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Thinking of coming to live in Australia? MOD ADVICE IN POST 32

  • 06-05-2010 6:28am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭


    If you are looking to get the most out of your Working Holiday Visa and hope to stay for more then a year or two the following I believe is the best way to go about this:

    Step 1: Save as much money as you possibly can

    Step 2: Go online to www.immi.gov.au and apply for your first WHV

    Step 3: Receive your Visa in approximately 24 hours

    Step 4: Within 1 year of receiving your visa arrive in Australia.

    Step 5: For the first 2-3 months travel around Australia seeing and doing as much as you can and find a place you would like to live for the remainder of your time in Australia.

    Step 6: Once you have found a place you like find as good a job as you can get.

    Step 7: Work in the job for 6 months (the current maximum time you are allowed to work for one company on the WHV).

    Step 8: When the 6 months is nearly up and if you have enjoyed working for the company ask if the company will consider sponsoring you to stay in the country. Explain that the possess involved in sponsoring is relatively easy and very cheap compared to the expense involved in finding and training a new employee (In total the cost is $675, $260 of which you will probably pay yourself).

    Step 9: If the company is willing to sponsor you apply for a 457 visa which entitles you to stay in the country for up to 4 years as long as you remain working for the company that has sponsored you.

    Step 10: If the company is unwilling to sponsor you spend the remaining 3 months working in regional Australia in a job which will qualify you to apply for a 2nd WHV.

    Step 11: Apply for your 2nd working holiday visa.

    Step 12: Repeat steps 6,7, 8 & 9

    Step 13: If the company is unwilling to sponsor you repeat steps 6,7, 8 & 9 again.

    At this point you will have been in Australia for 2 years and may have met an Australian resident that you have started living with which may entitle you to apply for a defacto visa. Or you may be traveling with a partner that has a company who is willing to sponsor them to stay. If this is the case you could be named as their defacto partner and be eligible to be added to their visa which would allow you to stay and work.

    This is my opinion on getting the most out of your WHV as someone who has been here and done it myself (I am currently on a sponsored 457 visa). It is the route I would recommend anyone >30 thinking of coming over here to take (with the possible exception of families with kids who want to emigrate to Australia.)

    Anyone got any other advice?


«13456

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 4,435 ✭✭✭mandrake04


    Good Post Doc, we should make this one a sticky.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,814 ✭✭✭Vorsprung


    Great post


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 36 LisaMe


    I'm delighted to see this message as I'd love to get sponsored over there too


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,435 ✭✭✭mandrake04


    There is one draw back to your plan Doc

    Doc wrote: »

    At this point you will have been in Australia for 2 years and may have met an Australian resident that you have started living with which may entitle you to apply for a defacto visa. Or you may be traveling with a partner that has a company who is willing to sponsor them to stay. If this is the case you could be named as their defacto partner and be eligible to be added to their visa which would allow you to stay and work.

    Really this is Plan B and should have been implemented at same time as Step 11 otherwise it will be 12 months too late.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,435 ✭✭✭mandrake04


    If you are looking to get the most out of your Working Holiday Visa and hope to stay for more then a year or two the following I believe is the best way to go about this:

    Step 1: Save as much money as you possibly can

    Step 2: Go online to www.immi.gov.au and apply for your first WHV

    Step 3: Receive your Visa in approximately 24 hours

    Step 4: Within 1 year of receiving your visa arrive in Australia.

    Step 5: For the first 2-3 months travel around Australia seeing and doing as much as you can and find a place you would like to live for the remainder of your time in Australia.

    Step 6: Once you have found a place you like find as good a job as you can get.

    Step 7: Work in the job for 6 months (the current maximum time you are allowed to work for one company on the WHV).

    Step 8: When the 6 months is nearly up and if you have enjoyed working for the company ask if the company will consider sponsoring you to stay in the country. Explain that the possess involved in sponsoring is relatively easy and very cheap compared to the expense involved in finding and training a new employee (In total the cost is $675, $260 of which you will probably pay yourself).

    Step 9: If the company is willing to sponsor you apply for a 457 visa which entitles you to stay in the country for up to 4 years as long as you remain working for the company that has sponsored you.

    Step 10: If the company is unwilling to sponsor you spend the remaining 3 months working in regional Australia in a job which will qualify you to apply for a 2nd WHV.

