RebeccaMatt Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 We are hoping to apply for a 189 visa. My husband is a refrigeration mechanic but only has 4 years experience (as far as the migration agent we spoke to knows the labour work he done before for the same company won't count). Unfortunately unless he gets 8+ in the IELTS we won't qualify for a 189. We've been revising and looking at past papers (his older sister is an English teacher and even she has tried to help) but there is just no way he'll score that high. He's great at his job and anyone in his work would agree but written English just isn't his strong point. Were still going to try the test anyway but someone suggested we try to get a 457 instead and maybe apply for a 189 when he has more experience ? I'm not sure of the ins and outs of a 457, but aren't these very hard to get ? Any advice ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 It isn't the 457 itself that is necessarily hard to get. But getting the job offer and willing sponsor is hard to get. A 457 visa has its place, but for somebody wanting to migrate I would never recommend a 457 to anyone that has other options unless they are absolutely exhausted all else. Personally, I think the difficulty of IELTS can be over stated on forums, most people get on with it just fine and it is just the ones that struggle that are vocal. Having said that, there are some other English tests available now and maybe he would be better off looking into those instead, it might suit his style better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaMatt Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 Thanks for reply his English speaking, listening and reading is all fine. It's the writing we can't get past, he just struggles to get what he's trying to say down on paper. What are the other options for the English test? The only other one I've heard of is the PTE? If there was something with less writing it would be great! Lol the IELTS seems to have a lot of essay style questions which seems to be the problem.. But I'm sure we'll probably get them in all tests.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 457 may not be hard to get but it's not a permanent visa n problems can come up in regards to work n being tied to job...what about getting extra five points from state sponsorship n getting 190 instead? Or give ielts a shot. .or one of other tests...its not hard as in u dnt need to be academic..just have to use proper English. ..The more you worry abt it n build it up to be something it's not the worse ppl do on it I think...my first time I knew nothing about it, just that I had to prove I was fluent in english so went in with no prep, no idea what would happen, thinking this will be easy for me as I'm British. ..and I got all 9s and one 8.5...but then I had to do it again a couple of years later..by then I had read all the horror stories on here n other forums n started to worry n practice..It then took me three tries to get all 8s! Think positive n go for ielts or one of the other tests before you consider your plan b. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selina Smith Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 If you google 'IELTS Liz' I found her website really useful. I was worried about the writing section but there is a formula you need to follow to score high and I stuck to this and scored an 8.5 in writing. Through the forum I have heard that PTE is a fairer test so could be an option especially if your husband is better on the computer compared to handwriting everything. Good Luck! Keep at it and I'm sure you'll get the points x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pommie Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Thanks for reply his English speaking, listening and reading is all fine. It's the writing we can't get past, he just struggles to get what he's trying to say down on paper. What are the other options for the English test? The only other one I've heard of is the PTE? If there was something with less writing it would be great! Lol the IELTS seems to have a lot of essay style questions which seems to be the problem.. But I'm sure we'll probably get them in all tests.. Rebecca I did both the IELTS and secondly the Pearson PTE. They are both different and have their pro's and cons. For both you need to practice to get used to the format to improve your scoring. The downside of the IELTS is that it is VERY traditional in approach (especially the written answer), ties up a full day and you don't get your results for two weeks (so if you do need to re-sit, by the time you re-book, you lose a month - literally). PTE is computer based and in this respect I think the writing has the advantage. Easier to cut and paste or delete to improve your written answer. Also, you can book a few days in advance (subject to availability) and you get your test results the next day. Personally, I got a better score on PTE and I know many others who claim the same. BUT, do get the practice questions and exam papers as they help a lot. As others have suggested - it really is an advantage if you can lift your points through English language tests.... can cut down the waiting time a lot for an invite... Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaMatt Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 Thanks again for replies Without superior English we only have 55 points. And if we decided to wait until he had the extra experience then we lose points for age (currently in the 25-32 band). So, the 190 may be a better option if we don't get the English. I'm really unsure of the requirements for other visas as I thought with us being British the English tests weren't going to be so hard and getting the points would be easy, but his English writing held him back even in school. All we can do is practice and hope for the best. I think we will take a look at the PTE though, it seems it may be the easier option for him. I don't want to end up being held back too long because as I said before, if we wait for the extra points for experience we lose them in age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I would agree with your stratergy of a 190 visa. It is just as good a visa as a 189, just requires you to find a state sponsoring your