TRA Help Needed!!! Please

[Guest Joanne C-D]

We are in a dilema and can not see how to get around it!

We applied to the TRA in 2006, to have my husbands skills recognised in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. At the time of his applying to the TRA, he had already got 11 years under his belt, although no qualifications. Needless to say, he passed with flying colours, as it took only a little over 3 weeks for us to hear about the TRA's decision.

In 2009, we decided to complete our application, with the intention to move in 2010. Even though there were health issues at the time with my husband, again we were granted a 176 Visa and were delighted. We were amazed at how smoothly everything was going, baring in mind our visa took less than 6 months to be granted.

In April 2010 we sold up our home, packed up our belongings and moved to Perth.

My husband was working a few days here and there for my brother, who has an Air Conditioning Company.

However, in May 2010 he thought it was time he applied to the TRA, to get his trade recogognition certificate. We sent all the evidence that we thought was required, not including previous documentation that had been seen prior, back in 2006. We sent evidence from then onwards 2006-2010.

 

Unfortunately, the application was refused. It was refused on the basis he had not supplied at least 7 years worth of work experience. Which with hindsight I can understand, although I do not know why they could not look back at the evidence we sent in 2006. It was obveous he had more than the 4 years I had sent, or he would not have passed the TRA in 2006.

 

It was only several months later we picked ourselves up again and decided to reapply.

We sent references going back to 1995, which included 7 companies over 16 years. We included the original document stating we had passed the TRA, Evidence that my husband had been self employed for the past 4 years in the UK from 2006-2010. This included documents from our accountant confirming the nature of his business, copies of the businesses public liability insurance along with employer liability insurance for each of the 4 years, the Tax returns to HM Revenue and Customs for all 4 years, and detailed references from the companies he sub contracted to in the UK. The copy of his Skill Card which showed him as an Experienced worked in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration. He also included a 4 page Affidavit that went into great detail about his day to day duties, explaining how he would go about removing a fridge or installing a chiller or a VRV etc...

 

We sent this off in May and it was lodged on the 23rd May.

 

We had not heard anything for 6 weeks, then when I rang I was told I'sd be lucky if we would hear anything in another 6 weeks as they had had to draft in extra staff to contend with the backlog.

 

In this time, my husband was offered a good job on the strength of him getting the license, which came and went because the TRA had taken too long.

 

Anyway, we were told last week that the application had been unsuccessful again!

The reason being they had assessed him under the "7 year rule" and he didnt meet the criteria.

They explained he would need to provide a day to day explanation of what he did from his sub contracting companies, on letter head. Even though these companies had already clarified he worked for them and included the kind of installations he carried out and detailed equipment he used etc.

 

We are exasperated!! We sent of 16 years worth of evidence and it still isnt enough!

We have spent everything we came over with trying to survive on rubbish pay, to now be told my husband can not work in his trade.

Why would we pass the original TRA, if he did not show he had the experience?

What further annoys me is, we could not have even applied to the TRA for this certificate from the UK. We had to apply from Australia.

If we had known before we moved here that my husband would not get this certificate and subsequent license, then we would never have come.

 

We gave up a beautiful home, a good business to now be in rental making do on a poor wage. Working in a job he is not happy with.

 

Why accept the evidence first time around, then not the 2nd?

 

My husband has done supermarket re-fits, cinemas, multi storey office buildings, colleges, the welsh assembly and lots more, yet he can not get recognition for his trade. He knows fridgies out here that do not have that experience, yet have the ticket... it is soo frustrating.

 

We feel like we have been falsely brought over here. We have spent the best part of $80k and have nothing to show for it.

 

We are at our wits end... I am writing this to find out if anyone else has had these problems. If so, is there any advice they could give?

 

We are at a point now where we could easily go back to the UK, if it wasnt for the expense of doing so and the fact we have no home to go back to now

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated

[derren7]

We are in a dilema and can not see how to get around it!

We applied to the TRA in 2006, to have my husbands skills recognised in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. At the time of his applying to the TRA, he had already got 11 years under his belt, although no qualifications. Needless to say, he passed with flying colours, as it took only a little over 3 weeks for us to hear about the TRA's decision.

In 2009, we decided to complete our application, with the intention to move in 2010. Even though there were health issues at the time with my husband, again we were granted a 176 Visa and were delighted. We were amazed at how smoothly everything was going, baring in mind our visa took less than 6 months to be granted.