    Step 11: Apply for your 2nd working holiday visa. Think of implementing contingency plan B

    Step 12: Repeat steps 6,7, 8 & 9

    Step 13: If the company is unwilling to sponsor you repeat steps 6,7, 8 & 9 again.

    contingency plan B

    At this point you will have been in Australia for 1 years and may have met an Australian resident that you have started living with which may entitle you to apply for a defacto visa. Or you may be traveling with a partner that has a company who is willing to sponsor them to stay. If this is the case you could be named as their defacto partner and be eligible to be added to their visa which would allow you to stay and work.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭Mackman


    Someone for the love of god sticky this!


  • Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭FionaC


    Thanks so much great post :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,100 ✭✭✭eightyfish


    Thanks Doc.
    Doc wrote: »
    Anyone got any other advice?

    I'll get back to you in a year!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,878 ✭✭✭whyulittle


    The way I always thought of it was to get your 3 months regional work done before looking for a proper job. That way you can do your six months at the end of your first WHV, and six months at the start of your second WHV. So you have a full year working with them before looking for sponsorship. (I'm pretty sure you can work with the same employer on both visas.)


  • Registered Users Posts: 448 ✭✭Mad_Dave


    Do you know anything about a 487 Regional Sponsored Visa ?
    Looks like a pretty good route to take - get sponsored by a state government to live and work in a regional area.

    Just starting to look into this as a way of getting around the 12months experience requirement most other visas have


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,333 ✭✭✭Zambia


    The sticky should be called Visa Dominos, you need so many things to fall into place.

    It should be mentioned prior to doing all this the job you do has to be on the skills list. The local chicken shop cant sponsor you like?

    Good post Doc


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,100 ✭✭✭eightyfish


    whyulittle wrote: »
    The way I always thought of it was to get your 3 months regional work done before looking for a proper job. That way you can do your six months at the end of your first WHV, and six months at the start of your second WHV. So you have a full year working with them before looking for sponsorship. (I'm pretty sure you can work with the same employer on both visas.)

    Might take up this advice. How did you verify the 3 months regional work? Do you get letters from the various employers?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,878 ✭✭✭whyulittle


    After the few experiences I had of small town Australia, I decided not to go looking for regional work once the time came around. Just had an extended holiday instead.

    Plenty on here have though, and should be able to give you all the details.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭Mackman


    eightyfish wrote: »
    Might take up this advice. How did you verify the 3 months regional work? Do you get letters from the various employers?

    As far as i know, you download a form from www.immi.gov.au, and you fill in the info of each of your employers. Name, location, time worked there etc.
    Then you attach that to your application for your second WHV


  • Registered Users Posts: 38,921 ✭✭✭✭Mellor


    Doc wrote: »
    Step 8: When the 6 months is nearly up and if you have enjoyed working for the company ask if the company will consider sponsoring you to stay in the country. Explain that the possess involved in sponsoring is relatively easy and very cheap compared to the expense involved in finding and training a new employee (In total the cost is $675, $260 of which you will probably pay yourself).
    That's the total visa cost, aren't there additional costs.
    The cost of a medical.
    Some companies (generally larger construction companies) insist that you go through their visa agent. Which bumps another few grand on to it.
    mandrake04 wrote: »
    Really this is Plan B and should have been implemented at same time as Step 11 otherwise it will be 12 months too late.
    Could you explain the time limit/frame for de facto. I've heard various from 6 months together to 12 months, then i've heard differing on together and living together
    Mad_Dave wrote: »
    Do you know anything about a 487 Regional Sponsored Visa ?
    Looks like a pretty good route to take - get sponsored by a state government to live and work in a regional area.

    Just starting to look into this as a way of getting around the 12months experience requirement most other visas have
    The state could also apply experience conditions, I was looking into state sponsored (not regional) and they wanted 5-7 years exp depending on position
    May or may not apply for regional.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭Mackman


    Mellor wrote: »
    That's the total visa cost, aren't there additional costs.
    The cost of a medical.

    I applied for the 457, i didnt have to get a medical. If your from ireland and havent been living in another country for more that 3 months (or something like that) you dont need one. Other than that, there was no additional cost.
    Mellor wrote: »
    Could you explain the time limit/frame for de facto. I've heard various from 6 months together to 12 months, then i've heard differing on together and living together

    Basically they need to know that you have been in a defacto relationship for 1 year. The best way to prove this is with a lease for 12month/electric bills/phone bills/joint bank account in both ye're names.
    I dont think there's a differnce in living together and not, its just that a lease is a concrete piece of evidence and it makes things harder if you dont have one.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,435 ✭✭✭mandrake04


    Mellor wrote: »
    That's the total visa cost, aren't there additional costs.
    The cost of a medical.
    Some companies (generally larger construction companies) insist that you go through their visa agent. Which bumps another few grand on to it.

