Visa Options

[JacquesV]

Hi Jacques,

If you have not completed your diploma at the time of applying for a skills assessment with ACS, you will either need an MCSE plus 6 years equivalent IT experience at a professional level, or if you don't have MCSE, you will have to apply under RPL. If you complete your diploma before applying for the skills assessment, you will be able to apply under Group B if the diploma is considered comparable to an Australian AQF diploma and the content is at least 50% ICT-related.

Regards,

Fiona Carre

Registered Migration Agent

Gold Coast, Australia

Hi Fiona,

Thanks for the info.

I'm going to hang ten till the end of this year to get the diploma. I currently already have an MCSE, MCSD.Net, 2x MCAD's but feel the Diploma will carry loads more weight.

If I fall under group B would I still need to give 6 years work references?

You don't perhaps have a link to the Group B reading material online

Thanks a mil for the reply.

Kind regards

Jacques

[Fiona]

Hi Jacques,

Go to http://www.acs.org.au/index.cfm?action=sho...skillassessment then click on ACS Guidelines. If you have MCSE you should be okay under Group B without the Diploma. To qualify under Group B, you must have the equivalent of 6 years experience in a professional capacity.

Regards,

Fiona Carre

Registered Migration Agent

Gold Coast, Australia

[B'Burger]

Hi All

Just a quick question wrt the 457 visa. We are concerned that the employer holds all of the cards and that your actual presence in Australia is at the employers pleasure. Am I being paranoid? It seems that the earlier correspondants were able to move quite easily. Our concern is that the comitment to the move will mean that returing to SA is not an option.

Has anyone heard of a bad experience on 457?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

B'burger

[Nilo]

Hi B'Burger

We are employed in Australia on a 457 visa. The most important thing to know is that the company sponsoring you are responsable for you and whom ever is on your visa.

As with any employment you have to bring your part and work hard and be an asset to the company.

You and your employer have the same right to terminate the contract. If you so wish you may find other employment and reapply for another 457. As far as I know that rarely happens.

In Australia workers are realy looked after, wel everybody is!!

Don't worry, see that your offer is reasonable and get over here. You would not want to leave anyway!!!

Nilo

[B'Burger]

Hi Nilo

Thanks for the info. Having done the LSD trip in April we are busy negotiating the various routes to get to Australia. Hard work we're used to so no problem there. It almost seems too good to be true and like any good South African we are very suspicious. We loved the place so much its frustrating to take so long to get everything together.

We are headed for Brisbane as Sydney is just too expensive. Do you have school going kids? What does the education system in Queensland charge 457 Visa holders? Was medical cover suitable? If you don't mind me asking.

Regards

B'burger

[Lynettej]

Hi all,

Does anybody know +/- how long it takes for the 457 visa to be processed these days?

I guess we are in a hurry.

Thanks

Lynettej

[melby]

Hello,

Mine took 8 weeks , got here August 6.

[Estelle Jacobs]

Hi,

Our application for the 457 was lodged on 14 June 2007. Had to take our son for additional Health Checks (delivered to Sydney on 20 August 2007) Still waiting

Estelle

[The Steinbergs]

Hi guys, we are among the many South African's who are waiting for our 457 Visa's - we have done the XRays and an electronic application was done on 17/07/07 it has been around 6 weeks since application everything has now been finalised (agent received paperwork by end July)... Does anyone know of a website where we can check the status of our application with the Australian goverment if we have a TRN number (I hope that is the number that was on the xray form)

Hoping someone can assist....

Keep well

Stace

[NikkiH]

Hi

Here is the link: 457 Electronic Visa query

I just wish I had a TRN number!!!!

Still waiting

[The Steinbergs]

Hi

Here is the link: 457 Electronic Visa query

I just wish I had a TRN number!!!!

Still waiting

Thank you very much for the website info - it is greatly appriciated.

Regards,

Stace

[Hennie-Pennie]

Hi

I am in week 5 after medicals were received and still no new updates on the website. Is there any one out there who is in the same boat? A bit worried since I wasn’t asked for English capabilities or any additional info...