In April 2010 we sold up our home, packed up our belongings and moved to Perth.

My husband was working a few days here and there for my brother, who has an Air Conditioning Company.

However, in May 2010 he thought it was time he applied to the TRA, to get his trade recogognition certificate. We sent all the evidence that we thought was required, not including previous documentation that had been seen prior, back in 2006. We sent evidence from then onwards 2006-2010.

 

Unfortunately, the application was refused. It was refused on the basis he had not supplied at least 7 years worth of work experience. Which with hindsight I can understand, although I do not know why they could not look back at the evidence we sent in 2006. It was obveous he had more than the 4 years I had sent, or he would not have passed the TRA in 2006.

 

It was only several months later we picked ourselves up again and decided to reapply.

We sent references going back to 1995, which included 7 companies over 16 years. We included the original document stating we had passed the TRA, Evidence that my husband had been self employed for the past 4 years in the UK from 2006-2010. This included documents from our accountant confirming the nature of his business, copies of the businesses public liability insurance along with employer liability insurance for each of the 4 years, the Tax returns to HM Revenue and Customs for all 4 years, and detailed references from the companies he sub contracted to in the UK. The copy of his Skill Card which showed him as an Experienced worked in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration. He also included a 4 page Affidavit that went into great detail about his day to day duties, explaining how he would go about removing a fridge or installing a chiller or a VRV etc...

 

We sent this off in May and it was lodged on the 23rd May.

 

We had not heard anything for 6 weeks, then when I rang I was told I'sd be lucky if we would hear anything in another 6 weeks as they had had to draft in extra staff to contend with the backlog.

 

In this time, my husband was offered a good job on the strength of him getting the license, which came and went because the TRA had taken too long.

 

Anyway, we were told last week that the application had been unsuccessful again!

The reason being they had assessed him under the "7 year rule" and he didnt meet the criteria.

They explained he would need to provide a day to day explanation of what he did from his sub contracting companies, on letter head. Even though these companies had already clarified he worked for them and included the kind of installations he carried out and detailed equipment he used etc.

 

We are exasperated!! We sent of 16 years worth of evidence and it still isnt enough!

We have spent everything we came over with trying to survive on rubbish pay, to now be told my husband can not work in his trade.

Why would we pass the original TRA, if he did not show he had the experience?

What further annoys me is, we could not have even applied to the TRA for this certificate from the UK. We had to apply from Australia.

If we had known before we moved here that my husband would not get this certificate and subsequent license, then we would never have come.

 

We gave up a beautiful home, a good business to now be in rental making do on a poor wage. Working in a job he is not happy with.

 

Why accept the evidence first time around, then not the 2nd?

 

My husband has done supermarket re-fits, cinemas, multi storey office buildings, colleges, the welsh assembly and lots more, yet he can not get recognition for his trade. He knows fridgies out here that do not have that experience, yet have the ticket... it is soo frustrating.

 

We feel like we have been falsely brought over here. We have spent the best part of $80k and have nothing to show for it.

 

We are at our wits end... I am writing this to find out if anyone else has had these problems. If so, is there any advice they could give?

 

We are at a point now where we could easily go back to the UK, if it wasnt for the expense of doing so and the fact we have no home to go back to now

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated

Hi Joanne,

I responded to your post on another well known site about this, but for the benefit of others, I'll post here as well.

The only course I can recommend is to contact Glenn Newton at www.australianmigrationsolutions.com/index.html

He specialises in this kind of thing and was Director of the TRA during the 90's.

I don't know how much he will charge , but I don't think he'll be cheap, but from reading posts made by others in a similar situation to yours, he's your man.

Regards Derren

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Hi Derren.

 

Thank you for that advise, I will get in touch with Glenn. I have also requested an appointment with my local MP. I am not sure if he will be able to help or not but I will exhaust every avenue available to us.

We have invested too much to just turn our backs on the situation, but at the same time we might have to unless we get something positive.

 

Thanks again Derren

[TraxFM]

We are in a dilema and can not see how to get around it!

We applied to the TRA in 2006, to have my husbands skills recognised in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. At the time of his applying to the TRA, he had already got 11 years under his belt, although no qualifications. Needless to say, he passed with flying colours, as it took only a little over 3 weeks for us to hear about the TRA's decision.

