially considering the fact that they get a lot of varied inquiries regarding different types of visas. I am not sure how other 485 holders are holding up, and would love to hear their views and experiences. In the meantime, I will now start by renewing my IELTS, Police Clearance, Medicals etc, and make sure that within a month, I will have my stuff ready for submission. What I do need as well, is to engage in a good Migration Agent. The sooner this starts, the better; you never know when we wake up to another new announcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The 485 visa wasn't introduced because of the slashing of skills from the list at all. It was around before that. It was for anyone who couldn't meet the points criteria to take their English test or do the years work. It was lucky for those of us who's job was taken off (mine included) that they let us still apply for it to give us time to either find a sponsor, or forge job ready programme if we were lucky enough to find a state who was sponsoring that job. Agreed that immigration are unlikely to give you correct advice. Sad but true. You sound like you could probably do with either reading the 457 info a few times over or getting an agent. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 As another 485 visa holder it is a pain in the arse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Senise Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 In the meantime, I will now start by renewing my IELTS, Police Clearance, Medicals etc, and make sure that within a month, I will have my stuff ready for submission. What visa are you looking at applying for in a month? If it is a 457, you will probably be wasting your money doing IELTS, Police Clearance and Medicals, as in most cases none of these are required for a 457 visa application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofthesoil Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 The 485 visa wasn't introduced because of the slashing of skills from the list at all. It was around before that. It was for anyone who couldn't meet the points criteria to take their English test or do the years work. It was lucky for those of us who's job was taken off (mine included) that they let us still apply for it to give us time to either find a sponsor, or forge job ready programme if we were lucky enough to find a state who was sponsoring that job. Agreed that immigration are unlikely to give you correct advice. Sad but true. You sound like you could probably do with either reading the 457 info a few times over or getting an agent. Good luck. Thanks for that, my skill was removed as well. The introduction of the 485, was definitely intertwined with the slashing of skills on the list, hence why it was put in place to allow for some sort of transition for many of us who no longer were eligible for direct entry into 885/886. So what are your plans Blossom79? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 It was around way before then. My course finished December 2010 before the changes and it had been around before that. My employer is sponsoring me for an rsms visa, but it has been a nightmare. Now it's just a waiting game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The 485 was introduced in September 2007. So WAY before the changes announced early 2011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofthesoil Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 What visa are you looking at applying for in a month? If it is a 457, you will probably be wasting your money doing IELTS, Police Clearance and Medicals, as in most cases none of these are required for a 457 visa application. http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/books9.pdf I'll need to have a good read of this booklet over the weekend, then keep you updated. All this information though, points at the fact that I need a good MA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofthesoil Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 What visa are you looking at applying for in a month? If it is a 457, you will probably be wasting your money doing IELTS, Police Clearance and Medicals, as in most cases none of these are required for a 457 visa application. I am definitely going the 457 route. Initially I would've wanted to go for for 186, but that one seems far-fetched. I have only been working as an IT Customer Support Officer for 6 months. Before getting the 485, it was hard enough to get a job whilst on my BVA. Then it took me 6 months to get my first professional job, hopefully, this amounts to something because there's a lot that I have gone through to get to where I am, at the same time, there's a lot more to do in order to be settled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/books9.pdf I'll need to have a good read of this booklet over the weekend, then keep you updated. All this information though, points at the fact that I need a good MA. I am not in favour of book burning, but I make an exception for DIAC publications. I am a good MA; I stopped beating my wives ages ago. All the RMAs (note the R) who regularly post on this forum are OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofthesoil Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Ok quick update. Employer advised me that sponsorship is highly unlikely because my salary does not meet th Temporary Migration Income Threshold (TSMT) of $51400pa. Even if I were to get that kind of money, the Immigration will compare it against market rates, meaning if the market rate for a Service Desk Entry Level, is less than TSMIT, there's no way through. Honestly this is getting to my head. Why were we given 485's to allow for at least 1 yr work experience, yet it would amount to nothing? And yeah, I've been in contact with an MA, but basically any visa that I was pointed to, has got that Skills Assessment Pre-requisite. I should've done the Professional Year when I had the chance, but I was of the idea that work experience is better.:arghh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Ohhhh dear. That is pants. The 485 visa was to give you time to find another way to stay if you didn't meet the criteria at that time. If you still have any strength to keep fighting you do have one option left. If you would be willing to look for a sponsor in 'regional' Australia (including Adelaide, Perth) and could find one willing to sponsor then you could go for the rsms visa. This one just has to pay the going rate for the job. You would have to move fast though to get your application in etc before your 485 visa ran out. Good luck, I absolutely feel your pain and frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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