Ships Master / Ships Officer / Marine Pilot - OCCUPATION REMOVED July 2017

[Sid007]

Dear Captain C,

thanks for your valuable comments and guidance. I will start making enquiries regarding PCC asap. I had stayed in UK from Sep 2006 to Aug 2007 and already have Police clearance for that, so shall I apply for my next tenures Oct 2013 to Feb 2014 and May2015 to July 2015 also ??

On my Police certificate for Immigration purposes they have not mentioned any dates for my stay but yes Date of issue of the certificate is 10/09/2009. Does that mean I will have to apply again (but no where its written validity of the certificate). I guess i may have to apply for it again coz I have to include my tenure on british registered ships ( Oct 2007 to feb 2011) also. Am I correct Sir ??

Sid 007

[CaptainC]

Dear Captain C,

thanks for your valuable comments and guidance. I will start making enquiries regarding PCC asap. I had stayed in UK from Sep 2006 to Aug 2007 and already have Police clearance for that, so shall I apply for my next tenures Oct 2013 to Feb 2014 and May2015 to July 2015 also ??

On my Police certificate for Immigration purposes they have not mentioned any dates for my stay but yes Date of issue of the certificate is 10/09/2009. Does that mean I will have to apply again (but no where its written validity of the certificate). I guess i may have to apply for it again coz I have to include my tenure on british registered ships ( Oct 2007 to feb 2011) also. Am I correct Sir ??

Sid 007

 

PCC's are only valid for a maximum of 12 months to satisfy Australian immigration requirements. So yes, you will have to apply for a new one.

[Sid007]

PCC's are only valid for a maximum of 12 months to satisfy Australian immigration requirements. So yes, you will have to apply for a new one.

 

Got that !! Just now sent one mail to acro policecertificates regarding this, now waiting for their reply. meantime surfing the internet to get contact details of panaman flag state to get clearance from them also. Dropped the idea of contacting liberian and japanese flag states as onboard tenure is less than 12 months.

thanks!

Sid

[CaptainC]

Don't be too hasty in actually getting the PCC's. You have to enter australia as a new resident before they run out. So if you got the PCC today and it takes you until Christmas to do everything else and get a visa granted, then you'd only have a very short time in which to enter australia to activate your visa.

[Sid007]

******You have to enter australia as a new resident before they run out.*******. Okhay Okhay !! Perhaps my over-enthusiasm is doing more harm than good. Thanks for your timely suggestion, I will gather all the information and forms but apply only once I clear orals ,PTE. Otherwise u r right I'll have very short time to enter Australia.

Rgrds

Sid

[CaptainC]

Before you do anything more have a really good read of this thread and also some of the threads in the migration section. It will give you a good idea of what to do and when.

[Sid007]

Before you do anything more have a really good read of this thread and also some of the threads in the migration section. It will give you a good idea of what to do and when.

 

Thats Right CaptainC, coz just now I was going through the Old thread and Captain R has given quite a lot of information in the first post itself. Will read it in detail before going any further.

[Sid007]

Dear Captain C,

After going through first 10 pages of the thread , I started from the last posts and realized you also faced the same problem regarding bermuda PCC, but Captain R's views on this were also very interesting as to why seafarer's need it. Also Sierra had to contact australian high commission for his Stat decl. But one thing i did not understand is you had to submit your pay slips...... what exactly is a pay slip, coz what we get is a contract letter and monthly allotments sent to our bank accounts. Just a small chit is distributed among the crew with all the wages detail, but its neither an official document like portage bill nor it has got any official stamp on it, just master's initial are there. Moreover I have'nt kept any of them with me, but I have the old contract letters which we sign before joining the vessel.