In 2009, we decided to complete our application, with the intention to move in 2010. Even though there were health issues at the time with my husband, again we were granted a 176 Visa and were delighted. We were amazed at how smoothly everything was going, baring in mind our visa took less than 6 months to be granted.

In April 2010 we sold up our home, packed up our belongings and moved to Perth.

My husband was working a few days here and there for my brother, who has an Air Conditioning Company.

However, in May 2010 he thought it was time he applied to the TRA, to get his trade recogognition certificate. We sent all the evidence that we thought was required, not including previous documentation that had been seen prior, back in 2006. We sent evidence from then onwards 2006-2010.

 

Unfortunately, the application was refused. It was refused on the basis he had not supplied at least 7 years worth of work experience. Which with hindsight I can understand, although I do not know why they could not look back at the evidence we sent in 2006. It was obveous he had more than the 4 years I had sent, or he would not have passed the TRA in 2006.

 

It was only several months later we picked ourselves up again and decided to reapply.

We sent references going back to 1995, which included 7 companies over 16 years. We included the original document stating we had passed the TRA, Evidence that my husband had been self employed for the past 4 years in the UK from 2006-2010. This included documents from our accountant confirming the nature of his business, copies of the businesses public liability insurance along with employer liability insurance for each of the 4 years, the Tax returns to HM Revenue and Customs for all 4 years, and detailed references from the companies he sub contracted to in the UK. The copy of his Skill Card which showed him as an Experienced worked in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration. He also included a 4 page Affidavit that went into great detail about his day to day duties, explaining how he would go about removing a fridge or installing a chiller or a VRV etc...

 

We sent this off in May and it was lodged on the 23rd May.

 

We had not heard anything for 6 weeks, then when I rang I was told I'sd be lucky if we would hear anything in another 6 weeks as they had had to draft in extra staff to contend with the backlog.

 

In this time, my husband was offered a good job on the strength of him getting the license, which came and went because the TRA had taken too long.

 

Anyway, we were told last week that the application had been unsuccessful again!

The reason being they had assessed him under the "7 year rule" and he didnt meet the criteria.

They explained he would need to provide a day to day explanation of what he did from his sub contracting companies, on letter head. Even though these companies had already clarified he worked for them and included the kind of installations he carried out and detailed equipment he used etc.

 

We are exasperated!! We sent of 16 years worth of evidence and it still isnt enough!

We have spent everything we came over with trying to survive on rubbish pay, to now be told my husband can not work in his trade.

Why would we pass the original TRA, if he did not show he had the experience?

What further annoys me is, we could not have even applied to the TRA for this certificate from the UK. We had to apply from Australia.

If we had known before we moved here that my husband would not get this certificate and subsequent license, then we would never have come.

 

We gave up a beautiful home, a good business to now be in rental making do on a poor wage. Working in a job he is not happy with.

 

Why accept the evidence first time around, then not the 2nd?

 

My husband has done supermarket re-fits, cinemas, multi storey office buildings, colleges, the welsh assembly and lots more, yet he can not get recognition for his trade. He knows fridgies out here that do not have that experience, yet have the ticket... it is soo frustrating.

 

We feel like we have been falsely brought over here. We have spent the best part of $80k and have nothing to show for it.

 

We are at our wits end... I am writing this to find out if anyone else has had these problems. If so, is there any advice they could give?

 

We are at a point now where we could easily go back to the UK, if it wasnt for the expense of doing so and the fact we have no home to go back to now

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated

 

Sorry if i am missing the point here but didn't you get a certificate the first time you applied and were successful? My OH has a TRA certificate as a Fitter and we did this back in 2009(we are still waiting for our visa!!) but we have a copy of the certificate, it was lodged along with our visa application but we kept a copy or if you went through an agent they might have a copy for you.

Sorry if I have misread your e-mail and gone off on a tangent!!:embarrassed:

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Sorry if i am missing the point here but didn't you get a certificate the first time you applied and were successful? My OH has a TRA certificate as a Fitter and we did this back in 2009(we are still waiting for our visa!!) but we have a copy of the certificate, it was lodged along with our visa application but we kept a copy or if you went through an agent they might have a copy for you.

Sorry if I have misread your e-mail and gone off on a tangent!!:embarrassed:

 

Hi there.

 

You have read right!!! When we applied to the TRA originally, it was to get my husbands trade recognised for immigration purposes. This was done without any problem what so ever and was granted in less than 3 weeks.