The agent is getting tired of my questions and very politely told me to wait patiently and stop bugging them

Here is her reply:

“Hello,

We submitted a list of client’s files to Immigration to have updates on them but as yet have received nothing back from them. They have a high workload at the moment which we believe explains the lack of updates from them. We can be sure though that if they are not providing updates it means they are concentrating on getting the applications through the system as soon as possible.

As soon as we hear anything we will be in touch straight away.

Thanks”

That was on the 21st of August…. Still nothing!

[NikkiH]

Anbody know how long it is supposed to take for a company to be approved as a sponsor and to have their nominated position approved (step 1 & 2) these days? I know that it was 4 weeks, but I was wondering if someone had some recent experience?

[The Steinbergs]

Well hi guys, just wandering: We applied on 16 July electronically, we went for xrays and they acknowledged that they received 16/08/07 and are now on week 9 and still nothing!!!! No correspondence!!! Or agent is on leave and will only be returning on 15/09/07 but I have been checking on the Goverment's website to see if there is any movement and nothing has changed for the last few weeks. It keeps on saying that they medicals are finalised and that is it!!! It concerns me that we did not submit our police clearance or do an IELTS test???? I there anyone out there with the same problem or that can try and calm my news cause it is actually starting to feel like we are never going to get there...... Does anyone's agent know what could be the hold up (if you are in the same situation) or how far exactly behind the government is?

Hoping someone can put my mind at ease....

Regards,

Stace

[NikkiH]

Hi I am also still waiting for the sponsorship and nomination approval. Immigration said that it would be approved last week friday, but now its teusday and still nothing. So even when they say it will be approved it isnt.

9 weeks is a bit extreem if the medicals have been approved but everything is taking longer than it should.

If you know who your CO is you can mail them yourself and ask what the hold up is. Otherwise you will need to wait till your agent comes back.

I know how extreemly frustrated you must be. I feel the same and it has not been as long a wait as you have had.

I just know that the last step of our application is going to take 8 weeks on its own.

Good luck I really hope that you get a positive response soon!

[Rodz]

Well hi guys, just wandering: We applied on 16 July electronically, we went for xrays and they acknowledged that they received 16/08/07 and are now on week 9 and still nothing!!!! No correspondence!!! Or agent is on leave and will only be returning on 15/09/07 but I have been checking on the Goverment's website to see if there is any movement and nothing has changed for the last few weeks. It keeps on saying that they medicals are finalised and that is it!!! It concerns me that we did not submit our police clearance or do an IELTS test???? I there anyone out there with the same problem or that can try and calm my news cause it is actually starting to feel like we are never going to get there...... Does anyone's agent know what could be the hold up (if you are in the same situation) or how far exactly behind the government is?

Hoping someone can put my mind at ease....

Regards,

Stace

Hi Stace

I have put myself at ease. I am in a similar predicament, but i am not gonna vrek of a heart attack ,due to stress, before i get to Oz. Spend quality time with your family members, get all the "not so crucial" goodies sorted out while you wait. I have had 3 social cricket games already........and they are all "going away" matches!!

Regards!!

[The Steinbergs]

Hi Stace

I have put myself at ease. I am in a similar predicament, but i am not gonna vrek of a heart attack ,due to stress, before i get to Oz. Spend quality time with your family members, get all the "not so crucial" goodies sorted out while you wait. I have had 3 social cricket games already........and they are all "going away" matches!!

Regards!!

Week 10 now and still no news anyone feeling like they just want to freak out!!!!!!!!????????

[Alias]

We are also waiting. Submitted 13 July 2007. We trust the good news will come any day.

Alias

Edited September 21, 2007 by Alias

[Rodz]

Just hang in there guys!! You's will hear good news soon!!!!And the day you get it will be the best day of your life!!

[JanCPT]

Hi All

I initially intended applying for a 136 visa and have eventually been able to get all the required docs - IELTS & Police clearance & other, together.

Since making the decision, however, i have become so dissatisfied with the country (to put it mildly), that I can no longer stand to live here and have decided to rather attempt the 457 route. (I've noticed that there are quite a few good posts advertised for CA's in Melbourne and hope that it should not be too much of a problem to get a reasonable job)

The PR status on a 457 bothers me however and I wondered if it would be possible for me to apply for a 136 in the interim and then apply for sponsoring employers thereafter. Apparently the latest visa issued is the one that stands and if the 136 is issued in a year from now, I should be able to switch from the 457, to the 136 (even if I need to leave the country & come back).