Do we really need them and if so, will bank statements do the needful...... Kindly give your views

 

Rgrds

Sid

[CaptainC]

Dear Captain C,

After going through first 10 pages of the thread , I started from the last posts and realized you also faced the same problem regarding bermuda PCC, but Captain R's views on this were also very interesting as to why seafarer's need it. Also Sierra had to contact australian high commission for his Stat decl. But one thing i did not understand is you had to submit your pay slips...... what exactly is a pay slip, coz what we get is a contract letter and monthly allotments sent to our bank accounts. Just a small chit is distributed among the crew with all the wages detail, but its neither an official document like portage bill nor it has got any official stamp on it, just master's initial are there. Moreover I have'nt kept any of them with me, but I have the old contract letters which we sign before joining the vessel.

Do we really need them and if so, will bank statements do the needful...... Kindly give your views

 

Rgrds

Sid

 

Yes, I had the same issues and had to go to the Australian High Commission for a statutory declaration because I couldn't actually obtain the PCC that was needed. I had to get references from former employers to say that my conduct was good, and I also had to prove that I had exhausted all efforts to obtain the PCC.

 

Payslips are posted to workers which detail their pay, and itemise any tax, pensions, and national insurance contributions that they have made.

 

Bank statements are likely to be a good substitute for payslips if you don't have any. As long as they detail the company name on them.

[CaptainC]

IMPORTANT NEWS

 

I've just found this document that was submitted to have Ship's Engineer removed from the SOL.

 

https://submissions.education.gov.au/forms/archive/2015_16_sol/documents/Australian%20Institute%20of%20Marine%20and%20Power%20Engineers.pdf

 

Because Ship's Engineer falls into the Marine Transport Professionals (2312 code), and a pretty compelling case has been presented. We can also assume that Ship's Master and Ship's Officer would also be removed from the Skilled Occupation List.

 

I don't know when this will be, or even if it will actually happen, but with the recent press coverage of the plight of the Australian Seafarers aboard MV Portland, there's a strong possibility that it will happen and also possible that it will be this year (1st July 2016).

 

Anybody who is near to the point of submitting an EOI, or who is invited and still to submit their application, I would recommend that they get their applications in quickly.

 

Any applications received after an occupation is removed will not be processed, and you will not be issued a visa.

 

If it does get removed, then it is likely to be 5-10 years before it is back on the list again.

Edited February 24, 2016 by CaptainC

[Sid007]

IMPORTANT NEWS

 

I've just found this document that was submitted to have Ship's Engineer removed from the SOL.

 

https://submissions.education.gov.au/forms/archive/2015_16_sol/documents/Australian%20Institute%20of%20Marine%20and%20Power%20Engineers.pdf

 

Because Ship's Engineer falls into the Marine Transport Professionals (2312 code), and a pretty compelling case has been presented. We can also assume that Ship's Master and Ship's Officer would also be removed from the Skilled Occupation List.

 

I don't know when this will be, or even if it will actually happen, but with the recent press coverage of the plight of the Australian Seafarers aboard MV Portland, there's a strong possibility that it will happen and also possible that it will be this year (1st July 2016).

 

Anybody who is near to the point of submitting an EOI, or who is invited and still to submit their application, I would recommend that they get their applications in quickly.

 

Any applications received after an occupation is removed will not be processed, and you will not be issued a visa.

 

If it does get removed, then it is likely to be 5-10 years before it is back on the list again.

 

 

Captain C , Thank you very much for the information. I am still in the process of collecting employment letters and deliberately delaying one till 15th of March , so as to get full points for employment (8yrs out of 10 yrs). Considering this, even if I apply to AMSA by mid or 3rd week of march, I may get a chance to take orals by 2nd or 3rd week(depending on the availability) or even ending May. Do you feel I should initiate the process or wait till new SOL is out for this year, coz otherwise all effort and money will go wasted.

waiting for your suggestion

Sid

[CaptainC]

Captain C , Thank you very much for the information. I am still in the process of collecting employment letters and deliberately delaying one till 15th of March , so as to get full points for employment (8yrs out of 10 yrs). Considering this, even if I apply to AMSA by mid or 3rd week of march, I may get a chance to take orals by 2nd or 3rd week(depending on the availability) or even ending May. Do you feel I should initiate the process or wait till new SOL is out for this year, coz otherwise all effort and money will go wasted.

waiting for your suggestion

Sid

 

I can't offer any advice really. It is up to you if you think that you can do it.

