Jump to content

New Member Intro, looking for the break


vorman

Recommended Posts

Good Day to All

 

New member here, from Cape Town. I have long thought about making the big break  to Australia.

I have read many of the threads here regarding visa etc. 

From what I see it is a lengthy, costly process. I certainly do not have R80k for this process at once. 

Therefore, I am inclined to finding a job opportunity first whereby the employer is willing to sponsor.

I am in the civil engineering field. Any tips on where to search for opportunities would be appreciated. 

 

Many thanks and hoping to for this to materialise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vorman,

 

I am in the construction and engineering industry and I can tell you that the most ideal way to find a job in Australia is to be knocking on doors dropping off your CV at the company and/or having a chat to the HR recruitment departments. Employment agencies are not very helpful for those without Australian experience. Seeing as you are not in Australia approaching a company is not an option. Websites such as Seek.com or Indeed.com can give an indication of what is going on in the industry, which is very buoyant at the moment, with many infrastructure projects throughout Oz. It would be more ideal if you opted for your own visa but if you are looking for a job first then try email companies such as Lendlease; CPB; Laing o' Rourke, BMD; BHA; BGC. These are just some of the bigger construction and engineering companies that have quite a bit of work right now

 

Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Vorman

I arrived in Australia at the end of 2016 on a sponsored visa.  Basically because I did not know any better (lol).    I was (is still) with a wonderful employer.  They paid our one-way plane tickets and gave some money towards relocation.  I still had to pay for the visa, which was the old 457 visa, and all the costs to get the visa (English tests, medical exams, etc.).  The advantage was that I started working the day after we arrived so we never needed to live off rands while spending in dollars, at least only till the first pay check arrived (which is 2-weekly, not monthly here.)  

 

However, it did not take me long to realise that the 457 visa is no way to stay in Australia.  The employer was willing to sponsor me 6 months later for a permanent employer sponsored visa, the 186.  I had to pay for this visa myself, including everything I needed to get the visa (another English test, skills assessment, police clearance, etc.) even though it is employer sponsored. 

What I am trying to say is that other than the fact that you KNOW you have a job when you arrive and in my case the fact that plane tickets were paid for, it is no cheaper getting a sponsor.  In fact it might be more expensive since I had to pay for some things twice and had to pay for 2 visas.   The temporary visas are cheaper, but the permanent employer sponsored visas are not really cheaper than the permanent non-employer sponsored visa.  

My advice would be to go for a permanent visa, or if you go for a temporary visa to then have a clear path from that to the permanent visa.  Some temporary visas have no clear path to a permanent visa.

The problem getting a permanent visa through employer sponsorship is that it takes longer  to get than the temporary visa and most employers are not willing to wait that long.  It is the difference between 2-3 months and 7-12 months.  The other problem is also that it costs the employer more and they are less willing to take the chance on someone.  My employer was not willing to sponsor me for the permanent visa before I worked here a few months and they got to see that I "fit in".  (Terribly important to "fit in", whatever that may mean)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, TakeItOnTheChin said:

Vorman,

 

I am in the construction and engineering industry and I can tell you that the most ideal way to find a job in Australia is to be knocking on doors dropping off your CV at the company and/or having a chat to the HR recruitment departments. Employment agencies are not very helpful for those without Australian experience. Seeing as you are not in Australia approaching a company is not an option. Websites such as Seek.com or Indeed.com can give an indication of what is going on in the industry, which is very buoyant at the moment, with many infrastructure projects throughout Oz. It would be more ideal if you opted for your own visa but if you are looking for a job first then try email companies such as Lendlease; CPB; Laing o' Rourke, BMD; BHA; BGC. These are just some of the bigger construction and engineering companies that have quite a bit of work right now

 

Good luck

 

4 hours ago, FromDurbs said:

Hi Vorman

I arrived in Australia at the end of 2016 on a sponsored visa.  Basically because I did not know any better (lol).    I was (is still) with a wonderful employer.  They paid our one-way plane tickets and gave some money towards relocation.  I still had to pay for the visa, which was the old 457 visa, and all the costs to get the visa (English tests, medical exams, etc.).  The advantage was that I started working the day after we arrived so we never needed to live off rands while spending in dollars, at least only till the first pay check arrived (which is 2-weekly, not monthly here.)  

 

However, it did not take me long to realise that the 457 visa is no way to stay in Australia.  The employer was willing to sponsor me 6 months later for a permanent employer sponsored visa, the 186.  I had to pay for this visa myself, including everything I needed to get the visa (another English test, skills assessment, police clearance, etc.) even though it is employer sponsored. 

