457 contract
 

Hi,
It is now looking like we will be working in Australia on a 457 (still waiting for the MD to come back from his hols). While my husband is negotiating his contract we could do with some ideas of anything we might need to include in that. We have 2 boys aged 5 and 10 and I am currently recovering from a fractured spine so am concerned about medical cover. Any ideas will be greaty appreciated. Sonia

Re: 457 contract
 

plenty of reading for you:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/457_Visa_Restrictions

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Corpor...tion-Australia

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Perman...28Australia%29

Re: 457 contract
 

Great info, thanks :thumbup:

Re: 457 contract
 

If you havent already picked it up in another thread. Being from the UK you would qualify for Reciprocal health care which means, you are covered for any emergency surgery, but unlikely any of the side bits which amount up, such as longer stays in hospital etc. However as a 457 applicant (I am one) you MUST take out private health cover as part of the visa conditions OR negotiate it in your contract for your employer to pay it.

My employer paid for my 457 application via a migration agent so i agreed to pick up the health insurance. if they audit you and find you dont have it you could be in breach and sent home.

www.austhealth.com specialise in 457 health care. I pay about $370 a quarter for cover for me and my partner which is family cover. It is expensive but covers repatriation etc.

As always with existing medical conditions there are exemptions, i.e they wont cover you for your spinal injury, but not many would as it is existing.

Re: 457 contract
 

As from September of last year you no longer have to take out private health insurance if you are on a 457 visa and from a country that has reciprocal health care. However, if you have it in the UK you might as well have it here but it is not cheap on a 457 - about double the cost of those on PR visas or citizens.

You don't stay which State you are going to - some charge for schooling so you will need to check that and perhaps negotiate with your OH's employer for that to be paid - no harm in trying.

I am sure that the links you have been given also mention Living Away from Home Allowance (LAFHA) - check to see whether your OH's employer knows about this/see whether you qualify and will the company allow it/has it already been included in his package.

Re: 457 contract
 

As from September the health insurance requirements of the visa can be satisfied by the reciprocal health agreements, however it doesn't mean that one has health cover. Only emergencies would be dealt with, OP would need to pay for everything else individually without insurance so well worth getting IMO.

Re: 457 contract
 

We were on 457 for over a year and never had to pay for any medical fees. Reciprocal for uk persons is for medically neccessary stuff not just emergencies. So basically if your dr says its necessary you're covered.

We used IMAN who have specialist 457 cover who pretty much refunded in full just about everything incl dental and optical. Much better cover than you can get on a PR, but about twice as much ie for family of 5 it was nearly $400 a month.

Re: 457 contract
 

thankyou, seems like we have most things covered. The thing that is concerning me the most is pre existing medical conditions eg my 10 year old has asthma is ongoing treatment for that going to cost us?

Re: 457 contract
 

If you are eligible for the limited reciprocal cover you have to pay the 1.5% Medicare levy. Also, as far as I know, the 1% surcharge if you do not have health insurance.

Re: 457 contract
 

we have been here on a 457 visa for 7 months now-perth is nice with lots of potential but on this visa the employer can get away with paying you the minimum wage which does not cover the living costs etc, hence this has made our time here slightly miserable as we cant afford the little extras like going out for a meal every now and then, also we didnt realise how much we miss the family and friends. the grass is not always greener on the other side!
my advise to anyone going over on a 457 temp visa is to skip that and apply for pr instead -in hindsight i wish that was what we did then i could have found a job with decent pay from the off! i know the uk has bad weather etc but cant stand the thought of seeing close family once in ablue moon-anyone moving out here needs to seriously consider these issues first. i read earlier in this thread about the rubbish-perth is spotlessly clean only once a month people put their old toot outside the houses for the council to collect which they do quite quickly. graffiti is a bit of a problem here but not like london!
we also have a guilt trip about taking our young daughters 7+9 naway from grandparents etc-moving so far away will certainly test you!
anyway hope this bit of info will help some of you.

Re: 457 contract
 

thanks Tony and Wendy,
We should be going to NSW and we are very lucky that my husband would be transferred with a good job in a multi national company that will pay him a reasonable wage. It is good to think about what may be the downsides too though

Re: 457 contract
 

If you're going to be on a temp visa in NSW then you'll have to pay to send the kids to the state schools (unless that's changed recently).

Re: 457 contract
 

If its an internal transfer is there a reason why they won't offer a permanent visa sponsorship?

It usually possible and these days just as quick. many firms think they HAVE to wait 2 years and more often that not this is not true if you can get a skills assessment.

Re: 457 contract
 

Does anyone know: If one person is sponsored on a 457 together with their partner, can the partner also work in Australia?

Re: 457 contract
 

Yes, the partner has working rights