[Sid007]

You are right Captain C, I'll go for the assessment atleast and then think over it again.

[Dazken Amac]

the PCC details you can get from the australia immigration website. I had done panama, liberia, hong kong and bahamas flag. I applied exactly the way the website guided me and all the PCC were either posted home or sent to the Australian authority.

https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa/Char

 

With respect to payslips if you have been filing your taxes you will have a document showing that. if not you can prove it from your bank statements.

 

Also ask them to give you the statutory declaration form fro good moral character for filling and fill it in so that you dont have to runaround at the last minute for your PCC.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Dazken Amac
wrong atachment

[jakirulislam]

IMPORTANT NEWS

 

I've just found this document that was submitted to have Ship's Engineer removed from the SOL.

 

https://submissions.education.gov.au/forms/archive/2015_16_sol/documents/Australian%20Institute%20of%20Marine%20and%20Power%20Engineers.pdf

 

Because Ship's Engineer falls into the Marine Transport Professionals (2312 code), and a pretty compelling case has been presented. We can also assume that Ship's Master and Ship's Officer would also be removed from the Skilled Occupation List.

 

I don't know when this will be, or even if it will actually happen, but with the recent press coverage of the plight of the Australian Seafarers aboard MV Portland, there's a strong possibility that it will happen and also possible that it will be this year (1st July 2016).

 

Anybody who is near to the point of submitting an EOI, or who is invited and still to submit their application, I would recommend that they get their applications in quickly.

 

Any applications received after an occupation is removed will not be processed, and you will not be issued a visa.

 

If it does get removed, then it is likely to be 5-10 years before it is back on the list again.

 

Hi Captain C,

I have read somewhere that the occupation remains "flagged" for at least one year before being actually excluded from the SOL list. As for instance, SOL 2015-2016 list has certain flagged occupations which will be potentially removed from 2016-2017 SOL list (w.e.f. 1st July 2016) - https://www.education.gov.au/flagged-occupations-sol-2015-2016.

In your opinion, is the information credible?

Brgds,

Mariner

[CaptainC]

Hi Captain C,

I have read somewhere that the occupation remains "flagged" for at least one year before being actually excluded from the SOL list. As for instance, SOL 2015-2016 list has certain flagged occupations which will be potentially removed from 2016-2017 SOL list (w.e.f. 1st July 2016) - https://www.education.gov.au/flagged-occupations-sol-2015-2016.

In your opinion, is the information credible?

Brgds,

Mariner

 

I don't know for certain but I did hear that occupations can be removed at any time. Likewise the visa applications can be suspended or removed entirely.

 

We have to remember that emigration is a privilege and not a right. The commonwealth have the power to close the borders completely to new arrivals should they so wish.

 

The minister for immigration proved this recently by cancelling several thousand applications for certain visas, leaving a lot of people without any hope of obtaining a visa.

 

I'm trying not to overdramatise things, but it's been done before and it's a real possibility that it could be done again. The shipping industry in Australia is all but destroyed, and there are only 14 ships currently operating under the Australian flag. It's really dire, and Australian seafarers are suffering a lot.

[Rohit Kumar Sukumar]

Good day!

 

189 Visa granted today! (Applied 23/Nov-16, Grant 17/Mar-16)

Thanks to this forum for all the valuable information and support.

 

Regards

[CaptainC]

Good day!

 

189 Visa granted today! (Applied 23/Nov-16, Grant 17/Mar-16)

Thanks to this forum for all the valuable information and support.

 

Regards

 

Well done!

[navi84]

Thanks to the senior member for putting their efforts and providing useful information. I hold NZ CoC for deck watchkeeper, and currently doing my mates & masters in Australia.I already got immigration assessment from the AMSA .I was going through Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act (TTMRA) , under TTMRA NZ qualifications are straightway recognised to Australian qualifications.My query is that under that provision can I apply for COR.I am in touch with AMSA in this regard and the correspondence with them is still in process. I got different replies within the AMSA. They said for this you must be NZ citizen or Permanent residence or must have working rights in Australia as per the navigation act .but there is no such condition within TTMRA. Any senior member having some knowledge on this query.