However, when you move here and only when you move here, you have to reapply to have the the same information recognised to enable you to apply for your licenses... Birazze isn't it. You would imagine that due to them already assessing all your information, you would automatically qualify for a trade certificate, to enable you to obtain your license.

This has gone on for over 12 months now, wth my husband working as a mate... rather than an engineer which is what he has 16 years worth of experince in.

He is working alongside Engineers who hold the ticket, yet they would not have the first clue of how to install large applications.

It is extremely frustrating.

What is even more frustrating is, you can not apply for the Trades Recognition Cert from the UK. It has to be done once you get here. So you sell up, pack up and ship your family here, then to be told you dont have what they want for the Trade Certificate.

It is very unfair and is causing us a great deal of distress.

Making this move is hard enough anyway, without all this extra pressure.

We gave up a business in the UK, where my husband was earning a very good wage, to now be earning a 3rd of that, with much higher living expenses.

 

I appologise if I sound aggrevated and a little bitter, but I feel people making this move should be aware of the system.

 

Getting here is only the beginning :arghh:

 

Best of luck with your application!!!!

[woodymcfc]

Hi there.

 

You have read right!!! When we applied to the TRA originally, it was to get my husbands trade recognised for immigration purposes. This was done without any problem what so ever and was granted in less than 3 weeks.

However, when you move here and only when you move here, you have to reapply to have the the same information recognised to enable you to apply for your licenses... Birazze isn't it. You would imagine that due to them already assessing all your information, you would automatically qualify for a trade certificate, to enable you to obtain your license.

This has gone on for over 12 months now, wth my husband working as a mate... rather than an engineer which is what he has 16 years worth of experince in.

He is working alongside Engineers who hold the ticket, yet they would not have the first clue of how to install large applications.

It is extremely frustrating.

What is even more frustrating is, you can not apply for the Trades Recognition Cert from the UK. It has to be done once you get here. So you sell up, pack up and ship your family here, then to be told you dont have what they want for the Trade Certificate.

It is very unfair and is causing us a great deal of distress.

Making this move is hard enough anyway, without all this extra pressure.

We gave up a business in the UK, where my husband was earning a very good wage, to now be earning a 3rd of that, with much higher living expenses.

 

I appologise if I sound aggrevated and a little bitter, but I feel people making this move should be aware of the system.

 

Getting here is only the beginning :arghh:

 

Best of luck with your application!!!!

 

Hi, I sympathise with your situation and can imagine how frustrating it is, especially that your application passed with TRA for immigration purposes and is unsuccessful for the ARTC. My application is in at the moment for my ARTC and has been since 7th June '11. I will be email'ing next week for an update because it will be over 60 working days and really that is taking the p##s !!! As for not being able to apply whilst in the UK, you are able to now. From what I can remember when I filled out the application you could apply and receive your cert. when you got to Oz, what is also an advantage is if you have an Australian address to post the results/cert out to. I used an ex-colleague of mine, he did the same when he applied.......

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Hi, I sympathise with your situation and can imagine how frustrating it is, especially that your application passed with TRA for immigration purposes and is unsuccessful for the ARTC. My application is in at the moment for my ARTC and has been since 7th June '11. I will be email'ing next week for an update because it will be over 60 working days and really that is taking the p##s !!! As for not being able to apply whilst in the UK, you are able to now. From what I can remember when I filled out the application you could apply and receive your cert. when you got to Oz, what is also an advantage is if you have an Australian address to post the results/cert out to. I used an ex-colleague of mine, he did the same when he applied.......

 

Fingers crossed you have more of a positive outcome than us. We had to wait 14 weeks before we heard anything this time around. If I included the fact it was returned at the beginning of May due to us not including a copy of the Visa/Passport it would have been 19 weeks in all

Do you know when they changed the rule of being able to apply from the UK? We did look before we came and it wasnt an option then. That would have been between 09/09-02/10.

We feel like they have got us over a barrel. Like I mentioned, how can we pass to gain entrance then not to work... even though there is an additional 4 years worth of evidence since the original application.

 

The reasons they give are not valid, as we had included what they are asking for. I just dont know where we go from here

 

Thank you for your support and good luck!

