axl rose

Just been looking on National Bank website. It appears that you have to be pr to work there. does anyone know if this is across the board.

My current employer is the Yorkshire Bank which is part of National Aus Bank I was hoping to stay in this career but I would consider anything.

JAJ

Spouses of 457 visa holders do have unrestricted work rights as far as DIMIA are concerned.

However many employers will not hire temporary residents even with full work rights as there is too much risk (in their eyes) that you will leave suddenly.

This applies especially to the long term, career orientated jobs (ie the better jobs).

There's a range of other disadvantages and problems with the 457 visa - have you thought of fixing the problem at source and getting his employer to sponsor for permanent residence before you leave?

Jeremy

axl rose

Thanks for your advice Jeremy but currently the plan is to only be there for maximum of 4 years, as allowed by the visa (I understand). We do not currently have the desire to become permanent residents and my husband's sponsoring employer wants him there ASAP.

We appreciate I may find it difficult/impossible to get a "career" job but I would like to think I could earn a living.

kiwichild

I'm not sure what a 457 visa means but if you can switch it to a PR one you can likely get a job in the area you are trained in and at the level of you skills and therefore equivalent remuneration. That alone would make it worth it.
After 2 years you can take out citizenship, then regardless of your future plans, you can always get back into australia, if you so wish later on.

Am sure you will score some work even on this 457 thing but it may not be what you would prefer to do.

hevs

I think a lot of it depends on being at the right place at the right time and how good you are at your job.

A friend of ours in Sydney is in the same position as you, she got some temp work pretty easily. This has now turned to a fantastic career oppertunity into permanent employment because somebody left suddenly and she was chosen to replace her. Good luck

JAJ

Incidentally the employer nominated PR visa is given priority and often doesn't take much (or any) longer than a 457 visa to process.

It's far better to have the option to stay even if you wish to leave, as opposed to wanting to stay and having to leave. The latter is something that many 457 holders experience each year.

Jeremy

bondipom

Just to add that it depends on what you do, how in demand your profession is and where you are going to live. Temp work in Sydney is straight forward to come by.

axl rose

Thanks for everyone's advice. Presumably if they don't take longer (which I am very suprised to hear), then presumably they are a lot more expensive for the employer?
I am just trying to understand my potential employers point of view before I talk to them about possible employer nominated PR visa.

Thanks again

kiwichild

Not sure of cost or length of time to process but I would definitely push for the employer sponsored PR visa. Geez they want your other half to travel half way round the world: it's the least they can do in my opinon.

owieb

We came out originally on a 457IE visa (I was the main applicant), and my wife had no problem getting a full-time job. She is a management accountant and found work within a couple of weeks of arriving.

axl rose

Thanks Owieb, that is encouraging to hear. My wife has seen some very attractive jobs advertised on various websites but some did say "Australian citizens only". I understand that my wife will be able to apply for such jobs (though I acknowledge some employers may be wary that she may suddenly leave). Saying that though, I am contracted to be there for at least two years so perhaps this is more security that some Aussie citizens can give!

owieb

And a lot of the jobs will say "PR Residents only" too. What we found was a lot of agencies hadn't heard of the 457IE visa and didn't realise that it allowed my wife unrestricted work rights. A couple of times we had to get them to contact DIMIA to confirm that she was allowed to work.

A few companies were wary of the "temp" situation, but overall it wasn't too bad.

bondipom

Companies can be flexible for the right candidate. Governments aren't. I used the term resident when I was on the 309.

JAJ

I'm not saying they don't take longer, but the extra time is not as much as people think because"
- often the temporary visa takes time to process; and
- the employer sponsored PR visa is much faster (in most cases) then the usual skilled visa application, because it's prioritised.

Now every case is different and all you need is some complexity to throw a spanner in the works but this is a general rule - an employer sponsored temporary visa is not that much quicker than a permanent one.

Cost of a permanent visa is a bit higher, but small change in the whole scheme of recruitment costs. Labour market testing will disappear with the Government's ENS reforms taking effect on April 2, so that's one significant element of cost out the window.

Leaving aside cases where multinationals send people to Australia on temporary secondments, or cases where the job is clearly time limited, I have a strong view that if an employer is hiring on an 'Australian' contract, then the only responsible option is a permanent visa.

Some employers prefer a temporary visa because the employee can't leave, but I take the view that an unhappy employee (or an employee worried about his or her future in Australia) is likely to be an unproductive employee.

Sponsoring for a permanent visa also avoids the complications of paying for higher medical and education costs.

Jeremy