[CaptainC]

Thanks to the senior member for putting their efforts and providing useful information. I hold NZ CoC for deck watchkeeper, and currently doing my mates & masters in Australia.I already got immigration assessment from the AMSA .I was going through Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act (TTMRA) , under TTMRA NZ qualifications are straightway recognised to Australian qualifications.My query is that under that provision can I apply for COR.I am in touch with AMSA in this regard and the correspondence with them is still in process. I got different replies within the AMSA. They said for this you must be NZ citizen or Permanent residence or must have working rights in Australia as per the navigation act .but there is no such condition within TTMRA. Any senior member having some knowledge on this query.

 

I'm not quite sure that I understand your query.

 

But if I am reading it correctly, you aren't a NZ citizen?

 

If you wish to apply for a CoR to recognise your NZ ticket then you would just go about it the same way as if it was any other foreign certificate. AMSA won't issue this unless you have permanent residency or Temporary residency with work rights, or be a NZ Citizen.

 

You can make all of the arrangements to apply for a CoR, but you will not receive this until you prove that you've been granted a visa.

[Guest]

Good Day !

 

First of all a big THUMBS UP to Cat R & C for sharing such a valuable exp on this thread. Now a bit aby myself

 

I am a NZ PR and a Maritime New Zealand CoC holder for ETO. I have applied for 489 (F.S) visa for Electrician ( already gained a Australian A grade Electrical license ). This enables me to apply for mining and industrial roles,rather than just looking for Marine jobs, which I am sad to say....don't actually exist in 2016. Both NZ & OZ have a grim outlook, with companies like TIDEWATER closing their OZ offices and others cutting down on number of ships.

 

I will be aplying for my OZ COR once I move to aussie permanently.

 

 

 

 

Q: Once thing I have noted that for NZ CoC holders, applting for OZ COR it is quite easy to get things done, since they fall under TTMRA.. So I guess NO ORALS etc..correct me if I AM WRONG HERE. ?

 

Q. I wanna do DP maintenance course,is it worth doing from Singapore ( Nautical Institute), since its far cheaper from Perth (with flights included), 3k as compared to 5k in Oz.

 

Q. Is COR a definitive requirement as most of the Offshore ships trading in Oz are NOT registered in Australia

 

Q. Also what outlook/opportunities do you seniors see for a ETO in Offshore Australian Market.

 

Q. Why does Australia & NZ have such a cumbersome process for COR while other countries issue it without much DRAMA e.g singapore etc.

 

 

Kindly answer above queries and Cheers !!!

 

Gurminder Grewal

ETO

[CaptainR]

Good Day !

 

First of all a big THUMBS UP to Cat R & C for sharing such a valuable exp on this thread. Now a bit aby myself

 

I am a NZ PR and a Maritime New Zealand CoC holder for ETO. I have applied for 489 (F.S) visa for Electrician ( already gained a Australian A grade Electrical license ). This enables me to apply for mining and industrial roles,rather than just looking for Marine jobs, which I am sad to say....don't actually exist in 2016. Both NZ & OZ have a grim outlook, with companies like TIDEWATER closing their OZ offices and others cutting down on number of ships.

 

I will be aplying for my OZ COR once I move to aussie permanently.

 

 

 

 

Q: Once thing I have noted that for NZ CoC holders, applting for OZ COR it is quite easy to get things done, since they fall under TTMRA.. So I guess NO ORALS etc..correct me if I AM WRONG HERE. ?

 

Q. I wanna do DP maintenance course,is it worth doing from Singapore ( Nautical Institute), since its far cheaper from Perth (with flights included), 3k as compared to 5k in Oz.

 

Q. Is COR a definitive requirement as most of the Offshore ships trading in Oz are NOT registered in Australia

 

Q. Also what outlook/opportunities do you seniors see for a ETO in Offshore Australian Market.

 

Q. Why does Australia & NZ have such a cumbersome process for COR while other countries issue it without much DRAMA e.g singapore etc.

