189 or 186 or 482

[BeCann]

Hi, 

I’m a general practitioner doctor aiming to move to Victoria next year, I have an employer already. The plan was to apply for the 482 visa and I have been in the process of assessment paperwork. Recently, my employer’s agent has suggested I apply for a 189 visa as they appear to be rushed through currently and not to read into the published processing times. I see the obvious advantages of a PR visa but I’m apprehensive about the longer waiting periods. Does anyone else have experience of this quicker processing 189 visa? What’s the waiting period for an EOI?

Is it possible to emigrate on a 482 visa and then apply for a 189 visa onshore?
 

Alternatively, a 186 nomination visa has been discussed which apparently has a 5-7 month waiting period just for the nomination to be approved. Would this be a better option to the 189 visa as it has shorter published processing times for the actual visa than 189? I like my employer and looking forward to working with them so I’m not concerned about being tied into a contract with them. 
 

Thanks for any help. 

[Marisawright]

In your shoes, I'd be going for the 189.  Even if it results in a slightly longer waiting time (which it may not), you will arrive and instantly have a full PR visa.  Nothing beats that!  

[BeCann]

I appreciate it is a golden visa but current reported processing times are almost two years (for 25%), unless these really are out dated and not realistic processing times. If they are true then it’s not worth the wait. I guess that’s what I am trying to ascertain.

[Marisawright]

27 minutes ago, BeCann said:

I appreciate it is a golden visa but current reported processing times are almost two years (for 25%), unless these really are out dated and not realistic processing times. If they are true then it’s not worth the wait. I guess that’s what I am trying to ascertain.

The two year period applies to only 25% of those visas and they would be from 'high risk' countries which require far more stringent security clearances than the UK.

If the employer's agent thinks the 189 is being rushed through, then he's speaking from experience.  That's worth a lot more than the published wait times which are notoriously unreliable.  Having said that, I have to say I'm surprised if they're being rushed through, because there's a huge backlog of 189's which weren't processed during Covid.  

On reflection, I'd suggest asking about the 186DE.  They have been getting rushed through much faster than the quoted wait times.

[Raplin45]

37 minutes ago, BeCann said:

I appreciate it is a golden visa but current reported processing times are almost two years (for 25%), unless these really are out dated and not realistic processing times. If they are true then it’s not worth the wait. I guess that’s what I am trying to ascertain.

Hiya, 189 is without a doubt the 'best' visa but processing times at the mo are a bit of an unknown as far as I can tell. The times given at the moment take into account the visas that are being processed most recently i.e. people who have been waiting ages due to lack of grants during covid etc.. Of course they're now trying to clear that backlog so I expect once those in the queue are processed we'll see it come down...but by how much and when? Not sure

I am pretty sure that you can go over on the 186 and have your 189 waiting in the background which once processed (while in Australia) would supersede the 186 (happy to be corrected on that!).

Edited August 25, 2022 by Raplin45

[paulhand]

2 hours ago, BeCann said:

Is it possible to emigrate on a 482 visa and then apply for a 189 visa onshore?

Yes, and that may make sense in your situation.

[Cobs_Ahoy]

I’m in a similar situation, have been offered 186 but received 189 invite on Monday, and have decided to go with 186. This is a PR visa, and if you are employer sponsored, offshore and an HCP you will  be processed as a priority. I spoke to my employer today and they seemed to think 1-3 months (ish) for a 186DE grant in my situation (offshore nurse), but bear it mind it can take ages for an employer to actually get the nomination lodged - it’s taken my employer 9 weeks since they verbally offered me the job, and that seems to be fairly standard. 
 

if I’m honest, I almost just lodged the 189 application on Monday as was starting to despair that my employer would ever lodge the nomination paperwork, but they’ve done it today (🥳) so I’m sticking with that. 189 is points tested so if you’ve made any mistakes/miscalculations you are vulnerable to visa not being granted. 186 requirements seem less difficult to meet (in my case anyway, due to MAT leave potentially effecting points). Also, although I reckon that currently visa type has less of a baring on process times than occupation and offshore status, the 186 pathway does show you have a job waiting which might influence things. But I would totally discount current processing times in your case, most of the 189 invitation round was targeted at health and education, both of which are needed immediately, so I don’t *think* they are going to take too long. Basically I would go for 189 if I were you!