[woodymcfc]

Fingers crossed you have more of a positive outcome than us. We had to wait 14 weeks before we heard anything this time around. If I included the fact it was returned at the beginning of May due to us not including a copy of the Visa/Passport it would have been 19 weeks in all

Do you know when they changed the rule of being able to apply from the UK? We did look before we came and it wasnt an option then. That would have been between 09/09-02/10.

We feel like they have got us over a barrel. Like I mentioned, how can we pass to gain entrance then not to work... even though there is an additional 4 years worth of evidence since the original application.

 

The reasons they give are not valid, as we had included what they are asking for. I just dont know where we go from here

 

Thank you for your support and good luck!

 

Hi, I'm not sure when they changed the 'apply from UK' rule although I do remember that when the ex-colleague I mentioned applied back in 2008 he had to use an Australian address, his cousins.

If the reasons are not valid, have you rang and spoke with someone at TRA ? Maybe ask for their explanation why you have been unsuccessful and argue your corner ? Only reason I ask this is that we had similar problems with the OH's nursing registration application, they communicated through emails that this hadn't been sent and this was not valid when I knew that everything was correct from doing plenty of research here on PIO. So I rang them directly, spoke with the registration officer who still insisted that she was correct, explained that this certificate would cover that and this reference cover the other, she had a change of mind and agreed with me there and then and within a week the OH was eligible for registration !!!!

I have mentioned in a previous post that I and others believe that the people at TRA are administrators who aren't particularly specialised in the trade that you apply for. They are looking for certain key words and such that they have to check off on a list ! I may be totally wrong but it is always best to include as much information as you possibly can...

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Hi, I'm not sure when they changed the 'apply from UK' rule although I do remember that when the ex-colleague I mentioned applied back in 2008 he had to use an Australian address, his cousins.

If the reasons are not valid, have you rang and spoke with someone at TRA ? Maybe ask for their explanation why you have been unsuccessful and argue your corner ? Only reason I ask this is that we had similar problems with the OH's nursing registration application, they communicated through emails that this hadn't been sent and this was not valid when I knew that everything was correct from doing plenty of research here on PIO. So I rang them directly, spoke with the registration officer who still insisted that she was correct, explained that this certificate would cover that and this reference cover the other, she had a change of mind and agreed with me there and then and within a week the OH was eligible for registration !!!!

I have mentioned in a previous post that I and others believe that the people at TRA are administrators who aren't particularly specialised in the trade that you apply for. They are looking for certain key words and such that they have to check off on a list ! I may be totally wrong but it is always best to include as much information as you possibly can...

 

 

Hi

 

We have emailed once and rang twice and we still have not had a reply. They didnt even put their name on the decision letter, but just a reference number.

I don't think these people realise they are playing with peoples lives, when they mess us about. I have requested an appointment with my local MP to see if there is anything he could do to assist.

 

This could mean a very misserable existance for us if we don't get it. Certainly not the life we had dreamed off. Especially when we have given up a beautiful home and fabulously well paid jobs to come here

 

We will certainly fight our corner, but I am not sure how many more knock backs one can take without it seeming personal

[woodymcfc]

Hi

 

We have emailed once and rang twice and we still have not had a reply. They didnt even put their name on the decision letter, but just a reference number.

I don't think these people realise they are playing with peoples lives, when they mess us about. I have requested an appointment with my local MP to see if there is anything he could do to assist.

 

This could mean a very misserable existance for us if we don't get it. Certainly not the life we had dreamed off. Especially when we have given up a beautiful home and fabulously well paid jobs to come here

 

We will certainly fight our corner, but I am not sure how many more knock backs one can take without it seeming personal

 

Dont give up....I know its probably easy to say that when not in your position but insist that you speak with someone at TRA, hopefully the local MP will be able to help....keep writing emails and if you dont receive a response is their a complaints procedure ? Make a note of all phone calls, who you speak with at what time and same with all emails, may seem obvious but if you can refer to conversations with a name it becomes easier....best of luck and keep me updated with how you go on......i'll do the same with any response I get or don't from the email I'll be sending this week !!!!!

[woodymcfc]

Sorry if i am missing the point here but didn't you get a certificate the first time you applied and were successful? My OH has a TRA certificate as a Fitter and we did this back in 2009(we are still waiting for our visa!!) but we have a copy of the certificate, it was lodged along with our visa application but we kept a copy or if you went through an agent they might have a copy for you.

