Captain_Tor Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Hi All, Sorry if this is in the wrong section, I have just joined and need some advice! Me and my husband absolutely love Australia and have spent the last 6 years trying to emigrate! In short my husband works for himself as a Graphic Designer (no qualification just experience) and has twice taken 6 month temporary contracts on a Subclass 400 Visa with a company in Australia who have paid for him to go over and stay & work for them, both times he has been based in Brisbane & Sydney and we have taken some time out to travel in Australia afterwards (me on a temp working holiday visa). We hoped there might be a permanent opportunity with his work to emigrate but it's now more than ever looking unlikely to go down his route more than anything as he doesn't have a degree in Graphic Design and I work in a 'normal' office type job with no degree. In which case, I am looking to retrain in a career that would give us the best opportunity to move. I currently work in business development and finance so I would be looking for a complete change in career. I was re-training in hairdressing some years ago for this specific reason and a year into my course, hairdressing was removed from the skills list so I know this is always a risk. I have been looking at Midwifery or Radiography as I know I can enter access courses which will then likely get me into the required university courses. I know it would be a 3-5 year retraining option but I know it would be worth it. However, I have seen so much around issues with obtaining visas and getting the correct qualification and experience so again, I'm worried I could end up dedicating some much time to re-training and then the qualification not be easily transferable. I guess, in short, I'm looking to understand what re-training route would be most beneficial to go down career wise in order to give us the best shot at emigrating? Background (age: he's 36 I'm 31, both professional with further education but without degrees) Any help or advice is appreciated. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 I also forgot to mention I currently work within a financial team within Assurance, alongside internal audit so there is also an option for me to take independent study to become an internal auditor... however this would be independently financed by me and not via any student loan like other university options. However, I know internal auditor is on the current medium to long term skills list... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 I’d probably avoid midwifery. There are issues with getting registered in Australia. Same with Occupational Therapy, just as an aside. Not sure about radiography, they are training a fair few in Australia so it might go from the list eventually. How long would the internal auditor course take? Another thing is how much post grad experience you need for the visa against losing points for age. Not much help I know, more my musings! Good luck with your decision. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Possibly nursing, but even that is no certainty of remaining on lists as Aus is producing more graduate nurses and less positions are available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 My only concern with the Internal Auditor option is that currently, there are hordes of accountants trying to get into Australia and failing. If they decide to retrain, auditor would be an obvious pathway. So you might find that by the time you're qualified, there's an oversupply. It is tough to know what to do. The problem is that Australia isn't a new country, desperate for workers, any more. The unemployment rate in Australia is about the same as the UK. For that reason, there's always a chance that no matter what you choose to do, it may not get you into Australia. For that reason, I'd strongly suggest choosing a profession you want to do, so that the effort isn't wasted if the door to Australia closes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 I would advise against retraining in anything health care related unless you have a real interest in doing it. Nursing and Midwifery are tough enough professions without doing it just to get a visa (I'm speaking as a former Nurse and Midwife here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 I would say only retrain if it something you really want to do into an occupation you really want to spend decades doing regardless of if it results in a visa. Both the occupation lists and the entire process changes regularly and it is impossible to know if an occupation will be eligible even tomorrow, let alone in a number of years time (the department have repeatedly made massive changes that have been a big sudden surprise) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballaratburd Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 I would be very surprised if nursing or midwifery ever came off the skills list as it is a skill that will always be in demand here. However as previously mentioned it is a pretty labour intensive degree to undertake and if you are only doing it as a means to moving here you could struggle. That being said you may find you really love it and find your true calling in life haha. I am a nurse and I love my job, working in Australia as a nurse is a million times better than working for the NHS and the Victorian government are intent on making it even better for us by keeping patient ratios and increasing our base salary this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 3 hours ago, Ballaratburd said: I would be very surprised if nursing or midwifery ever came off the skills list as it is a skill that will always be in demand here. However as previously mentioned it is a pretty labour intensive degree to undertake and if you are only doing it as a means to moving here you could struggle. That being said