    You just need a Chest X-Ray for a 457.

    Yeah you are right, The larger the company the more information DIAC want to examine, first of all the company has to be eligible to sponsor in the first place and they have to supply information that some less reputable smaller companies wouldn't really like a government agency looking at. For the larger Employer sponsoring someone can as of late be a minefield.
    Mellor wrote: »
    Could you explain the time limit/frame for de facto. I've heard various from 6 months together to 12 months, then i've heard differing on together and living together


    Read this thread

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055847976


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭Doc


    Thanks for all the comments on the post.

    I agree that with what most of you have said particularly “mandrake04’s” comment that you should think about the defacto suggestion as a contingency plan / plan B early.

    Also as “whyulittle” said about getting your 3 months regional work done before looking for a proper job so that you have potentially a full year working with a company before looking for sponsorship is a very good suggestion. The main point however is to leave enough time to get this regional work done as you wont get your second WHV without it.

    Mellor wrote: »
    That's the total visa cost, aren't there additional costs.
    The cost of a medical.
    Some companies (generally larger construction companies) insist that you go through their visa agent. Which bumps another few grand on to it.

    I just got my 457 and didn’t have to get a medical or a chest X-Ray. The only additional cost to the figure that I mentioned in my post that you will defiantly have to pay is medical insurance.

    Mine cost me $66 a month but is something that everyone who is intending to live here long term should have anyway as something as simple as being taken to the hospital in an ambulance which costs us nothing at home costs thousands of dollars over here.

    If the company is insisting that they use a visa agent then they will more then likely pay this expense themselves. A visa agent really isn’t necessary though as the process is quite straight forward and I found the people in immigration extremely helpful.

    I’m sorry I don’t have much information on the other types of visas as I have no experience with them.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,526 ✭✭✭brendansmith


    Step 1: Save as much money as you possibly can

    Step 2: Go online to www.immi.gov.au and apply for your first WHV

    Step 3: Receive your Visa in approximately 24 hours

    Step 4: Within 1 year of receiving your visa arrive in Australia.

    Step 5: For the first 2-3 months travel around Australia seeing and doing as much as you can and find a place you would like to live for the remainder of your time in Australia.

    Step 6: Once you have found a place you like find as good a job as you can get.

    Step 7: Have difficulty getting a job so post on boards.ie about how racist the Australians are and how much you hate Australia

    Step 8: Get job in roadhouse and change your tune

    Step 9: Get told that your roadhouse job wont get you 2nd year visa

    Step 10: Go back to Ireland and tell everyone how racist Oz is and also how much of a hole it is but trawl the oz/nz forum for oppertunities to say how racist and how much of a sh1thole oz is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 38,921 ✭✭✭✭Mellor


    Thanks Mandrake, that confirms what I though was true.
    Mackman wrote: »
    I applied for the 457, i didnt have to get a medical. If your from ireland and havent been living in another country for more that 3 months (or something like that) you dont need one. Other than that, there was no additional cost.
    Sorry, I meant x-ray, not full medical. A friend my mine had bloods too, but total cost was 200 or so.
    Basically they need to know that you have been in a defacto relationship for 1 year. The best way to prove this is with a lease for 12month/electric bills/phone bills/joint bank account in both ye're names.
    I dont think there's a differnce in living together and not, its just that a lease is a concrete piece of evidence and it makes things harder if you dont have one.
    I'm pretty sure thats not right. I thought it was 6 months, not 12 and the thread above says the same.

    But I'm sure you have to live together, or else its not a de facto relationship. People often assume de facto means boyfriend/girlfriend, but it basically means living as husband and wife.
    I'm sure, as with all other visas, people get through not living together.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,526 ✭✭✭m@cc@


    Step 1: Save as much money as you possibly can

    Step 2: Go online to www.immi.gov.au and apply for your first WHV

    Step 3: Receive your Visa in approximately 24 hours

    Step 4: Within 1 year of receiving your visa arrive in Australia.

    Step 5: For the first 2-3 months travel around Australia seeing and doing as much as you can and find a place you would like to live for the remainder of your time in Australia.

    Step 6: Once you have found a place you like find as good a job as you can get.