Sorry if I have misread your e-mail and gone off on a tangent!!:embarrassed:

 

You apply initially to TRA for your skills assessment for visa purposes only, this is how your OH got the fitter status. If your visa application is successful then you then have to apply for your ARTC (Australian recognised trade certificate), more or less same paperwork you used to apply for your skills assessment, in a way your doing the same thing twice for whatever reason !!!!! I think that the ARTC will be a more specific title in your trade, not sure ! If, like my trade, you need a license, then you need your ARTC to apply for the course to gain your license !!!!!

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Dont give up....I know its probably easy to say that when not in your position but insist that you speak with someone at TRA, hopefully the local MP will be able to help....keep writing emails and if you dont receive a response is their a complaints procedure ? Make a note of all phone calls, who you speak with at what time and same with all emails, may seem obvious but if you can refer to conversations with a name it becomes easier....best of luck and keep me updated with how you go on......i'll do the same with any response I get or don't from the email I'll be sending this week !!!!!

 

 

Good advise and thank you! I will post any developements here. I hope you do not have any problems and you get the ARTC you have applied for.

 

Have you moved over to Aus yet and which state are you planning on moving to?

 

Cheers

[TraxFM]

Hi there.

 

You have read right!!! When we applied to the TRA originally, it was to get my husbands trade recognised for immigration purposes. This was done without any problem what so ever and was granted in less than 3 weeks.

However, when you move here and only when you move here, you have to reapply to have the the same information recognised to enable you to apply for your licenses... Birazze isn't it. You would imagine that due to them already assessing all your information, you would automatically qualify for a trade certificate, to enable you to obtain your license.

This has gone on for over 12 months now, wth my husband working as a mate... rather than an engineer which is what he has 16 years worth of experince in.

He is working alongside Engineers who hold the ticket, yet they would not have the first clue of how to install large applications.

It is extremely frustrating.

What is even more frustrating is, you can not apply for the Trades Recognition Cert from the UK. It has to be done once you get here. So you sell up, pack up and ship your family here, then to be told you dont have what they want for the Trade Certificate.

It is very unfair and is causing us a great deal of distress.

Making this move is hard enough anyway, without all this extra pressure.

We gave up a business in the UK, where my husband was earning a very good wage, to now be earning a 3rd of that, with much higher living expenses.

 

I appologise if I sound aggrevated and a little bitter, but I feel people making this move should be aware of the system.

 

Getting here is only the beginning :arghh:

 

Best of luck with your application!!!!

 

Hi there

I didn't realise you had to apply again, so we have all of that to look forward to as well, LOL!!

I do sympathise with you, I know how fickle these systems can be and it is really frustrating at times.

Stick with it and I'm sure things will come right in the end.

Good luck.

[TraxFM]

You apply initially to TRA for your skills assessment for visa purposes only, this is how your OH got the fitter status. If your visa application is successful then you then have to apply for your ARTC (Australian recognised trade certificate), more or less same paperwork you used to apply for your skills assessment, in a way your doing the same thing twice for whatever reason !!!!! I think that the ARTC will be a more specific title in your trade, not sure ! If, like my trade, you need a license, then you need your ARTC to apply for the course to gain your license !!!!!

 

Thanks for the advice, I didn't realise you had to go through it all again, I will look forward to that - NOT!!!:arghh:

[woodymcfc]

Good advise and thank you! I will post any developements here. I hope you do not have any problems and you get the ARTC you have applied for.

 

Have you moved over to Aus yet and which state are you planning on moving to?

 

Cheers

 

We will be in Oz on the 12th Jan 2012, I have just sent an email to TRA to see if they can estimate a time as to when they will process my ARTC application, lets see if I get a response !!!

[Guest Joanne C-D]

We will be in Oz on the 12th Jan 2012, I have just sent an email to TRA to see if they can estimate a time as to when they will process my ARTC application, lets see if I get a response !!!

 

Good Luck!!!

 

We did receive a response eventually, although it was riddled with mistakes. The assessor had mentioned he had tried to contact us at 7 am their time monday morning/our time 9pm Sunday night. I do not know why he thinks we are in the UK, as the application has our Australian address on it.

Secondly, he states that the evidence we supplier only related to Air Conditioning, which is extremely frustrating as Refrigeration is mentioned in 60% and only A/C in 40% of the evidence.

