Rose12

Hi Guys,
This forum is just fantastic and is being very helpfull to me. I have read every single topic related to SNIT (since I am about to start my journey in this path).

My doubt is:
My husband is my dependent (I am an international student doing a master) and he has just got a job.It requires one year of recent work experience to get the SNTI (I think) but my husband has just started a job in Melbourne
Do you think he is eligible to apply, since he is holding another visa already?
He has 8 yeasrs of experience in his area but he's out of the market since we arrived in Melbourne (2 years ago). So, he does not meet the one year of RECENT work experience.Do you believe do still have any chance of success?

Thanks a lot for your help.
Rose

andy thomas

Hi Rose, I am in Mornington, I arrived here on an STNI visa and yes you do need to have 12 months recent experince during the previous 18 months so he will have to do the new job for 12 months before he can apply, if that is the job he wishes to apply as and he has done it before. Check with an agent, as far as I understood it when we enquired, as your dependant he will be limited to the number of hours work he can do if you hold a student visa. 20 hours per week or above of paid employment will count as fulltime for STNI. What is his weekly working hours limit on your current visa?

Good Luck, Andy

stevereed

Hi

Andy is quite right I believe.

Be careful thatyou husband does not work more than 20 hrs per week as this would break your visa rules. If he wants to work more, he would have to consider applying for a different visa on his own

Rose12

Tks Steve and Andy for your reply.

My husband is working full time because I am doing a Masters degree. This gives him the right to unlimited work hours. As far as I understood, he will only be able to apply for a STNI June next year, when he will have 1 year of work experience than. am I right? Can I still seek for the nomitation with the SMU now? I mean, can we try to get the SMU nomitation now and apply for the STNI in June 05?
The skilled matching application requires only 6 months of work exp but I heard that is very hard to get this one. Do you guys have any other ideas about what I should do for now>? My course finishes in june 05 and I am affraid we have to leave the country by than which means he will lost the job and we will have to sell everything and go back to our coutry. My situation seems a bit confusion though.

tks for your help

andy thomas

Rosie, You really need to speak to an agent to get a definative answer, I used the Visa Unit in London who are excellent, doesn't matter that you are already here, I can highly recommend them, ask for John Mumford.

www.visa-unit.com

The fact that you have completed your masters degree whilst studying for it in oz also carries a lot of weight, study time can be counted as recent work experience also in some cases. You yourself may be eligible to apply for permanent residency having studied here in oz, depends on your work history and what you have studied. If you really want to stay in oz (and who wouldnt) make the enquiries now, the sooner the better, dont leave it till the last minute, contact John Mumford

Andy

Rose12

Hi Andy,
Thanks again for your reply.

I have been living in Melbourne for two years and one year ago I started looking at immigration options. I went through lots of immigration agents (two of them I paid for their advice) and they all say the same thing.We stuedie every single possibility that you can imagine to get our PR and the last option is the SNTI. I read that book 6 from immigration site from cover to cover. There are a lot of "ifs" and "but's" that put us in a difficult possition to get it. My profession only worth 50 points, my course is only 1.5 year (when should be 2) plus lot of small "things" that put us on a difficult situation in relation to the visa. The SNTI is our last bet. If it works, thanks God. If not, what can I do?This is the price I am paying for postponing important decisions.

Thanks a lot for your help, kindness and advice. People on this forum are
really great.
Cheers

stevereed

Have you given George Lombard a ring. He post a lot on the immigration forum and is highly respected.

www.austimmigration.com.au

he does a free initial assessment, and is very reasonably priced considering his status as one of the best migration agents about.

If you took another course that took you to 2 years study that should allow the 'recent work experience' waiver to come into effect.

Seriously, I'd give George a ring or do the online assessment.

Rose12

Tks a lot steeve,

This immigration agent which I saw three weeks ago told me I cannot do another 6 months course to complete the 2 years. According to her, the degree has to be as a result of 2 years of study. I missed the chance here as well. Also, my husband needs to be the main applicant as his profession worth 60 points - mine is just 50. I will check the site you refered to.
tks again

stevereed

hi:

Unless you have family sponsorship, you do need to nominate a 60 point occupation as an overseas student, unless you are doing a Doctorate, but I do think that the 2 year study rule does allow for more than on course of study. It certainly does at diploma level etc, there may be different rules for masters etc.

Do you have family in Australia for sponsorship?

JAJ

You do need recent skilled work experience for STNI, unless you are a recent eligible Australian graduate.

Even though your husband may be working now, DIMIA know that many temporary residents in Australia are only working in semi-skilled or clerical jobs and will look at this very closely.

You definitely need good professional advice as by your own admission you've already missed out on opportunities to make an application.

There is no difference between the rules for a Skill Matching and STNI nomination from the Vic SMU, but one still needs some skilled work experience to get past DIMIA.

Doing another 6 month course to top up a Masters to 2 years is fraught with difficulties and you need to be very clear about what course you are taking as otherwise the risk of wasted time and money is high.

The SIR visa may give another option to both of you, whether through an onshore or offshore application.

Trying to understand all these permutations yourself is likely to lead to little more than total confusion - get a competent professional onto your case straight away.

Jeremy

Rose12

Hi Jaj and Jeremy,
tks for your comments

Answering to Jaj question: I dont have family here so I cannot try for sponsorship.

And, Yes Jeremy, you are right. I seek for advice twice and did not have much luck. The first one charged me 150 bucks to tell everything I knew already. The *&^%$ did not even mentioned the SNTI option.
This second one seems to be more professional. She told me about the SMU and she is suggesting I apply under the Skilled matching if we get the state nomination because it requires only 6 months of experience
As I told before, there is no other option for us but SNIT. I am trying to get the SMU nomination first. If we get so, I will try under the skilled matching category (the agent will charge 2.900 australian dollars to do the process, if I decide to do through her. But I am not sure if we will as it seems it will be just paper work.). The most important thing the agent can do is advice wich visa is more suitable. I know already that I have just these options. Nothing else.
My husband did one year TAFE and he finished in December last year. He is working as an Electrical Engineer since June this year , so maybe we still have chance to apply in June 05. For now, I will seek the SMU nomination. If we dont get it, I will cry for maybe one or three days than will start planning my long trip back to Brazil.
To all of you my many thanks for your support and valuable advice. I paid 220 dolars for the information you are giving here for free. I am sure you will all get back much more than you give - it is the fisics law if I am not mistaken (for each action there is a reaction - something like that
tks a lot guys

stevereed

not bad

"for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"

Rose12

I knew it was something like that steveed (laugh)
Tks