Onshore PR: sponsored or independent???

[Guest guest17301]

Hi! Me again, :SLEEP:

 

As some of you may already be aware! we are going to Perth in January on a 457 visa.

I am aware of the limitations of this visa and we are only going for it as my employer has offered sponsorship for PR after only 3 months and a successful appraisal.

 

I was wondering what the difference is between an independent and an employer sponsored onshore PR visa (if any). I am hoping the sponsored way will be quicker? I know the cost is the same.

 

It's important that we get PR asap as we have 2 children and the family support will come in handy. We should be able to continue to claim child benefit and tax credit in the UK for the first 3 months (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

So my reasoning is that there may only be a short period of time when we are surviving on just my income. Hubs will work as soon as we can find something that fits round me/look into childcare options etc.

 

can anyone advise? x

[Guest Birdiesinoz]

Hi! Me again, :SLEEP:

 

As some of you may already be aware! we are going to Perth in January on a 457 visa.

I am aware of the limitations of this visa and we are only going for it as my employer has offered sponsorship for PR after only 3 months and a successful appraisal.

 

I was wondering what the difference is between and independent and an employer sponsored onshore PR visa (if any). I am hoping the sponsored way will be quicker? I know the cost is the same.

 

It's important that we get PR asap as we have 2 children and the family support will come in handy. We should be able to continue to claim child benefit and tax credit in the UK for the first 3 months (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

So my reasoning is that there may only be a short period of time when we are surviving on just my income. Hubs will work as soon as we can find something that fits round me/look into childcare options etc.

 

can anyone advise? x

 

Hi Fiona

 

On a 457 you are not eligible to apply for the onshore skilled independent 885 visa so if you applied independently for the 175 although you can be onshore when you apply you would be required to go offshore just prior to the visa being granted which would mean that you would incur costs of a trip out of Australia for the whole family.

 

The onshore employer sponsored application would be the way to go and should be a fairly quick route. I have found them to take between 2 - 6 months depending on the business sponsoring.

 

hope this helps

[Guest guest17301]

Hi Fiona

 

On a 457 you are not eligible to apply for the onshore skilled independent 885 visa so if you applied independently for the 175 although you can be onshore when you apply you would be required to go offshore just prior to the visa being granted which would mean that you would incur costs of a trip out of Australia for the whole family.

 

The onshore employer sponsored application would be the way to go and should be a fairly quick route. I have found them to take between 2 - 6 months depending on the business sponsoring.

 

hope this helps

 

Thanks Cheryl, that's really helpful.. The sponsoring employer is the WA Dept of Health. Am I right in assuming it should be pretty quick with an employer of this size? Also do you know if my 457 medicals would be accepted or would we have to get them done again?

Cheers Fiona

[Mongrel]

Thanks Cheryl, that's really helpful.. The sponsoring employer is the WA Dept of Health. Am I right in assuming it should be pretty quick with an employer of this size? Also do you know if my 457 medicals would be accepted or would we have to get them done again?

Cheers Fiona

 

Hi

We are on a 457 oh a nurse and she is being sponsored by wa health, medicals you have to have them done here as well as character refs and police checks. I dont know you line of work but we had to bull**** them with exceptional circumstances as financial probs and me gettin work, one word tho here Wa means wait awhile or as some locals say wait a long time. We going for meds next 2 fridays

 

Mally from Kally n Nic

[Guest guest17301]

Some say you can use 457 meds and some say you can't?? Does it depend on the CO? I would have thought it would be ok if within 12 months? Are they as expensive over there Mally?

When you say you had to bull**** what was reasn behind that? Were they slow to offer the sponsorship? If the 457 is anything to go by should'nt be a prob, getting great and fast responses from my new mangers

[Mongrel]

Some say you can use 457 meds and some say you can't?? Does it depend on the CO? I would have thought it would be ok if within 12 months? Are they as expensive over there Mally?

When you say you had to bull**** what was reasn behind that? Were they slow to offer the sponsorship? If the 457 is anything to go by should'nt be a prob, getting great and fast responses from my new mangers

 

Hi

She had no prob but we are over 45 they are great at the hospital but the health, they are a bit slow to say the least. You still need the anmc thing she has told me (oh) thats $200 meds are a bit cheaper, one thing is free witnessing of your docs makes a refreshing change and the visa is processed in Perth so you can take all your stuff in and lodge it, just sending the vreification thing off makes me laugh she has worked for them and got a promotion but has to have skills assessed. I swear ayres rock is grey and its the red tape making it look red

 

Mally

[Guest Birdiesinoz]

Thanks Cheryl, that's really helpful.. The sponsoring employer is the WA Dept of Health. Am I right in assuming it should be pretty quick with an employer of this size? Also do you know if my 457 medicals would be accepted or would we have to get them done again?

Cheers Fiona

 

Hi Fiona

 

Meds will need to be done again as the reporting on the ones done for temporary visa's are slightly different than for permanent, however the x-rays should be fine if they are within 12 months.

 

If there are no exceptional circumstances (i.e. if you have your full qualifications, 12 months experience and are under 45) then the application should be pretty straight forward and 'quick' but be prepared, as many other posters have noted, Aussies like to take their time, are never in a rush and are very laid back. If the managers are getting things through quickly now though there should be no reason for it to be any different with your permanent application.

 

Good luck, if you need anymore info let me know.

:spinny:

[ali]

When we left the UK our child benefit stopped completly the same week, we are over the threshold to claim an child assistance here in Oz.