He has been asked for a letter from the employer, going back to 1995. This letter is to contain information on how he was trained and what his day to day duties were. Well this was 16 years ago, so it would not be very specific. Although, on his reference from that company in 2006, it states he was trained by them in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning throughout the 4 years he was with them. This company has now been dissolved according to Companies house in the UK... which I have got evidence of. They say an Affidavit from Paul would suffice, should this be the case. However, with our application Paul did go into great detail about Refrigeration installations, maintenance and repairs. They have taken no notice of that, so I am not sure they will with this one.

They have contradicted themselves throughout. When Paul initially applied last year, they sent a letter asking him to address certain issues, prior to re-submitting. He has adhered to everything they requested and more and still no joy!!!

 

This system needs to be looked at. My husband lost his job on Monday, due to him not getting this license. They were relying on him getting the license as they needed a Refrigeration Engineer. They saw his 16 years worth of references and employed him based on his experienced detailed in those, so you can appreciate these are glowing references.

 

Paul will be without work from Monday and I really do not know where to go from here.

 

The assessor is ringing me today, so hopefully we will get answers and some constructive advice...

 

We live in hope!!!!:cry:

[Guest Joanne C-D]

I have just had a call from the assessor, who is in total agreence with us that this should have passed. He said the evidence we had supplied was conclusive and didnt know why it had not been accepted. He has suggested Paul re-submits and sends the documents from Companies House in the UK, which confirm his first employer/training company was dissolved in 2007.

Paul has to include a 2nd Affidavitt, stating this is why he is unable to ask them to elaborate on his training with them.

He also suggested we advise Paul is more than happy to sit a Trades Test or Trades interview and to advise that Paul has now lost his job, due to this application being declined.

Paul is going to get a letter from work confirming this to be the case.

 

I have also contacted Glenn Newton from http://www.australianmigrationsolutions.com/aboutus.htm to see if there is anything he could do to further assist.

 

There is a glimmer of hope, albeit small...

 

It is a relief to know that someone see's Paul's evidence as being above and beyond what should be necessary for a Trades Recognition Certificate.

 

Fingers Crossed!!! I will keep you informed.

Thanks for the support

[woodymcfc]

I have just had a call from the assessor, who is in total agreence with us that this should have passed. He said the evidence we had supplied was conclusive and didnt know why it had not been accepted. He has suggested Paul re-submits and sends the documents from Companies House in the UK, which confirm his first employer/training company was dissolved in 2007.

Paul has to include a 2nd Affidavitt, stating this is why he is unable to ask them to elaborate on his training with them.

He also suggested we advise Paul is more than happy to sit a Trades Test or Trades interview and to advise that Paul has now lost his job, due to this application being declined.

Paul is going to get a letter from work confirming this to be the case.

 

I have also contacted Glenn Newton from http://www.australianmigrationsolutions.com/aboutus.htm to see if there is anything he could do to further assist.

 

There is a glimmer of hope, albeit small...

 

It is a relief to know that someone see's Paul's evidence as being above and beyond what should be necessary for a Trades Recognition Certificate.

 

Fingers Crossed!!! I will keep you informed.

Thanks for the support

 

Well at the very least you have one of the assessors that agrees with you but and a big BUT Paul has lost his job through their incompetence !!!! Are you still meeting with your MP, if so I would definitely mention what has happened and request compensation or at least an apology.

Like I mentioned earlier, speaking from experience the Nursing board had very similar problems with a lot of nurses wanting to register but failing to because of the AHPRA's incompetence. These agencies are playing with peoples livelihoods and many cannot afford to be away from work !!!

Fortunately for us we never encountered a problem with AHPRA but we did submit the application well before we are due to move to Australia so we could afford not getting it back within the stated timescales.

I have done the same with the TRA and am hoping to receive an outcome soon (its been 60 + working days) so I can enrol on the license course and apply for jobs !!

 

Best of luck

[woodymcfc]

Well, sent email on Tuesday and got a response today......my application has been submitted to the committee for their decision which will be this September....when they receive the outcome TRA will let me know........quick response from them, lets hope it is THIS September....

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Well, sent email on Tuesday and got a response today......my application has been submitted to the committee for their decision which will be this September....when they receive the outcome TRA will let me know........quick response from them, lets hope it is THIS September....

 

 

Ha ha!!! Well yes maybe you should have asked. Fingers crossed you pass with flying colours. We are sending our appeal in on Monday. My husband has all the time in the world next week to go to the JP to have his Affidavit whitnessed :mad:

I have gone from despair to grit and determination this week. I am speaking with a friend of Glen Newton on Wednesday. Glen has put me onto him, as he has now retired.

