Emigrating to Canberra - IT work on Partner visa ?

[jamesfree]

Right a few questions rolled into one that I hope someone can help me with.

 

I'm trying to understand what the IT Job market is like in Canberra for a non Australia citizen as I understand I won't be able to work for government agencies etc being British etc.

 

I'm still not sure what way is best to get my partner visa (Aus girlfriend of 4 years just moved to Canberra to go Uni) (in the UK or in Aus) and while that is being processed can I have working conditions lifted ?

 

Any help would be great!

 

Thanks

[afterbang]

+1

 

As far as I know (but I am not an expert as not living there (yet) ) Federal government doesn't seem to hire non-citizens. Local/State government seem to do. But that's all I 'know'!

[Slean Wolfhead]

It depends on the IT skill and what they need. You can work for some Federal departments on a non-permanent basis via an agency with a citizenship waiver, if there are no Australians to satisfy the criteria.

There was a girl on here who did that, but disappeared.

 

Local government is fine, lots of foreigners working there....but obviously a smaller market.

http://www.jobs.act.gov.au/all_vacant_jobs

[afterbang]

Thanks for that!

 

About Federal, non-permanent and the waiver. It is something we heard before from one or two people in ACT, but no one was absolutely sure. So you confirming this is really nice!

Edited January 27, 2013 by afterbang

[Quoll]

It is possible but not likely unless you have some amazing skill set that no Australian citizen can match (and you've slept with the Secretary or the Minister LOL). Not something I would be banking on - or, really, wasting time trying!

[afterbang]

Hmm, Slean has experience otherwise. Now I am confused again...

[Guest]

Hmm, Slean has experience otherwise. Now I am confused again...

 

Remember they are the views of two members.

 

Honestly, until you are there you are not really going to know for yourself. You can research forever, but only being on the ground yourself is going to give you your definitive answer. You have skills in IT but they may not be enough to get you your ideal or a great job. Be prepared for that and to turn your hand to something else if your skills are not wanted by employers for whatever reason.

 

As I suggested elsewhere to you, you could look to working remotely for companies elsewhere in Aus. Plenty of people do this.

[afterbang]

No worries, I'm not looking for the definitive answer. Especially as times change, sought after skills are no longer wanted, and the other way around. So I will not hold it against neiter Quoll or Sean if it turns out the other way when I touch ground

 

Just trying to get a 'feel' for the market. If everyone says: It can't be done. Then I know my girlfriend needs to do the work. If people say: Yeah I know of him or her and she worked for Federal IT. I know there is a possibility (not a certainty)

 

And yes, I'm not desperate to get back in IT. I have had many jobs in my life. Started as a car mechanic, and now in IT with a lot of different stuff in between. So I'll be alright

 

In the end it's the missus her Visa so I expect her to hit the ground running :wink:

[afterbang]

P.S. In regards to your remark: " you could look to working remotely for companies elsewhere in Aus. Plenty of people do this"

A friend of mine migrated to Adelaide (software skills) and recruitment agencies asked him if he wanted to FiFo to Canberra, as there was more work for him overthere. :cool:

[Quoll]

It's quite clear

 

2.2 Engagement of non-citizensThe PS Act indicates a general expectation that people engaged as APS employees will be Australian citizens. However, non-citizens can be engaged as either ongoing or non-ongoing employees if the agency head considers it appropriate for their agency. Alternatively, it may be appropriate to conditionally engage non-citizens who are actively pursuing Australian citizenship. Depending on the needs of the agency (for example, the skill or professional qualifications required to perform particular duties) there may be other circumstances where it is also appropriate to engage a non-citizen.A decision to employ a non-citizen must take account of the requirements of the Migration Act 1958, as outlined in sections 2.3 to 2.9 of this document. Agencies should also be aware of the requirements of the Australian Government Protective Security Manual regarding the need for Australian citizenship when seeking a national security clearance for an employee. Part D.6 of the Manual sets out the citizenship requirement for eligibility for a security clearance and the exceptions to that requirement.If an agency head decides to offer engagement to a non-citizen, it would be good practice to inform the person that the citizenship requirement for employment may vary from one APS agency to another should they seek to move to another agency in the future. Australian citizenship, as a condition of engagement, cannot be imposed by the new agency if the person is already an APS employee.Australia has a number of bilateral agreements in place, some of which include employment agreements relating to the dependants of diplomatic staff. These agreements give such dependants work entitlements in Australia, but they do not guarantee work in the APS. Agency heads will still need to determine that it is appropriate to engage this type of non-citizen.Where it is considered appropriate to engage a non-citizen, the approval of the agency head or delegate should be documented and retained in the employee's personal records. In addition, when considering whether to grant a security clearance for access to security classified resources, Australian Government protective security policy requires that a record of all decisions to waive citizenship eligibility requirements be maintained (see Part D.6 of the Australian Government Protective Security Manual for more information).Where an agency intends to engage a permanent resident or a non-citizen who holds a visa with work entitlements, the employee should be informed that if they cease to hold valid work entitlements the agency head can terminate their employment for loss of an essential qualification. Agencies should consider including information to this effect in the person’s letter of engagement. This may help to avoid complications concerning the person’s continued employment in the APS should they fail to meet the ongoing requirements of their visa.