you may find you really love it and find your true calling in life haha. I am a nurse and I love my job, working in Australia as a nurse is a million times better than working for the NHS and the Victorian government are intent on making it even better for us by keeping patient ratios and increasing our base salary this year. Actually, the Australian government have announced (over a year ago) that it wants to see most medical occupations removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballaratburd Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Actually, the Australian government have announced (over a year ago) that it wants to see most medical occupations removed. Really? That surprises me given how hard it is to fill nursing and medical positions out here. It certainly is more difficult to get sponsored these days but jobs are always available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Just now, Ballaratburd said: Really? That surprises me given how hard it is to fill nursing and medical positions out here. It certainly is more difficult to get sponsored these days but jobs are always available. That I think depends on the state. In recent times, QLD and WA have had redundancies and jobs are not easy to find anymore for permanent roles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 Hi All, Thank you for your replies I originally thought about going into healthcare as I've always had an interest in becoming a midwife but my life took a more corporate path. It's disappointing to hear that Aus are looking to remove healthcare professions from the skills list in the future and that current qualified & experienced professionals are struggling to find work and this certainly puts me off re-training in this field. I have been in touch with the Chartered institute of Internal Auditors to assess whether I could self fund my study towards an auditing qualification which is looking like a positive option, it would take me 2-3 years but it's in line with my current experience and would also offer me good career progression in the UK if Australia removed it from the MLTSSL. It's also my understanding that many of the Big Accountancy firms in the UK have offices in Australia so sponsorship or job transfer could be possible further down the line so that's another route in if it is removed from the skill list. I think this is going to be the most viable (but expensive) option! All of my Australian friends think it's an easy country to get in to and don't seem to understand how difficult it is if you don't have the skills they want! I've just joined this forum and love reading everyones different experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 5 minutes ago, Captain_Tor said: All of my Australian friends think it's an easy country to get in to and don't seem to understand how difficult it is if you don't have the skills they want! It's odd because it's been difficult to get a visa for Australia for many, many years. I think the perception still lingers from the boom times of the 50's and 60's when the Ten Pound Poms arrived in droves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 Just now, Marisawright said: It's odd because it's been difficult to get a visa for Australia for many, many years. I think the perception still lingers from the boom times of the 50's and 60's when the Ten Pound Poms arrived in droves. Yes I definitely think that's the case. We have so many Australian friends and they think we can apply for a visa, get it granted and move over no problem. Especially the sponsorship option, my husband was offered role with a company to work in their Australia offer in Sydney, then there was a crack down on hiring from abroad so they put a stop to it. Just seems it's a lot harder than ever even if it's on a wanted skill list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 4 hours ago, Captain_Tor said: Yes I definitely think that's the case. We have so many Australian friends and they think we can apply for a visa, get it granted and move over no problem. Especially the sponsorship option, my husband was offered role with a company to work in their Australia offer in Sydney, then there was a crack down on hiring from abroad so they put a stop to it. Just seems it's a lot harder than ever even if it's on a wanted skill list. Yes, at times we are really not “wanted down under!” Certainly doctors are being cut as Australia is on track to be training a surplus of those very soon. As a nurse I found the community roles drying up but the ward work or acute sectors usually have vacancies. You do need to like it though. The training alone isn’t a barrel of laughs much less the reality of the work! Good luck with whatever you pursue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 17 hours ago, Captain_Tor said: Hi All, Thank you for your replies I originally thought about going into healthcare as I've always had an interest in becoming a midwife but my life took a more corporate path. It's disappointing to hear that Aus are looking to remove healthcare professions from the skills list in the future and that current qualified & experienced professionals are struggling to find work and this certainly puts me off re-training in this field. I have been in touch with the Chartered institute of Internal Auditors to assess whether I could self fund my study towards an auditing qualification which is looking like a positive option, it would take me 2-3 years but it's in line with my current experience and would also offer me good career progression in the UK if Australia removed it from the MLTSSL. It's also my understanding that many of the Big Accountancy firms in the UK have offices in Australia so sponsorship or job transfer could be possible further down the line so that's another route in if it is removed from the skill list. I think this is going to be the most viable (but expensive) option! All of my Australian friends think it's an easy country to get in to and don't seem to understand how difficult it is if you don't have the skills they want! I've just joined this forum and love reading everyones different experiences. Auditor (and accountant) are roles that are some of the most likely to be removed and have been flagged for removal repeatedly. Already very difficult to get visas for either as both need very high points Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj1980 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 @verystormy has a very good point. What points will you need to have a realistic change of achieving a visa in the future? 