    Step 7: Have difficulty getting a job so post on boards.ie about how racist the Australians are and how much you hate Australia

    Step 8: Get job in roadhouse and change your tune

    Step 9: Get told that your roadhouse job wont get you 2nd year visa

    Step 10: Go back to Ireland and tell everyone how racist Oz is and also how much of a hole it is but trawl the oz/nz forum for oppertunities to say how racist and how much of a sh1thole oz is.

    Hmm, I wonder who that's directed at? :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭Mackman


    Mellor wrote: »
    Sorry, I meant x-ray, not full medical. A friend my mine had bloods too, but total cost was 200 or so.

    Here's the booklet showing the health requirements for entering Australia.

    http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1163i.pdf
    Mellor wrote: »
    I'm pretty sure thats not right. I thought it was 6 months, not 12 and the thread above says the same.

    But I'm sure you have to live together, or else its not a de facto relationship. People often assume de facto means boyfriend/girlfriend, but it basically means living as husband and wife.
    I'm sure, as with all other visas, people get through not living together.

    I found a booklet that has info on Partner Migration (i presume that covers the DeFacto Visa, i cant remember the number of that visa)
    According to the immigration dept. it is 12 months, but it can be waived under special circumstances.

    http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1127.pdf


    About the 12-month relationship requirement


    To be eligible for a Partner visa on the basis of a de facto relationship at the time you apply, you and your partner must be aged 18 years or over and:
    • have been in the relationship for at least the entire 12 months before the date you lodged your Partner visa application; or
    • meet one of the provisions set out below.

    Note
    : Periods of ‘dating’ would not generally be considered to count towards the 12-month relationship requirement.

    For detailed information on eligibility requirements for a Partner visa on the ground of being in a de facto relationship, see page 36.

    Waiver of the 12-month relationship requirement


    The 12-month relationship requirement at time of application lodgement does not apply if:
    • you can establish that there are compelling and compassionate circumstances for the grant of the visa, such as you have children with your partner or cohabitation was not permissible under the law of the country where you resided for the 12 months before you applied;
    • your partner is, or was, the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa, and before that permanent humanitarian visa was granted, you were in a relationship with your partner that satisfies the requirements of a de facto relationship according to the Migration Regulations, and the department was informed of this before the permanent humanitarian visa was granted; or
    • at the time of application for the visa the de facto relationship was registered under a law of a state or territory prescribed in the Acts Interpretation (Registered Relationship) Regulations 2008 as a kind of relationship prescribed in those regulations.
    If you feel that there are compelling and compassionate circumstances that may mean the 12-month requirement does not apply, you should provide a statement with your application that outlines and explains the reasons for your request.

    www.immi.gov.au is a fantastic website IMO, everything you need to know is on there. Might take a bit of searching, but its there :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭Mackman


    Mellor wrote: »

    But I'm sure you have to live together, or else its not a de facto relationship. People often assume de facto means boyfriend/girlfriend, but it basically means living as husband and wife.

    Yeah you're right. Taken from the same booklet as above:


    De facto partners (not married but in a de facto relationship)


    To apply for a Partner visa as a de facto partner, you and your partner must show that you have been in a de facto relationship for the entire 12 months immediately prior to lodging your application. For details on the 12-month requirement, see page 19.


    To be eligible for a Partner visa as a de facto partner, you must:


    • be sponsored by an eligible person (usually by your partner) (see ‘Sponsorship eligibility’ on page 15);
    • not be related by family;
    • together with your de facto partner, be aged at least 18 years at the time your application is made;
    • show that you and your partner have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others;
    • show that you have a genuine and continuing relationship with your partner (see page 40);
    • show that you and your partner have been in a de facto relationship for the entire 12 months immediately prior to lodging your application;
    • show that you and your partner are living together or, if not, that any separation is only temporary; and
    • meet health and character requirements (see pages 20–21).
    In assessing a claimed de facto relationship, the department looks at evidence of things such as living together full-time, sharing important financial and social commitments, and setting up a household separately from other people (for acceptable types of evidence, see page 40).


  • Registered Users Posts: 968 ✭✭✭Chet Zar


    Mackman wrote: »
    As far as i know, you download a form from www.immi.gov.au, and you fill in the info of each of your employers. Name, location, time worked there etc.
    Then you attach that to your application for your second WHV

    Apparently only around 1 in 10 visa applications are checked - or at least used to be, probably more strict now with the crackdown on falsified applications - but you'd need to show proof of having worked regionally with copies of payslips and your employer's contact details.