 

Departmental heads may make the decision but they would have to be sure that the person they employ has a skill set which could not be filled by a citizen - so if you are saying that you have a specialization which could not possibly matched by a citizen and which is in demand by a department who couldnt find a citizen to do the job then you might get a look in but if you are a bog standard IT nerd (and they are 10 a penny in Canberra) you would be wasting your time and energy even applying for positions with the APS. I have no idea what skill set the woman Slean referred to had, it might have been a highly esoteric in demand skill, it might have been a departmental head with a particular axe to grind in ridding himself of some inbuilt elements, who knows!

Edited January 27, 2013 by Quoll

[afterbang]

Clear!

 

(and thanks for the statement!, It just sank in that recruitment is your profession isn't it?)

 

And I am a Manager IT Operations (Incident Management and the like) and Project Manager. So not very esoteric

So we probably will rely on the missus, and I will do the dishes!

[Peach]

It is possible but not likely unless you have some amazing skill set that no Australian citizen can match (and you've slept with the Secretary or the Minister LOL). Not something I would be banking on - or, really, wasting time trying!

 

To be honest, this isn't the case. Canberra does have an IT skills shortage - especially due to the need to be citizens and security cleared - and many of the local resources capitalise on this. The citizenship waiver is only a couple of sheets of paper and is being used increasingly. I've seen many cases where it has been used, where you'd expect there to be plenty of alternate Australian candidates for the role.

[Slean Wolfhead]

Yes, Quoll is right in that you should not rely on Federal as a job opportunity, the opportunities are not vast and you should not expect an easy way in.

 

One thing you learn about Canberra is that rules are not always followed, and there's another world under the surface where gawd knows what practices are followed. It's very hard to understand quickly

Some Departments do not even know their own rules, so I got two emails from different APS job advertisers stating that they would provide a citizenship waiver if i was the best candidate, it wasn't even going to be a problem because they did it already for people.

The applications are very long so you cannot afford to waste time applying for those more sensitive roles that you have no chance of getting, so things like Secret Service, Defence, Tax Office, Attorney General.....forget it.

 

The other lady worked as a Change Manager, which is not that unusual a job and you cannot imagine that Australia doesn't have oodles of these professionals as well, but she must have been good at it. She worked for two separate Federal departments....including one job bringing in the new VISA system for Immigration, who do know the rules obviously. :smile:

Departments like DAFF employ foreigners, as do Families, Housing and Community Affairs, and the Australian Institute of Sport...but the choice is not huge for IT within them.

If you're looking...look for EL1, EL2 and Director jobs. Anything below that is administrative work, even though the wages are not bad.

Director does not mean the same thing in Australian public service as in the UK, there are hundreds of these people and some are no more than junior managers, so don't be put off thinking it's too high a level, it definitely isn't if you've got management experience and a good work ethic.

 

What I'd say about your job is that as an IT Operations Manager, that's "business as usual" permanent work, not project-related, so you'd be unlikely to find that in the APS as a non-ongoing role. Test, Change, Release Management and working on specific projects...a better chance of finding something on a fixed-term contract.

Keep your PRINCE2 up to date, and get ITIL Foundation at least.

Concentrate on ACT local government as the preferred option (there is more opportunity), but also look at places like the two Universities, Air Services Australia, all advertise IT jobs and allow foreigners.

It's all about getting your foot in the door over here and getting that first opportunity to prove yourself.

[Slean Wolfhead]

Oh, and have a good read of Freckleface's stickied thread about CV's for Australian employers!

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/140658-tips-writing-competitive-aussie-cvs.html

[Peach]

The applications are very long so you cannot afford to waste time applying for those more sensitive roles that you have no chance of getting, so things like Secret Service, Defence, Tax Office, Attorney General.....forget it.