occupation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyba Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 We are hoping to apply for a 189 visa. My husband is a refrigeration mechanic but only has 4 years experience (as far as the migration agent we spoke to knows the labour work he done before for the same company won't count). Unfortunately unless he gets 8+ in the IELTS we won't qualify for a 189. We've been revising and looking at past papers (his older sister is an English teacher and even she has tried to help) but there is just no way he'll score that high. He's great at his job and anyone in his work would agree but written English just isn't his strong point. Were still going to try the test anyway but someone suggested we try to get a 457 instead and maybe apply for a 189 when he has more experience ? I'm not sure of the ins and outs of a 457, but aren't these very hard to get ? Any advice ? I wouldn't say my English is amazing but proficient, I have a good vocabulary but my punctuation was somewhat lacking, I was well prepared and took plenty of IELTS practice tests and I was also pretty nervous about getting th score but was prepared to take the test more than once. I went in with all the preparation I could and knew that I would be doing my best which took the pressure off on the day. The writing was also the one I was nervous about, the way I ensured I wrote all I needed was to get a scrap bit of paper and write all the points they wanted down and ticked them off as I wrote something about them. I also watched a video about the various uses of commas and showed several different ways of using them. I also used several different words to describe the same thing to show a variation in my vocabulary. I'd suggest looking at videos on the use of commas and how to structure sentences and paragraphs. Don't forget this is a test usually for non English speakers so if you show a good grasp of the language the assessor will see this. I was told by some that it's degree level English to get all 8's and I'm certain that's not the case. I got all 8 and above on my first try, I was in the same position, I'm an electrician but couldn't claim work experience. There is another test called the PTE and many in here who have struggled multiple times with IELTS have taken that and passed it first time with the score they need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazza227 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 My husband did the ielts and we were in the same position that we would get a 489 if he didn't get 8's. Thankfully it was 3rd time lucky and he did get 8's so applying for a 189. I found an ex-examiner online who will mark some essays and give detailed remarks etc which helped him get his writing score up. Previous times he got a 7 & 7.5 but after a bit of help, got an 8. For us it was worth paying for his help, which wasn't that much, but to switch to the PTE after he was getting used to the format of IELTS seemed silly. But for new people maybe the other tests maybe the better option, fom what I've read about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj1980 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Thanks again for replies Without superior English we only have 55 points. And if we decided to wait until he had the extra experience then we lose points for age (currently in the 25-32 band). So, the 190 may be a better option if we don't get the English. I'm really unsure of the requirements for other visas as I thought with us being British the English tests weren't going to be so hard and getting the points would be easy, but his English writing held him back even in school. All we can do is practice and hope for the best. I think we will take a look at the PTE though, it seems it may be the easier option for him. I don't want to end up being held back too long because as I said before, if we wait for the extra points for experience we lose them in age So what state do you want to live? Again thinking 190 visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeniDeni Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hi, I missed out on the 8 I needed first time and seriously looked at getting a tutor until one tutor suggested I look at dc ielts website. It is very useful! I also paid for the extra road to ielts practice tests. The main thing I would say with the written test is RTFQ!!! I think that is what I failed on the first try. Break the question down and make sure you answer all parts. The reading can be a bit tricky but doing the practise tests can help you recognise the bits that try to trip you up. Good luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaMatt Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 We were ideally looking at Queensland (Gold coast, Brisbane area) as my husband has family round that area but it doesn't look like they would sponsor his occupation . I've also found out the ceiling for refrigeration and air conditioning has been lowered which doesn't look good for us as he hasn't got the most experience. My husband thinks I'm thinking about it too much, he's the laid back one, I just worry ! Lol but hopefully I am just worrying about it too much and the revision will pay off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyba Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 We were ideally looking at Queensland (Gold coast, Brisbane area) as my husband has family round that area but it doesn't look like they would sponsor his occupation . I've also found out the ceiling for refrigeration and air conditioning has been lowered which doesn't look good for us as he hasn't got the most experience.My husband thinks I'm thinking about it too much, he's the laid back one, I just worry ! Lol but hopefully I am just worrying about it too much and the revision will pay off. The experience won't matter, if he gets 8's then it's first come first served. I bought a practice IELTS book from waterstones it was about £30 and i couldn't find a general practice book but the academic tests are the same bar the reading I think and the format is exactly the same its just the content of the articles you read changes from a day to day situation to one about graphs etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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