[BeCann]

46 minutes ago, Cobs_Ahoy said:

I’m in a similar situation, have been offered 186 but received 189 invite on Monday, and have decided to go with 186. This is a PR visa, and if you are employer sponsored, offshore and an HCP you will  be processed as a priority. I spoke to my employer today and they seemed to think 1-3 months (ish) for a 186DE grant in my situation (offshore nurse), but bear it mind it can take ages for an employer to actually get the nomination lodged - it’s taken my employer 9 weeks since they verbally offered me the job, and that seems to be fairly standard. 
 

if I’m honest, I almost just lodged the 189 application on Monday as was starting to despair that my employer would ever lodge the nomination paperwork, but they’ve done it today (🥳) so I’m sticking with that. 189 is points tested so if you’ve made any mistakes/miscalculations you are vulnerable to visa not being granted. 186 requirements seem less difficult to meet (in my case anyway, due to MAT leave potentially effecting points). Also, although I reckon that currently visa type has less of a baring on process times than occupation and offshore status, the 186 pathway does show you have a job waiting which might influence things. But I would totally discount current processing times in your case, most of the 189 invitation round was targeted at health and education, both of which are needed immediately, so I don’t *think* they are going to take too long. Basically I would go for 189 if I were you!

Have your employers given you an indication of how long the nomination would take to process? I was initially told 1-3 months but then told 5-7 months. 

[Cobs_Ahoy]

Well you can lodge the visa at the same time as the nomination, which is what I’m planning to do, so I guess my employer meant it would take 1-3 months for the both to be granted. From looking on some Facebook groups other HCPs seem to lodge their visa at the same time as the nomination, and they generally seem get granted at the same time (if everything is in order with both parts).
 

I think if your employer isn’t accredited though it can be different/riskier as I presume home affairs are more likely to scrutinise the nomination, and there is always a chance the employer could have done something wrong on the application. My employer is an accredited sponsor which is why I feel more comfortable lodging them simultaneously.

[BeCann]

Hmm, good to know. I suspect that once they lodge their nomination a TRN is created that could then be used to access the 186 visa application. Didn’t realise that, that can make a big difference. Thanks 

[DXW059]

Do you have a positive skills assessment (I.e. full or specialist AHPRA registration)? Generally for doctors this requires working for a period of time in Australia. Only then can you apply for the 189.

 

[BeCann]

Thanks. Yes I do have AHPRA registration as I have previously worked in OZ.

I think I am going to go with 186, I didn’t realise the visa application can be simultaneous with the nomination application. 

[Marisawright]

32 minutes ago, BeCann said:

Thanks. Yes I do have AHPRA registration as I have previously worked in OZ.

I think I am going to go with 186, I didn’t realise the visa application can be simultaneous with the nomination application. 

The 186 is an employer-sponsored visa so they are the drivers of the whole process.

Edited September 6, 2022 by Marisawright

[BeCann]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

The 186 is an employer-sponsored visa so they are the drivers of the whole process.

I don’t understand this comment. I appreciate they have to nominate an applicant for a 186 visa to be initiated but how do they drive the whole process? I assumed they were reliant on the immigration process like everyone else once they submitted their nomination, similar to a 482. Or am I missing some driving power that an employer has? The nomination; the visa application and then the wait or processing is the whole process in my eyes, how are they able to drive the other factors apart from the nomination?

[Marisawright]

45 minutes ago, BeCann said:

I don’t understand this comment. I appreciate they have to nominate an applicant for a 186 visa to be initiated but how do they drive the whole process? I assumed they were reliant on the immigration process like everyone else once they submitted their nomination, similar to a 482. Or am I missing some driving power that an employer has? The nomination; the visa application and then the wait or processing is the whole process in my eyes, how are they able to drive the other factors apart from the nomination?

Sorry I just meant that they are in charge of the application rather than you.

[Cobs_Ahoy]

Good luck OP. When I was first looking into sponsorship I came across a post on the RCN international bulletins board that was posted by an Australian recruitment agency called Health Staff Recruitment. They were really good at helping me find a sponsored post, and the guy mentioned that a lot of the work they do is recruiting GPS. Looking on their website be a helpful starting point.

https://www.healthstaffrecruitment.co.uk/

I went with a different job in the end that id found independently on Queensland Health’s own website, but only because it was a very specific job in a very specific location that really appealed to me. Just make sure you are clear from the offset you are only interested in 186, and there’s probably no harm lodging some EoIs for independent visas too (189, 190 etc).