Guest notmanfamily Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Has anyone gone over to Australia with the employment agency workforce solutions(WS)? Have been offered a job on 457 in Mackay. WS say they will help find a rental and school for the kids etc. It all sounds really good(too good to be true), are they as helpful as they say they are? Or am I just being too skeptical(worked for agencies in britain before) and should trust that they are not full of false promises just to get me there. The impression I get is that they take a lot of the pressure off us, which is a big reason to go with them. The money is ok and the job sounds great. Any info/feedback would be appreciated :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest notmanfamily Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Bump!!! And what do people think of Mackay? Someone just tell me whether to just up sticks and get over on a 457 or should I just stick it out for the 175(going to apply anyway)? What do you think? notmanfamily:notworthy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest acbh2 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Bump!!! And what do people think of Mackay? Not to offend anyone in Mackay....however u do ask what people think so I'll tell u my opinion...... If your into shopping, and like life to be busy with plenty of options and things to do then Mackay probably isn't the place to be (shops of which are few, close at 3 on a sat & don't open on a sunday). If your coming to Oz for miles and miles of golden sands then Mackay probably isn't the place to be. Mackay is also so far from anywhere else you really need to travel a good few hours by car/plane to reach anywhere. However on the plus side, if you like things to be totally relaxed and really slow paced then you may well love Mackay. It is a very lovely place for a short visit and there is a beautiful outdoor swimming pool with a children's area and a beautiful marina which is great for a few drinks and a nice meal. Its relatively easy to get jobs there at the mo as the infrastructure of the whole area is growing rapidly. Not sure what a 175 visa is, but if this gives you the option to check out Mackay but then go elsewhere if Mackay isn't right for you then I would def go for this option. You don't want to be stuck in Mackay on a 457 if its not the right place for you. One last point, I have been in Oz 18 months and am pretty much acclimatised to the weather, however on a recent visit to Mackay (to visit a pal who could only get a 457 in Mackay, and can't wait to leave) it was so hot and humid I spent the whole time wishing it would rain:eek:. Good luck with everything Axx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hi Notman family Workforce Solutions are very highly reputable. Hence they are the only recruitment / on-hire Agency in Oz who are allowed to sponsor migrants themselves. I would have no fears at all about them on that score. I grilled their UK man Richard Thomas until he was cooked when WFS first appeared on the UK scene earlier this year! He stood up to the grilling. He is a really nice man, totally straight and he gave me straight answers. WFS won't sponsor you unless you have a positive skills assessment, so I assume that you are OK on that? Would you be applying for your 175 visa before leaving for Oz, so that the 457 visa would be no more than a temporary stop gap for a few months whilst your 175 visa is processed? Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lynnjez Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Hi Gill Workforce solutions are no longer the only recruitment company who are allowed to sponsor people themselves. If I remeber correctly they were the first. There is also a company called Bayside recruitment based in Melbourne who have sponsored my hubby..they too have the agreement from the Australian government to sponsor people . We are here with them on a 457 . My hubby is sponsored by Bayside but works at a company in Adelaide , but is paid by Bayside if you see what I mean. As for the OP it may be worth looking at Bayside's website as they have lots of different trades that they sponsor in various places. We had the choice of melbourne or Adelaide. They have been brilliant so far and Yes they did help with finding a rental...paying rental bond and first weeks rent and generally being really helpful. They also had someone meet us at the airport..which was a nice touch. The website is wwwbaysidegrp.com.au Hope this is useful Good luck Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Collett Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Also, Interstaff: http://www.interstaff.com/downloads/asx/Final%20ASX%20Release%201.10.08.pdf Best regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Hi All Thanks for the information about the two new companies. I was not aware of either of them till now but I think it is a really good thing that there are more of them. Somebody on here knows someone who works for the Credo Group Pty Ltd. Our member said that her friend at Credo had told her that they are also able to sponsor migrants now. I've not said anything about this hitherto because the Credo website does not seem to mention it so I do not know whether the information is accurate. Does anyone else know about this, I wonder? Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Hi Lynn, Hi Alan I have just been looking at the websites for Bayside and Interstaff. As I said earlier, I have not heard of either of these two companies before but I can instantly think of a couple of PiO Members whom they might be able to help. I have a query with regard to trade skills occupations and I am wondering whether either of you know the answer? I know that Workforce Solutions say that they will not sponsor somebody who does not have a positive skills assessment. Do Bayside and Interstaff have the same policy? I notice that Locksmiths are in Schedule B, re-published by Interstaff but apparently British Locksmiths cannot get any formal qualifications here and they cannot be assessed for the AQF III instead out in Australia either. So would Interstaff consider a British Locksmith, given the circumstances? My second query is on behalf of British tradies who are caught up in the Pathway D thing. Some of them are in the same situation as British locksmiths. But at least one tradie has said recently that he could get NVQ2 via RPL etc but that TRA have told him they won't accept it if he did not obtain the NVQ2 within 2 years of completing his informal apprenticeship. I am wondering whether Bayside & Interstaff might hold the key if they can unlock the Pathway D problem via a 457 visa without the need for a positive trade skills assessment? Many thanks Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest notmanfamily Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I have a query with regard to trade skills occupations and I am wondering whether either of you know the answer? I know that Workforce Solutions say that they will not sponsor somebody who does not have a positive skills assessment. I am being sent a contract after accepting a job offer with workforce solutions. We met them at aintree expo, we informed them that we havent passed our tra and they said we did not need to have the tra for them to sponsor us. We are still going to apply for the 175 before we leave the uk on the 457. Re the medicals, does this mean we will have to pay twice for seperate medicals(1 for 457, 1 for 175) even though we could send at the same time? Or can we just do one lot? thanks for the replies notmanfamily:spinny: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Hi Notmanfamily In your case the TRA question is academic in one sense: without a positive skills assessment from TRA, you cannot apply for a subclass 175 visa. My conversation with Richard Thomas of Workforce Solutions - concerning what he said was their "company policy" not to sponsor people who do not have positive skills assessments - took place back in April or May 2008. I have not spoken with him since. They might have changed their company policy in view of the continuing hold-up with TRA Pathway D. I don't know because I haven't asked Richard. I am wondering whether anyone else has asked him and has asked the other two as well? The meds for a 457 visa for an adult are not as detailed as for full PR. An adult who will not be going into a nursing or teaching environment only needs a chest x-ray for the 457 visa, though children need full meds, I believe: Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 22. The Health Requirement dima_health - Australian High Commission You will need to arrange for a Panel Doctor to examine the children. The Form is Form 26, at the foot of the page on the AHC website. However there are e-versions of Forms 26 & 160 (the chest x-ray form) so if WFS - or their Agents, who appear to be Go Matilda - will be making an e-application you will need their advice about how to tackle the meds. Forms 1163i and 1071i contain the gist for temporary and permanent residency meds respectively. If the children's meds are less than a year old when your CO is ready to grant the 175 visas, it should not be necessary to have to re-do them in full. You and your wife would need full meds prior to the grant of the SC 175 visas but you can get those done in Australia (I've heard it is quite a lot cheaper than having them done in the UK) Health Services Australia do them when the visa applicant is in Oz. HSA Group - Online Bookings Are you aware that the whole family will need to be outside Australia for a few days so that your 175 visas can be granted whilst you are outside Oz and the visa labels put into your passports by a DIAC office outside Australia? Most people go to Fiji or Auckland for this purpose if they are in Eastern Oz, and to Bali or Singapore if they are in WA or the NT. However from Mackay I would suggest that you check out New Caledonia as well, because there is a DIAC office in Noumea, the capital, and they are not only beautiful islands but they are also the closest "offshore" destination geographically - about 1,000 miles or so. New Caldeonia is French-governed. (Old Misery Guts, who was the Port Capitan in Cherbourg for a while, applied for and got the job of being the Harbour Master in Noumea. We all sent champagne and offered to help him to pack!) You only need to go offshore for about 5 working days but in practice a 7 or 10 night package holiday often works out more cheaply than arranging flights and accommodation independently, and the COs are willing to wait until the "irresistible special offer" comes up as long as you do not try to delay matters indefinitely. Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest notmanfamily Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Thank you Gill Yep we are still doing tra, to get our 175. OH just cant wait to be out there and the job sounds good with chance of promotion. We have decided to rent house out(market the way it is), sell it in a few years. We know about being out of the country for visa to be granted. Will keep some money back for this and meds etc. Just the usual worries and stupid questions lol thank you for taking the time to respond it is much appreciated :notworthy: notmanfamily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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