shelley77

Hi

Can anyone tell me what a 457 visa is ??

Thanks

Shelley

Bordy

Subclass 457 (sponsored) allows for skilled overseas workers to enter Australia to engage in employment or business for up to four years. This visa is for Australian businesses that wish to sponsor qualified people from overseas, overseas businesses seeking to engage in business in Australia, or for people who want to establish a business in Australia.


Copy & Pasted from.

http://www.immi.gov.au/employers/kit2003/29.htm

shelley77

Quick question then......if thats ok...

how would you come across these employes that want to sponsor people and do you need to have a visa first ...... or is there recruitment agents in australia who look for workers for the employes that want to sponsor people ??


thanks for your advice

shelley

andrew63

Shelley
I am on a 457.
Virtualy impossible to find such an employer through an agency or even directly applying - at least in my case that got me no where.
I came to Australia several times on a business visa as part of my UK job and spent that time "networking" and sucking up to potential employers ane eventually managed to talk one into spnosoring me in.
They are now converting my 3-yr temporary 457 into a permanent ENS.

Andrew

jayr

My employer advertised in the UK and brought me over on a 4yr 457.

mamichelle

Try Free Spirit - They are an agency who sort out visas too.
www.freespirit.com.au

JAJ

As others have said it's a sponsored work visa. As you are effectively chained to your employer there are lots of horror stories where people hate their jobs but cannot leave.

It's usually a lot simpler just to get a permanent visa from Day 1 and forget about the 457.

Jeremy

jayr

Jeremy

You keep saying that but I think it's wrong to make out the 457 as some potential horror story. They are not right for those whose whole lives are planned around permanent migration to Oz but they work for plenty of other people, including those moving with their current employer to Oz for a short term secondment.

I never had my eyes set on Oz, though 2 years into a 457 visa I would like to get PR. If I'd not come this route I might never have even considred coming to Oz at all. I'm also aware of a number of 'success' stories of people who've changed employers on a 457 from 'hated' jobs and later applied and got PR and some who have had their 457 employer sponsor them for PR.

457s work well if you want someone else to pay a large part of the costs of trying out Australia for a while. They also prevent you (early on) having the feelings of a 'permanent' move which sends 50% home before giving it a long enough go.

JAJ

The problem is that many people do try to 'migrate' on a 457 visa and that is a potential horror story in the making.

Sure, if you're coming with a multinational on an expenses paid secondment, and your employer is picking up the school and healthcare costs, and maybe providing housing too, and you're just staying in Australia for a few years before moving onto higher and greater things in the organisation - then maybe yes, the 457 is an ok visa for you.

Although many 'visa smart' expats in this situation get themselves permanent visas anyway and depart Australia with citizenship for themselves and their kids.

I know people who have only managed to get PR after 3, 4 or 5 years in Australia - had they come as PR straight away they would be citizens by now (as would their Australia born children - who didn't get citizenship by birth because the parents had 457s and not PR).

And agents in Australia do regularly see 457 visa holders in a total mess because they have been fired or the employer has refused to sponsor for PR.

All I'm saying is think about the pros and cons of the 457 before uprooting yourself.

Jeremy

jayr

Agreed.

shelley77

What if the only route for us is to have myself go to college to gain a qualification to boost my points to enable us to pass for PR.

Could it not work for us to get this 457 visa thing and be working for an employer that could possibly sponsor you for PR - How long do you have to work for the employer before they might sponsor you and also is that the only way then to get PR or are there other ways once you are there are working with an employer ?

tonyk38

If you don't mind me asking, what profession are you hoping to train in?

I am a student nurse hoping to migrate eventually to Aus. I won't qualify until next autumn. I could go out pretty soon after that on a 457, but I almost certainly won't because I've heard far too many stories of people ending up in the pickle that Jeremy describes. I'd sooner work for three years, get the extra points, and come out in about 4/5 years time on a 136 skilled independent. It's worth the wait because if you get this visa, you have instant PR, and can live and work wherever you like in Aus and do whatever you like. A 457 gives you none of this.

If you want to migrate permanently, I would strongly advise you look at other options first, even if it means waiting.

DianneH68

It's all very well saying get yourself PR first, but if you don't get enough points and never will (like me ) the sponsored visa may be your only route.
It's certainly one I'm going to look into as I don't have the luxury of getting PR first.

shelley77

Thats the thing..... I am a few points short of being able to get PR straight away.....I have been advised that if I study a chef qualification in OZ with the hope of the employer possibly sponsoring me after I have done my work experience with them then this is the only possible route.... then we can apply again for PR with me new qualification and hopefully the fact that I will have 8-10 years in the hotel industry here and also some experience I would have gained over there also.

harveyhare

Hi, I am a nurse going on a 457 visa, I was short by two months on the recent work experience as I left work to travel, figured I may as well be working in OZ towards my target than in the NHS, if we like it we will apply for PR.

Di