 

 

Kindly answer above queries and Cheers !!!

 

Gurminder Grewal

ETO

 

I'll answer what I know;

 

DP Maintenance - In this climate, do contact the training centres and see if you can negotiate as an independent candidate and also consider the quality of training. Farstad Simulation in Perth do have some excellent and very very experience trainers with up to date equipment. If doing it in Singapore, look around carefully. Some of the training centres have outdated equipment and inexperienced trainers and you'll have the certificate but will learn very little. I'd definitely try to get on the latest Kongsberg K-Pos equipment or the newest Rolls Royce consoles. If you can do it at Kongsberg in Singapore, that would be the best option.

 

AMSA CoR is not a requirement for working offshore in Australia, and yes most vessels are registered overseas anyway, so for yourself not a big priority in my opinion. Also consider that many New Zealanders work offshore in Australia on Australian contracts and all of the companies pay to commute them back and forth from NZ to Australia, so moving here probably won't make much difference for work.

 

Outlook/Opportunities; except for the big project ships, most of the smaller offshore vessels don't have ETO's here due to both the cost and the expectation that the existing Engineers have sufficient knowledge (in my company the C/E and 1/E both have DP Maintenance certificates and we have several dual qualified 2/E + ETO's). Without DP experience you will be in a catch 22 trying to get onto the bigger DSV/Subsea Construction/Well Stimulation/Drill/Pipe Lay vessels. The only way you will know is if you pick up the phone and get in touch with some of the companies and agencies in Perth to find out what they are saying. In this climate, your best bet is to update the agencies regularly and be ready to fly at a moments notice, next year things might be picking up again.

 

Cumbersome CoR; Generally to maintain standards and provide a method of assessing skills for immigration at a high standard. Pollution and the great barrier reef feature highly in orals. Seafarer standards vary wildly, even with STCW, so it is worth checking.

[Guest]

Thank You, CaptR for your expert comments.

 

Since a NZ PR is NOT eligible to work in Oz, I have decided to apply for Oz PR, as companies have stopped the 457 visa since 2014. I am better off as I can actually apply for position in both countries and even 5-6 months work a yr is considered good in today's scenario.

 

Yes, you are right since all DP courses are regulated by NI UK, it doen't realy matter where you do it from. I know C-MAR in singapore is renowed one and also presently offering discount

 

My primary effort will be to secure some offshore work as Dual Trader ( I+E) on RIGS and platforms. There are some HUGE projects like ICATHYS,BARROW ISLAND and CURTIS ISLAND, which need E&I Technicians, and I have gained all competencies in these 2 yrs in NZ.

 

 

Lets keep fingers crossed and wish some big contracts keep coming in 2017 like SHELL PRELUDE etc.

 

 

What company you work for ?. From my search seems majority of Marine Offshore companies r based in WA, that's where I will move in first place !

 

 

Cheers!!

Edited March 31, 2016 by Gurminder Grewal

[RMN]

Good day mates, I have applied for SUBCLASS 489(Sponsored by family member) to work and live in Australia for four years. After that I would apply for PR through SUBCLASS 887 , there is a requirement to get PR and that is to work for one year in designated areas. As I am currently working in a shipping company outside of Australia I wonder if there is any proviso in this regard for mariners exempting this requirement for them?

[CaptainR]

Good day mates, I have applied for SUBCLASS 489(Sponsored by family member) to work and live in Australia for four years. After that I would apply for PR through SUBCLASS 887 , there is a requirement to get PR and that is to work for one year in designated areas. As I am currently working in a shipping company outside of Australia I wonder if there is any proviso in this regard for mariners exempting this requirement for them?

 

From what I've read there are no exemptions for Mariners, with both of these visas you must live AND "Work" in the regional area, and to go from the 489 to the 887 you will need to show the evidence of meeting those specific requirements.

Your best bet would be to consult a registered migration agent if you have any uncertainties.