 

Ali

[Guest guest17301]

When we left the UK our child benefit stopped completly the same week, we are over the threshold to claim an child assistance here in Oz.

 

Ali

 

 

Hi Ali,

 

I thought there was a system in Oz similar to the Uk child benefit were most people could claim something unless earning mega bucks!! Thought threshhold was $150,000. You must be minted, lol.

I'm sure I can carry on claiming child benefit for 3 months after we leave, been on the inland revenue site, perhaps cos we going on a temp visa maybe??

Think once we are PR if hubs gets part time job (his plan!) should get small amount from family tax.

Every penny helps!

[ali]

We're no way minted, but 'cos both hubby and I were earning our joint income didnt' qualify, and it was nowhere near $150,000 - the threshold may have changed though

[Guest guest17301]

Might be worth making enquiries Ali, pretty sure you can claim something x

[Mongrel]

Luv it not there yet and knoe it all

[suzy+1]

Am looking into PR via ENS now, spoke to a colleague going down the independant route-she said she didnt have to have meds done for application because they had been done within 12 months back in UK.

What i am wondering is on the immigration website it says something like 'must be full time, ongoing and available for 3 yrs' with regards to PR via ENS, i was hoping to cut my hours down a little once i had PR so does anyone know if am tied with employer to work full time for 3 yrs if i go this route??

[Guest guest17301]

Luv it not there yet and knoe it all

 

 

Thanks a lot, was only trying to help. Won't bother in future I'll just keep my gob shut from now on :sad:

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi All

 

The Aussie Benefit under discussion is Family Tax Benefit. People on well under $100K a year can nevertheless be above the threshold for it. My sister and her husband are in the same position as Ali's family.

 

The details are here:

 

Site Help - A - Z Directory

 

With regard to the UK end of things, I guess it is possible that one could claim for a further 3 months if one is abroad but not "emigrating." However there is no Reciprocal Social Security Agreement between Oz and the UK (there was till about 2001 when the UK decided to ditch it.) The term "Social Security", in this context, is used in the Australian sense - ie everything administered by Centrelink because it is not all chopped up between several different Agencies the way it is in the UK.

 

I haven't a clue about Family tax arrangements in either jurisdiction so I can't help beyond the comments & link above.

 

Fiona - if you can find the section again on the UK site, you may well be right about 3 months but just make sure that that is not something that only applies if you are moving around within the EU, I suggest. As I say, I don't know the answer but there do seem to be one or two quirks involving the EU and I don't know whether this could be done of them.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Suzy + 1

 

The position has to be a full-time job which is available for 3 years minimum. As long as that is the case at the time when the visa is granted, DIAC's involvement ends after the grant. If you stay at the same hospital and you and they subsequently decide on different working hours for you, it has no impact on your PR visa and status.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest guest17301]

Thanks for taking the time to post that information Gill. The UK child benefit (albeit a small amount) will make the difference in the first difficult months in Oz till my husband finds work.

I was fairly sure we were eligible going from the centrelink website but will definitely take a second look. Thanks again, Fiona

[suzy+1]

Thanks for that Gill, good to get clarified as my colleague has gone for the onshore independant route thinking she would be tied to full time for 3 yrs. Time to start my PR application then!

[Guest guest17301]

Hi again,

Just had another look. For us, because I will be sole earner for a while we will be eligible for Family Tax part B and possibly some part A. When hubs starts work quite possibly be entitled to nothing. I was looking at it mainly from the perpective of a 1 income family. Thanks for the link Gill.

 

From 1 July 2008, Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part B is limited to families (single parent or couple) where the primary earner has an adjusted taxable income of $150,000 or less per annum.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Fiona

 

The nil that I know about FTB arose in the context of a discussion I had with my sister when we were planning Mum's Contributory Parent visa together. My sister Elaine, in Perth, is Mum's sponsor and she and Hubby Neil are Mum's Assurers of Support.

 

The Assurers are means-tested and at the time their eligibility was determined by reference to Family Tax Benefit Part A. (Which resulted in an AoS income formula that no ordinary mortal could calculate from scratch and it has been simplified with effect from 1st January 2008 - they now use a different benchmark that does not involve FTB at all.)

 

Anyway, at the time Elaine said that their income was one notch below the point at which they would not be able to claim FTB, so they received a small amount of FTB but were comfortably over the threshold for the AOS, which the discussion was about.

 

Elaine mentioned something about they could claim the FTB each month (I think) but she said it suited them better just to collect it in a lump once a year.

 

I chuck this useless piece of info in just in case it might be something you might want to consider. I had the briefest of squints at FTB at the time, decided it was too complicated and instructed my sister to get their tax accountant to do the figures for the AoS and make sure they would work, and then run the figures past Centrelink (who administer the AoS Scheme) to make sure that Centrelink could live with them too. I tend to have a pragmatic approach to such matters!

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest guest17301]

Thanks Gill,

Unfortunately it seems bureaucracy and red tape are as much of a problem in Oz as in the UK (if not more so??!) The overcomplicated systems seem to actively discourage people from claiming sometimes. I don't think we have had one year when we haven't ended up owing the Inland Revenue (even though we advised them of all changes as requested) after filing our end of year income for tax credits. I think half the problem is you get the cash in advance. If they waited till they had your 'actual income' from your P45 it would be a lot more simple and avoid a lot of financial hassles for people. The Aussie family tax seems quite similar to the UK system to me