70/75? Can you gain these points? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 6 hours ago, VERYSTORMY said: Auditor (and accountant) are roles that are some of the most likely to be removed and have been flagged for removal repeatedly. Already very difficult to get visas for either as both need very high points It seems the whole Australian immigration system is incredibly volatile so I suppose it's impossible to judge what will be removed and when. I have found numerous threads and articles online going back to 2013/14 where they have advised that Accountant may be removed but it hasn't happened yet, still never say never and like you have mentioned, the goal posts have been moved for many occupations to make it more difficult. So for any of us looking to re-train to emigrate, it's always going to be a risk, will just have to have faith that we can only do what we feel might give us our best chance at emigrating while still bearing in mind that it might not happen regardless of what steps we take. I guess more than ever it makes sense for me to train in something I am already skilled at to further my career development over here in the UK and just keep faith that it might also open a door to Australia at some point. Either that or my husband might have to re-train in a trade too! Give us double the chance 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 5 hours ago, benj1980 said: @verystormy has a very good point. What points will you need to have a realistic change of achieving a visa in the future? 70/75? Can you gain these points? From what I can see the current it's currently set at 65 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
can1983 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 8 hours ago, Captain_Tor said: From what I can see the current it's currently set at 65 points. That's the minimum to apply, but very little chance of an invitation to apply with 65 points for most occupations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 1 hour ago, can1983 said: That's the minimum to apply, but very little chance of an invitation to apply with 65 points for most occupations not sure, it just says internal auditor 65 points online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 3 hours ago, Captain_Tor said: not sure, it just says internal auditor 65 points online It sounds like you're not aware of another hurdle in the process. 65 points is the minimum you must score to be allowed to apply - it doesn't mean you'll get invited. When you apply for a visa, it's not a "first come first served" queue - it's a competition. The people with the most points win. So, for instance, right now there are plenty of accountants applying with 80 points or more. They're getting picked first, and anyone with fewer points is being ignored. If the supply of 80-point applicants dries up, then they start looking at people with lower points - but new applications are received every single day. Every occupation is different, obviously it depends how many people with high points are applying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 7 hours ago, Marisawright said: It sounds like you're not aware of another hurdle in the process. 65 points is the minimum you must score to be allowed to apply - it doesn't mean you'll get invited. When you apply for a visa, it's not a "first come first served" queue - it's a competition. The people with the most points win. So, for instance, right now there are plenty of accountants applying with 80 points or more. They're getting picked first, and anyone with fewer points is being ignored. If the supply of 80-point applicants dries up, then they start looking at people with lower points - but new applications are received every single day. Every occupation is different, obviously it depends how many people with high points are applying. Looking at the test assessments online once fully qualified with my experience I would likely score 70-75. I'm not an accountant, my background experience is within operational risk management & compliance. By sounds of it I think my best chance is probably qualifying and then rather than pursuing an independent visa to try a job transfer with sponsorship. Both routes are uncertain but I'll just have to give it my best shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 18 minutes ago, Captain_Tor said: Looking at the test assessments online once fully qualified with my experience I would likely score 70-75. I'm not an accountant, my background experience is within operational risk management & compliance. By sounds of it I think my best chance is probably qualifying and then rather than pursuing an independent visa to try a job transfer with sponsorship. Both routes are uncertain but I'll just have to give it my best shot. Experience only is normally allowed for POST qualification. So, the experience you have now is worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Tor Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 hour ago, VERYSTORMY said: Experience only is normally allowed for POST qualification. So, the experience you have now is worthless. Ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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