Has anybody had any experience, or picked up any knowledge, on this

I'd appreciate your input

Cheers

Jan

[B'Burger]

Hi Jan

I must agree with you. Once we had made up our minds the time frame on a 136 Visa became an issue. Dealing with Home Affairs, SAPS, SANDF and the various institutions that we required paperwork from reaffirmed our decision.

A 457 seemed the obvious way to fast track but we do not want our residence status to be at the option of the employer for a multitude of reasons. I am told that people do move around jobwise on 457 Visas and there has been evidence of this on this forum before.

Does anyone know what the Aus legal position is between arriving on a 457 visa and getting permanent residence via any other visa. What would the time lines be?

We want to be 'new' Australians not ex-South Africans.

B'Burger

[ronfire]

Hi Jan

I must agree with you. Once we had made up our minds the time frame on a 136 Visa became an issue. Dealing with Home Affairs, SAPS, SANDF and the various institutions that we required paperwork from reaffirmed our decision.

A 457 seemed the obvious way to fast track but we do not want our residence status to be at the option of the employer for a multitude of reasons. I am told that people do move around jobwise on 457 Visas and there has been evidence of this on this forum before.

Does anyone know what the Aus legal position is between arriving on a 457 visa and getting permanent residence via any other visa. What would the time lines be?

We want to be 'new' Australians not ex-South Africans.

B'Burger

Hi, I dunno whether you've already got an answer to your question but here's my 2 cents.

I had a telephone interview with a WA employer last month and asked him the same question. His organisation is already registered with DMIA to sponsor people on 457 visas, and he said that there is no bar to applying for PR at the same time as you apply for the 457. They do not cancel each other out. The PR takes a lot longer than the 457, so chances are you'd already be in Australia when your PR comes through. Note that this is the 175 (Skilled - Independent category), which you can apply for at any time. If you choose to wait, you can apply for a Skilled - Sponsored PR category, which is where your employer sponsors you for permanent residence, but you'd have to have worked for them for 2 years before you can do that.

I'm looking to go the 457 route, if and when I do accept a job offer, but I've also kick started the PR process. Taking my IELTS next month, sending off my docs for assessment this month. Once the assessments come through and I get the IELTS scores, then I am a-ok to put in the PR application.

Any other CAs/CMAs on this forum? What's your experience of Aus comp law/tax? I plan to take courses but only once I'm settled in.

'Nother question - anybody have any feedback on Albany, WA? Re: nice place to live? Cost of living, etc?

[Aus457]

Hi Mara,

We got this e-mail from our sponsor:

"Now onto your impending move to Aus. I Have gone through the requirements pertaining to the application of a 457 VISA & can only see one major potential problem. They state that for a position within the engineering field, you need to be offered a minimum salary of $70, 000 PA. For Austarlia this represents an excellent salary."

Is he been correctly informed.

Regards

AUS457

[Jordy]

Hi Mara,

We got this e-mail from our sponsor:

"Now onto your impending move to Aus. I Have gone through the requirements pertaining to the application of a 457 VISA & can only see one major potential problem. They state that for a position within the engineering field, you need to be offered a minimum salary of $70, 000 PA. For Austarlia this represents an excellent salary."

Is he been correctly informed.

Regards

AUS457

Yes there are minimum salaries that have to be paid. Check http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-wor...occupations.pdf for details. But I doubt that it is as much 70000.

Do a search on the immi site for minimum salaries

[Mara]

Hi Aus457

You say your husband is in an engineering position, but you do not say what he actually does! If he is a qualified engineer I would definitely expect him to be offered a salary in excess of $70,000 per annum. If he has an engineering trade then it may be a bit more difficult, it all depends how 'in demand' his experience is.

I do know that there are minimum salary requirements for a 457, but unfortunately as I am not an immigration specialist, I suggest you PM either 'fiona' or 'ptlabs' who are both migration agents, they should be able to answer your question.