 

I am also chasing up a RPL as well at the same time. Paul would need to go to Brisbane for that, but it would be worth it if he gets the recognition he needs for his license.

 

It was a huge weight off my shoulders yesterday, when the assessor whole hearted agreed the decision seemed wrong. Anyway we will live in hope with our fingers crossed for us both!!! Let us know how you go on.

[derren7]

Ha ha!!! Well yes maybe you should have asked. Fingers crossed you pass with flying colours. We are sending our appeal in on Monday. My husband has all the time in the world next week to go to the JP to have his Affidavit whitnessed :mad:

I have gone from despair to grit and determination this week. I am speaking with a friend of Glen Newton on Wednesday. Glen has put me onto him, as he has now retired.

 

I am also chasing up a RPL as well at the same time. Paul would need to go to Brisbane for that, but it would be worth it if he gets the recognition he needs for his license.

 

It was a huge weight off my shoulders yesterday, when the assessor whole hearted agreed the decision seemed wrong. Anyway we will live in hope with our fingers crossed for us both!!! Let us know how you go on.

Hi Joanne,

Can you tell me whereabouts in Brisbane you're considering for RPL. I'm heading to Brisbane and want a Plan B in case my ARTC application doesn't go to plan.

Cheers Derren

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Hi Joanne,

Can you tell me whereabouts in Brisbane you're considering for RPL. I'm heading to Brisbane and want a Plan B in case my ARTC application doesn't go to plan.

Cheers Derren

 

Hi Derren

 

I have contacted a training centre called Careers Australia. They carry out the assessment. I am waiting to get some further information of them on Monday, so I will keep you up to date on cost and procedure etc... when I know more.

 

http://www.careersaustralia.edu.au/course-outline/course/243 This is for the A/C & Refrigeration Course. They do others as well, depending on your trade.

 

Good Luck with the ARTC application.

[derren7]

Hi Derren

 

I have contacted a training centre called Careers Australia. They carry out the assessment. I am waiting to get some further information of them on Monday, so I will keep you up to date on cost and procedure etc... when I know more.

 

http://www.careersaustralia.edu.au/course-outline/course/243 This is for the A/C & Refrigeration Course. They do others as well, depending on your trade.

 

Good Luck with the ARTC application.

Hi Joanne,

Thanks for that. Hope you get a positive outcome for your OH's application.

All the best.

Kind Regards Derren

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Hi Joanne,

Thanks for that. Hope you get a positive outcome for your OH's application.

All the best.

Kind Regards Derren

 

Hi Derren.

 

Just a quick update. My husband has sent his appeal to the TRA on the 20/09 and we are still waiting to hear back from them. We have since found out, he could have obtained a RPL, this is done at a local college and involves an interview and some practical work over 2 days. It is such a shame this information isn't given to tradies, when they get accepted for immigration. Had we have known this when we arrived here, then he would have had his license 18 months ago.

 

This is the route Paul will go down, should the TRA be unsuccessful again. Since Paul was made unemployed for the 2nd time in less than 12 months, he decided to go self employed.

He is now subcontracting to the company he lost his full time position with. He is doing extremely well and is earning 4 times what he was, which has delighted us and relieved so much pressure, as you can well imagine. He is working under his split license, which he obtained in November through RPL. The gamble paid off and should he not get his Refrigeration license on the appeal, it isn't the disaster we thought it would turn out to be.

 

How has your TRA gone? Did you get your reply and was it what you wanted?

[Guest Joanne C-D]

Well, sent email on Tuesday and got a response today......my application has been submitted to the committee for their decision which will be this September....when they receive the outcome TRA will let me know........quick response from them, lets hope it is THIS September....

 

 

Hi

 

Just wondering how you went on with your ARTC? We are still waiting to hear from our appeal. All is not lost though, because if it isnt successful, a local college will carry out an RPL with my OH. It involves and interview and 2 days of practical work at a local college. The tutor is confident this wont be a problem based on my OH experience and the evidence he has seen to date.

 

Since my OH lost his job, he has gone self employed and is doing extremely well. Such a shame he didnt do it earlier. So things have worked out so much better than we could have imagined, with him holding just a split license. We will see what happens with the other :cute:

 

Hope your assessment brought you good news!