Bennett86

Hi, I'm a British expat who has been living in Prague for over 3 years and now plan to move to Australia (ideally Melbourne). Now because I haven't turned 31 yet I can still qualify for a working holiday visa which should be routine in getting however my partner is Czech and unfortunately there is no Czech-Aussie working holiday scheme in place so she can't get that visa. She is 25 and a university graduate with almost 4 years retail management experience and speaks brilliant English (as you'd expect living with an English language teacher!).
We have searched for other visa options for her, such as the student visa which would allow her to work 20 hours a week, however the course costs are quite expensive, especially compared to Czech wages. Does anyone know of any other visa options available to her or if there are any ways in which she can get a cheap study course (ie-English language course or vocational course) that would still enable her to work whilst in Oz?
We are really desperate- I turn 31 in December so running out of time to get my WHV.

Thanks,
Chris

Dorothy

Do either of you qualify for a skilled visa? On a working holiday you will not be "moving" to Australia, you will be visiting for a year with the ability to work. There is no pathway to permanent residence from the WHV unless you qualify for another visa type.

verystormy

As mentioned, you aren't moving to Oz on a whv, it is what it says. A holiday.

If you are looking at longer term options, then you need to look at other visas such as permanent skilled visas. Your starting point is border.gov.au and look at the skilled occupation lists. If either of your occupations are on, then the next thing is to see if you can pass the skills assessment for that occupation. For example, I believe teacher is on, so you would need to see if you can pass the requirements for teacher.

Bennett86

Hi,
Thanks for the replies. I know that WHV's aren't permanent working visas which would allow us to move to Oz forever, but they would enable us to move and live for a year to begin with.

I lived in NZ for 2 years on a WHV and know that it is a lot easier to get sponsored/a full time job offer once you are in the country and working with an employer, hence why we want to go initially on a WHV. It is the easiest, quickest way to get to Oz and then get a foot in the door.
Unfortunately an English language teacher (TEFL) wasn't on their immediate/needed skilled list the last time I looked. I would only be able to get that work visa if I had a job offer from an Aussie school first- hence the WHV approach.

Are there any cheap courses which allow people to get a student visa out there?

Thanks

verystormy

I am afraid you don't understand Australian immigration.

Getting sponsorship is no easy or quick thing.

The fist thing to note is that sponsorship still requires the occupation is still on one of the skilled lists.

Then, the employer has to be eligible. Many are not even if they want to and many other companies have no sponsorship policies. Then, many others simply won't bother as sponsorship now is very time consuming. For example, the average wait time now for a 457, which is the quickest sponsored visa is about seven months.

So, if your occupation isn't on the lists, you are not eligible. It surprising it isn't on the lists as TEFL is often done by volunteers in Oz. My wife was one for a number of years. The volunteer organisations such as Pokytechnic West offer full free training to people to be TEFL teachers.

As for courses, there are loads. But they are not going to help. Even people who spend tens of thousands per year doing degree courses as international students usually have to leave afterwards.

Bennett86

Oh, in that case NZ's immigration is a lot easier than Australia then I knew lots of people there who got sponsored for work visas, not necessarily for permanent residency, but enough to stay for 2 or 3yrs or so.

However, our intention isn't necessarily to immigrate to Australia, but just to find a way for both of us to be able to live and work legally there for a year at least as may partner has never been there, so has no idea if she will like it or not. I guess student visa would be her only option for a visa if there is no WHV available for Czechs?

Pollyana

New Zealand is very different in that way - lots more temporary options and its easier to find sponsorship. Also much easier to arrive as a tourist/WHV and obtain a longer stay. Their immigration structure is totally different.

carcajou

Secondary school teacher is on the shortage list - but, unfortunately, no Australian school can employ a CELTA/TEFL/TESOL etc as a teacher and you will not pass a skills assessment with that qualification. You must be a registered school teacher in the state/territory you will be working in and that would mean a university qualification in education that had at least a 45 day final teaching practicum. Not a CELTA etc.

Australia also has an oversupply of teachers at the moment and visa sponsorships stopped a long, long time ago. I do hear of it happening from private schools on occasion, but so infrequently you should assume it won't happen. The last one I heard of was a few years ago and came out of regional interior Queensland, and that person had already been there a while.

If you want to come on a WHV, come, but with the mindset (as others have noted) that it is a holiday and you will be returning to Europe after a year.

Bennett86

I have looked again and seen that a teacher of English as a second Language is now on their short-term skilled occupation list so I could apply for an EOI.

We are more than happy however to just come for a year to work and travel around, and I can get a WHV easily enough, but my partner won't be able to work for the duration of the year and won't be able to afford to live in Aus without working (Czech wages are low), which is why we have been looking at any way she can legally be allowed to work there....

carcajou

You first have to apply for a Skills Assessment through VETASSESS, which is the skills assessor for that occupation (note that this is different from school teachers, which apply through AITSL).

https://www.vetassess.com.au/

Once you have a positive skills assessment from them, THEN you can submit an EoI.

Note - you still will not be working in an Australian school, but at least you can come and gain employment outside the government/private school sector should your visa application be successful.

Bennett86

Brilliant, thanks a lot

teza

Plus the partner won't be coming along in the application unless they've lived together 12 mths or are married.

Bennett86

Yeh, I know that you have to prove your relationship is genuine and must have lived together for at least a yr, luckily we've been living together for almost three, so that is one thing that won't be an issue.

Does anyone have any info on cheap English language courses available in the Melbourne area as it looks like it would be easier for my partner to get a student visa than me applying for permanent residency? Thanks

Dorothy

A cheap English language course is not going to get her a student visa. She needs to be enrolled in an approved course of study, have enough money to support herself for 12 months plus the cost of the study, and have satisfactory English language skills for a student visa. Read the eligibility criteria here: Student visa (subclass 500)

carcajou

Sorry to get the bucket of cold water . . .

Your replies are a bit all over the place and I am afraid verystormy is correct that you are not understanding Australian immigration.

You are giving the impression through your replies that you and your girlfriend want to migrate to Australia but want to cut corners to make it as cheap and easy as possible. This is far more likely to result in you getting a multi-year ban than it is to be a clever way to get into the country.

You have a pathway to permanent residence and can add your partner to that. If you do want to migrate here - this is the pathway. It makes no sense - legally or financially - not to do this. DIBP checks very carefully the English courses that student visas can be given out for and they are all bona fide, legitimate courses that will carry fees and expenses, likely far more than what you will pay to just add her to your permanent residency.

If the purpose of this trip is "just to work and travel around" and then go back to Europe - then it makes no sense to go through the expense and paperwork of a permanent residence visa. But I don't think that is your intention as it contradicts your original post and replies.

If you and her want to have a look around first, get a tourist visa, then go back to Europe and decide what to do, perhaps get the residence visa when back in Europe and then come when you are perhaps better capitalised.

Do not think you are going to cleverly save a few bucks by getting her in on a student visa rather than attaching her to your permanent one, and then have her just not show up for the course once you're here (or overstay when the visa expires). You cannot "travel around" if she is enrolled in a course since she will be expected to be attending classes. That will get her deported and banned for years. DIBP knows about this trick and follows up regularly on foreigners arriving on student visas.

DIBP may also have a few questions about a couple arriving on a WHV/student visa combination, since one is for travelling around, and the other is for staying in one place and studying. There won't be a problem if it's legitimate but if you are planning to do something other, they will see through that.

You do have legal options to live and work in Australia. I strongly advise you to follow through on that - migration is not the sort of thing where it's recommended to chase pennies across the highway.