 

I wouldn't write off the large agencies either. I know Poms in Canberra working in Defence who hold TS PV clearances!

[Guest Ptp113]

I wouldn't write off the large agencies either. I know Poms in Canberra working in Defence who hold TS PV clearances!

 

If you have a TS PV in Canberra you almost name your own price, or could. $150k was fairly common for some fairly ordinary persons, but I best not go there............

[afterbang]

Thanks guys. A lot of info

 

And with so many things in life (and work) there seems to be a large grey area. Maybe after you have gained some experience for local government and a CV with some Aussie experience you are probably more likely to get something done in APS.

 

Slean, fyi, The last 2 to 5 years I'm more into Project management then Operations (sadly) but PM is better for ACT if I understand you correctly. I'm ITIL Foundation and Practitioner (in Version 2 as in Version 3) and have Prince2 Foundation 2009. Will start Prince2 Practitioner later this year. (thanks for the link to Freckleface's CV tips)

 

@Pfirsch, sounds like what we've heard when we were over for our reccietrip in December. Good to get that 'confirmed'.

 

Again, I won't be counting my chickens before they hatch! And this is the current situation, while I expect that it could take up to another two years before we arrive. So...maybe everything has changed again by then...

[n30nra1n]

You can work for the ACT local government, this is known as Shared Services, they do not for most positions require citizenship.

 

In terms of Federal government you are best assuming that you can not work for them as this will cover 98% of the positions. People are right when they state that there are ways round the rules but as mentioned you either have to be a serious IT genius or know someone who has influence and that is not going to happen until you have been in town for some time.

 

There are other IT opportunities out there as well though and you should be able to locate work, I managed it and a number of my friends have to.

Sent from my RM-821_apac_australia_new_zealand_304 using Board Express

[sunniecat]

My husband (a year ago) took the best part of 3 months to find a job in IT - helpdesk level 2. So many of the jobs were Federal and they do say 'citizenship required'. And they won't even bother looking at you if you don't have citizenship. You'd have to know the right people to get in that way via a waiver (and there are large parts of Canberra that who you know can make *such* a difference). As someone said correctly above, ACT State government doesn't usually require citizenship, so that's worth exploring, plus of course seek.com.au and the Canberra Times adverts. I should think you'll find - as he did - that there will be jobs around, but not as many as you'd like, and you may get a job very quickly or it may take you a while. I think he was averaging around 2 applications a week. That was a week ago, but I don't think the market's changed much recently. And it may be a bit different at manager level.

[terbrads]

Hi,

I came to Canberra just over seven months ago to work for the Australian Bureau of Statistics (federal government) on a non-ongoing (contract) basis. It was a secondment arrangement with the equivalent department in the UK. Recently I applied for a permanent post and was successful so my secondment will be cancelled and I can be appointed. This is however subject to the head of the organisation granting a citizenship waiver. Basically the rules state that you must be an Australian citizen to work in the fed gov but the head of the department can grant the waiver which allows you 4/5 years depending on the department to gain your citizenship - in my case they have offered to sponsor a permanent residency visa (which has to come before a citizenship application). The rules on eligibity for the waiver are not cast-iron. It is basically at the discretion of the department head. In my experience it wasn't strictly a case of the skills not being available elsewhere but more a case of the years of experience I had behind me working in official stats in the UK. Just one other thing, if you are looking for work generally, "SEEK" website is a good place to start. Hope this is of some help.

[Peach]

Hi,

I came to Canberra just over seven months ago to work for the Australian Bureau of Statistics (federal government) on a non-ongoing (contract) basis. It was a secondment arrangement with the equivalent department in the UK. Recently I applied for a permanent post and was successful so my secondment will be cancelled and I can be appointed. This is however subject to the head of the organisation granting a citizenship waiver. Basically the rules state that you must be an Australian citizen to work in the fed gov but the head of the department can grant the waiver which allows you 4/5 years depending on the department to gain your citizenship - in my case they have offered to sponsor a permanent residency visa (which has to come before a citizenship application). The rules on eligibity for the waiver are not cast-iron. It is basically at the discretion of the department head. In my experience it wasn't strictly a case of the skills not being available elsewhere but more a case of the years of experience I had behind me working in official stats in the UK. Just one other thing, if you are looking for work generally, "SEEK" website is a good place to start. Hope this is of some help.

 

Only thing I'd say is that eligibility waivers need to be reassessed - i.e. re-approved - every two years (as per Australian Government personnel security management protocol).