Morchie

Hi
My OH has had the offer of a job on the outskirts of Perth on a 457 visa.
The salary is not great so I will have to work also. I have read that the partners of 457 visa holders have trouble finding a decent job. That companies are not keen to take them on as employees.
Has anyone on here found this to be true.

We know that a 457 is not the best visa to come over but as we are aged 43 and 44 we do not have time on our side.

Thank you
Morchie

HelenTD

Are you able to tell us the numbers when you say "The salary is not great" and what sort of work do you do? Will you have to live near the outskirts of Perth where your OH's job is?

Morchie

Hi

The job offer is in Armadale but I am happy to commute to CBD of Perth.
I am a Exhibition Sales Manager with over 15 years experience in exhibiton and media sales and event organisation.

The salary is in the region of 66K AUD. We have done some research and this is the average for the profession that my oh is qualified to do. The position should be pretty secure as he will be working for the local city council.

We are not coming to australia for a better life just a different one and new experiences and to give a son the experience of a new country and maybe better opportunities long term.
But i will need to work to make life more comfortable and have a few treats.
But I am not sure how easy it will be for me to get work.

JAJ

Do you intend that this be a permanent move? If so, what's the plan to get a permanent visa?

HelenTD

Had a quick look at www.seek.com.au, events management or exhibition experience seems to offer a few possibilities for you. Have you thought about where you might live and school for your son?

Do you qualify for LAFHA (plenty of threads on BE for it)? I'm not good on what 457 entitles you to, so can someone else confirm the situation regarding entitlements to Centrelink payments, Medicare-funded treatment and school fees - public and private?

northernbird

You don't qualify for LAFHA as such, you just have to find an employer willing to pay it. It comes under the fringe benefits tax umbrella and not all employers are willing to do the paperwork, ours wasn't.

457 holders only pay school fees in ACT and NSW and you are entitled to didly squat from Centrelink. Medicare is pretty similar and if you are a UK passport holder you are entitled to care under the reciprocal health care agreement. Basically it entitles you to necessary treatment but would not cover any elective procedures. Some employers insist on you taking private health, again ours didn't and we didn't until we became PR. Premiums are a LOT more expensive for 457 holders than for PR visa holders.

Morchie

Hi Guys

Thanks for the info, will have a look at Seek.
We are hoping to apply for PR when we get over there and are hopefully that we may get his employer to sponsor us.
We have just started to look at the areas around Armadale, but i have read some mixed reports on the area, so any info on schools and suburbs to live in would be great.

Think we will stick with medicare inially if we can use it for gp visits and essential treatment.

We are still waiting for all of the details to be put in writing and we have been told that the visa will likely take 3+ months.

Thanks
Morchie

mvagusta

A couple of points that I can think of.

You can't apply for Pr your employer needs to sponsor you for it this can be relatively early after arrival although your husband will have to go through the ielts test if the application is made before you have been in Oz for 2 years after this no ielts test is required as you are deemed to have the necessary qualifications.

Be aware if the job comes with lafha then you will loose the lafha entitlement as soon as you apply for Pr. On the subject of lafha due to the salary he will be on he will only be able to claim for the food allowance and maybe part of your rental assuming your going to rent. This is because you must still maintain what diac has set out as the minimum salary requirement ($47500) after lafha. This is my understanding and stand to be corrected.

You can stick with medicare after you arrive but you will need some sort of health insurance to get the 457 in the first place. A bit of a catch 22 that one as they won't give you a visa without the correct cover. I managed to get mine using a travel insurance policy and a letter from a health insurance company saying that I will be covered when I arrive. It didn't cost anything.
Also I would check if the gp visits are actually covered under the medicare agreement as pr residents still have to pay something.
I would check up what is actually covered under medicare (ambulance isn't covered) as something in the back of my mind is saying dental and glassses aren't covered although I maybe way off on that one.

The 3 months for the visa is probably his prospective employer hedging their bets as it only take 6-8 weeks from submitting an application. It lies on some ones intray at diac for about 4 weeks and then gets processed in 2 weeks.

newjersey

Minor correction - IELTS is test of English ability, and 2-year exemption rule relates to the skills assessment, that is occupation specific. Two different "tests" if you will.

mvagusta

Well spotted. I new what I meant to say but didn't type it properly.

I don't know how I got the Ielts and the skills assesment mixed up, must be old age creeping in.

heldownunder

Without private health you have to pay full cost of gp visit $60+, optician check ups, dental cover $150 for check up & clean. Thoughthe latter is only covered by an extras policy which costs $80pcm for 4 and still only pays half- though you do get free glasses yearly.

northernbird

Private health doesn't cover GP visits anyway as far as I am aware. My extras gives me 2 free check ups/cleans per family member per year so all policies are not equal.

heldownunder

We get free gp consultation through the employers private health scheme - you have to claim it back after paying. I also claimed for an eye check

elice_in_oz

Heldownunder, all covers are different. Also, you might be confusing bulk-billing with Medicare and private health insurance. You are lucky if your employer does indeed cover your GP visits, but not many do.

Just to clarify, if you are a UK RESIDENT here on a temporary visa (457 or other), you are entitled to MEDICARE throught the Reciprocal Health Agreement.

Medicare covers ALL emergency and immediately necessary treatment in a public hospital.
It also covers GP visits, but not always in full. Some GP clinics BULK-BILL, meaning that they only charge the Medicare fee and so claim that directly from Medicare, leaving you with NO gap payment (free consultation). Other GP clinics do not bulk-bill and charge a fee that is higher than the Medicare scheduled fee. You have to pay upfront for these consultations and you get a PARTIAL refund from Medicare of up to what the Medicare scheduled fee is. From my experience, that leaves a gap of about $25-30 for you to cover from your own pocket. Many GP clinics that don't bulk-bill as a rule will still bulk-bill children up to 16 and concession card-holders. You need to check with your local clinic.

Private health insurance does NOT cover GP consultations. They usually cover hospital stays and treatment in a PRIVATE hospital, ambulance and extras (dental and optical) depending on the level of your cover. Private specialists are also covered up to certain amount so you will often still have to pay a gap fee anyway, whether with Medicare or private health insurance.

In short, on a 457 Medicare can be enough if you are healthy and don't need expensive dental and optical treatments. We were on Medicare only for a few years before becoming PR and I had a baby in the public system, only paying for a couple of scans. It all depends on what you need, and what you are prepared to pay.

alayne

Hi there,

I came out here on my husbands 457 visa and have not had any difficulty finding a well paid job. You are in a better position that your other half in some ways as you are not restricted on who you can work for.

I have medicare having lived in the uk for 17 years and paid taxes etc, I had to visit a doctor to have some x rays done, I did not pay for the gp visit, I had the x rays in a clinic up the road the very same day, these were also free and went back for the results the next day and the gp saw me again for no charge. You just need to find a bulk billing gp and then you should be ok.

Enjoy your adventure and I hope it all works out for you all.