  • Registered Users Posts: 388 ✭✭Some_randomer


    Doc wrote: »
    It is the route I would recommend anyone >30 thinking of coming over here to take (with the possible exception of families with kids who want to emigrate to Australia.)

    I thought you can only get the WHV if you're under 30?

    I'm 38 (single no kids) and really want to move to Oz and work for a year, ideally arrive by October or November at the latest. I don't want to go the skilled migration route (I'm a software engineer) as I heard it takes at least 12 months. I'm having trouble figuring out how to go about it, as I read that it's nigh on impossible to get a job in Oz while still in Ireland, as any employer would want to meet face to face which is fair enough.

    So does this mean going out there on the 3 month tourist visa, start interviewing straight away in the hope of getting sponsored by the time the 3 months are up?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,150 ✭✭✭FreeAnd..


    I thought you can only get the WHV if you're under 30?

    I'm 38 (single no kids) and really want to move to Oz and work for a year, ideally arrive by October or November at the latest. I don't want to go the skilled migration route (I'm a software engineer) as I heard it takes at least 12 months. I'm having trouble figuring out how to go about it, as I read that it's nigh on impossible to get a job in Oz while still in Ireland, as any employer would want to meet face to face which is fair enough.

    So does this mean going out there on the 3 month tourist visa, start interviewing straight away in the hope of getting sponsored by the time the 3 months are up?

    To be honest - at 38 you will be fairly limited in getting into Oz or NZ...you will really need to secure a job before getting here and that may not be practical on a 90 day tourist visa - How many years experience do you have? That may be a saving grace but most companies require that you are eligible to work in the country before they will even accept your application especially if you need to go through an agency...

    You're only realistic option sounds like skilled migration (once you meet the criteria) - someone else may be able to suggest something better but I think even being over 35 limits you on the chanes of skilled migration too...


  • Registered Users Posts: 388 ✭✭Some_randomer


    Ya I know I should have done this 10 years ago but didn't for various reasons. Work wise I have 14 years experience so I'd be at senior developer/architect level. I would go for the skilled migration, think 45 is the upper limit on that, but can't hang around for a year or possibly longer waiting for it.

    I'd be happy to get out there on the tourist visa and start looking from day 1, maybe make a few preliminary calls from here first. I don't know if doing interviews while on the tourist visa is allowed or not. Also I'm unsure if an employer can sponsor someone while they are on a tourist visa, or if they can how long it takes for it to come through i.e if my 90 days would be up before it was processed, etc.

    The words rock and hard place spring to mind :confused:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,150 ✭✭✭FreeAnd..


    Have you checked out seek.com.au or seek.co.nz? You should start there and see whats about. For particular roles/skills you will often see that they accept people for overseas and will help with immigration and on occasion (depending on scarcity of skills) pay towards flights/relocation etc....

    Personally I think coming on a tourist visa is a potential waste of money (unless you make the most of it holiday wise) - have you been to Oz/NZ before? I also wouldnt reccomend commiting to moving here permanently unless you have...


  • Registered Users Posts: 388 ✭✭Some_randomer


    Ya just came across seek.com.au yesterday so gonna have a scan of it and see what's there. Do many companies post directly on the site or would most of the roles come from agencies? If agencies there are anything like here they just post roles they see advertised directly by companies, and hope they get some CVs that they can then send on to the company...

    Been to Oz about 7 or 8 years ago, was in Melbourne for 10 days, Sydney for a week, then got on a bus up the coast to Cairns...had about 6 weeks in total and really liked it. For that reason I'm happy just to find somewhere with work and stay put for up to a year, soak up the lifestyle etc, as I've done the backpacking already.

    Thanks for the tips so far.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,150 ✭✭✭FreeAnd..


    Ya just came across seek.com.au yesterday so gonna have a scan of it and see what's there. Do many companies post directly on the site or would most of the roles come from agencies? If agencies there are anything like here they just post roles they see advertised directly by companies, and hope they get some CVs that they can then send on to the company...

    Been to Oz about 7 or 8 years ago, was in Melbourne for 10 days, Sydney for a week, then got on a bus up the coast to Cairns...had about 6 weeks in total and really liked it. For that reason I'm happy just to find somewhere with work and stay put for up to a year, soak up the lifestyle etc, as I've done the backpacking already.

    Thanks for the tips so far.

    You get the same sh*t with agencies here unfortunately although I have met a few good ones here...most companies will go through an agency or through more than one and not much you can do about that

    My advice would be to start contacting agencies/companies here and see whats going on...also linkedin is a good place to start - see who is looking for .net experts


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