What I am trying to say is that other than the fact that you KNOW you have a job when you arrive and in my case the fact that plane tickets were paid for, it is no cheaper getting a sponsor.  In fact it might be more expensive since I had to pay for some things twice and had to pay for 2 visas.   The temporary visas are cheaper, but the permanent employer sponsored visas are not really cheaper than the permanent non-employer sponsored visa.  

My advice would be to go for a permanent visa, or if you go for a temporary visa to then have a clear path from that to the permanent visa.  Some temporary visas have no clear path to a permanent visa.

The problem getting a permanent visa through employer sponsorship is that it takes longer  to get than the temporary visa and most employers are not willing to wait that long.  It is the difference between 2-3 months and 7-12 months.  The other problem is also that it costs the employer more and they are less willing to take the chance on someone.  My employer was not willing to sponsor me for the permanent visa before I worked here a few months and they got to see that I "fit in".  (Terribly important to "fit in", whatever that may mean)

 

 

Many thanks both of you. 

@TakeItOnTheChin I am more experienced in a consulting environment and have been checking the likes of Beca, Aurecon etc. Yes there are suitable positions available, and I do apply, I guess it boils down to not having a legal work permit as yet, resorting to them hiring locally. As @FromDurbs mentioned, it may be worth my while to initiate this process myself as the many others here have done.

 

 

So @FromDurbs, you do recommend I begin the process on my own? If this is the case, obviously personally initiated and not employer sponsored, which visa should I attempt applying for first?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The visa subclasses best for your skill would be the 189, 190 and 489.

 

Also contact WSP in Australia, they are consultants that we have partnered with quite a bit

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@FromDurbs I am in the process of getting a sponsored Temporary visa from an employer as well, mainly due to the processing time of the visa.  What benefits did you not qualify for?  I know that I don't qualify for Childcare rebate and medicare (?) but not sure what other expenses I have to budget for not being on a PR.  

 

@Vorman Try look for Engineering companies in Aus and send messages for their HR person via LinkedIn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, IzzyA said:

@FromDurbs I am in the process of getting a sponsored Temporary visa from an employer as well, mainly due to the processing time of the visa.  What benefits did you not qualify for?  I know that I don't qualify for Childcare rebate and medicare (?) but not sure what other expenses I have to budget for not being on a PR.  

Hard to say.  I think it differs - depends on the exact visa and what state you are in. 

Our kids are older, so I never looked into child care.   Someone on the forum replied recently that they do qualify for childcare rebate on a temporary visa, so this might also differ by visa. 

We live in Victoria and they could attend a government school for free, but in NSW you need to pay a fee to attend a government school if not on PR.  It was quite high.  $5000, I think.  They were also going to phase that in in South Australia. 

And if the kids are older you pay international student fees (university), which are astronomical. 

I do not think you qualify for any rebates on anything if not on PR.

We did not qualify for Medicare and a condition of the visa was to hold medical insurance.  I thought it was really cheap $150 for a family of 4 per month.  We never got sick so never used it, I have no idea whether they would have been any good if we claimed.  It was a bit like a hospital plan in SA.  I could not find any medical insurance that cover GP visits.  It is either free through Medicare or out of pocket.  Also, because you do not get medicare benefits you get the medicare levy back when you lodge your tax return.  It was quite a big sum of money - might have been as much of the medical insurance we paid or more. 

You also need to pay an additional tax if you buy a house.  

I am sure there are other things that I never came across.  It would be best to assume you pay for everything yourself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is very hard to convince an employer to sponsor you for a permanent visa right off the bat. Most employer-sponsored visas will be 482 (the old 457) which is 2 or 4 years depending on your skill, and may have a pathway to PR after the 4 year version. I came across as part of a joint venture that my South African company signed with an Australian company, and even then they weren't willing to sponsor me for a 186 visa until I had worked for 6 months on a 457 and successfully passed probation. My recommendation is to save as much as humanly possible until you can afford the visa costs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/12/2018 at 2:30 PM, FromDurbs said:

 

We did not qualify for Medicare and a condition of the visa was to hold medical insurance.  I thought it was really cheap $150 for a family of 4 per month.  We never got sick so never used it, I have no idea whether they would have been any good if we claimed.  It was a bit like a hospital plan in SA.  I could not find any medical insurance that cover GP visits.  It is either free through Medicare or out of pocket.  Also, because you do not get medicare benefits you get the medicare levy back when you lodge your tax return.  It was quite a big sum of money - might have been as much of the medical insurance we paid or more. 

 

No health plan in Australia will cover GP visits, it is a legal thing that it is only covered by Medicare or out of pocket. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...