417 WH to 189 PR - Bridging Visa

[yp95]

Hi All,

Since the announcement of the 457 being abolished we (along with many others) have found ourselves in a unfortunate situation. We had planned to purchase a property here and settle down but clearly that plan is up in the air.

I am currently in Melbourne on a Working Holiday visa and I "believe" my occupation falls under the skills list. I do need to take some exams however just to ensure i meet the points criteria and I am confident I can achieve this within 4 months or so.

My understanding is that if I apply for a 189 PR Visa whilst within Australia (i'm covered under working holiday visa until Dec 2017), I am eligible for a bridging visa which ensures I can stay and work in Aus until a decision is made on my 189 visa application. Would my wife also eligible to stay in Aus under the bridging visa as well? She is also here on a working holiday.

Thanks all

[wrussell]

From what you have posted:

 Your wife should be eligible to be included on your visa application as a secondary applicant.

It is not apparent whether you can nominate an occupation with good prospect of success. You might be well advised to take professional advice about this.

[VERYSTORMY]

Which of the two new lists is your occupation on? Have you checked you can pass the skills assessment as if you need to take exams to qualify and the skills assessment requires post qualification experience, the experience is usually only counted after you are fully qualified. 

[yp95]

On 4/29/2017 at 3:37 PM, VERYSTORMY said:

Which of the two new lists is your occupation on? Have you checked you can pass the skills assessment as if you need to take exams to qualify and the skills assessment requires post qualification experience, the experience is usually only counted after you are fully qualified. 

So my situation is that I have 5+ years of overseas experience in my field, and that will give me points. 

By taking a English test I can confirm I have proficient english thus getting me some more points

Finally, by taking 3 IT related exams, I would gain a qualification that is recognised by ACS (skills assessor) as a equivalent to a ICT Major Diploma, this again gets me points.

So combining all 3 of these along with Age etc, I have enough points to meet the requirement. In this scenario I'm not sure if experience will only be counted after the exams as they are 2 different criteria's. I would have thought that will be standalone.

PS. My occupation is on the Long Term scheme (previously known as the SOL)

 

On 4/29/2017 at 11:08 AM, wrussell said:

It is not apparent whether you can nominate an occupation with good prospect of success. You might be well advised to take professional advice about this.

I see what you mean however my occupation isn't really in doubt. It's whether my previous experience aligns well enough to the skills criteria. The grey area for me is whether I have accumulated 5 or more years of RELEVANT experience and unfortunately its a little unclear at this stage despite reading over the criteria many times. It may well be that ACS (skills vetting authority) see my previous experience as suitable. Personally I think it is worth a shots whilst I am still in AUS under a working holiday VISA. 

 

It means I can stay here a tad longer and accumulate Australian work experience which I suppose can bolster my prospects if nothing else.

[VERYSTORMY]

I would run it past a good registered migration agent.