Far Fae Hame

Been offered a possible job and the work says they will take me and the family over on a 457, which they say my wife can work on. (true I think)

But the other part was "After about 12 months our agent says and on past experience, it would be a minor formality for you and your family to obtain permanent residency"

Are they trying it on or can this be done?

Help as they want a decision sooooooooooon :scared:

h2oskineil

We're in a similar situation... we're leaving on 5th Jan for Perth on a 457. My wife can work ok on this visa.
BE AWARE if your going to NSW I have heard that education is NOT free on a 457.... OK in WA though.
My company are sponsoring me initially for 2 years, after which, their commitment to me ends. However, if they are happy with my performance etc etc they will extend the sponsorship so that I can apply for Permanent Residence. I might be wrong about this part, but I assume they will be sponsoring me to get the PR, but right now we are trying to get our heads around the first 2 years!
I think there are others on here more knowledgeable than me about the subject, I'll watch with interest at their replies.

Neil.

Mandy&Stu

Hi

My partner Stu was sponsored on the 457 visa along with me which enables me to work aswell (only been here just over 3 weeks and he's working already) - his company have sponsored alot of people this year and when we came they said we shold now start the process of residency - even though our visas expire in 2007 - we looked into and yes we can start applying now - we have to pay for it which is about $1900 which excludes medicals etc

We both agreed that we would feel better if we had residency. I think its something you guys should look into when you arrive - seems alot of people are doing it this way.

If you need any more info - PM us and we will answer anything we can

Take care
Mandy n' Stu

PS Who's the job with ? Just wondering if its same as Stu

Pomster

we came over on a 457, and it is not 'a minor formality' to get PR. Your unfortunately still have to go through the same process as everyone else, but because you are here on a 457, your job will be one in demand (well it should be!).

We went through the PR and it took almost a year to obtain, while I was still working on the 457.
My husband came over with me- he could do any job he wanted, while I was tied to the sponsorship.

spuds

Hi All,

I bring people like yourselves over to Oz on a 457 visa and we also help people get PR while they are here.

Is your company offering to sponsor your PR visa? If so, the process is slightly less complicated and may be quicker overall. Our company will sponsor an employee for PR after they have worked for us for 18 months as we can cut out the assessment criteria that way (and see if we like them ) The Employer Sponsored PR (ENS) is at considerable cost to the company and while we have an obligation to provide you with a job, you can leave the employer as soon as it comes through (if you wanted to) so it's quite a big ask!

If they are suggesting you can just go your own way and apply for your PR independently in a year's time, it won't be much easier than if you applied from offshore, except you cut out some processing time in international post etc. Also, if you are having X-rays and/or medicals for your 457 application (you will need them for a 457 visa longer than 11months) then you don't usually have to re-do them for your PR application if it's within 12 months of them being done initially. If it's not within 12 months you'd have to do them onshore which will still make things (marginally) quicker.

So, being onshore won't make things much quicker for you if you are going the independent route (which they are probably suggesting) I'm afraid, though correspondence is generally easier as at least you are in the same timezone etc.

Be aware that there are generally hefty tax benefits available to 457 residents in the form of LAFHA (Living Away From Home Allowance) and this will cease when you apply for PR.

Hope that helps,

Em.

NickyP

Hi there no they aren't telling you lies. We are here on a 457 with hubby's company sponsoring us for PR which should be through in a few months, friends did the same (although the company didn't pay for their PR application).
The big thing really is that you have to be happy to stay with the sponsor company at least throughout the process and you have to be sure that they are serious about following through to PR. It has worked out very well for us and our friends but there are downsides to being here on a 457 visa and these do depend on which state you are in. In Victoria they are pretty simple, buying a house is complicated, banking becomes less straightforward, tax is an issue and there are no benefits (except the reciprocal Medicare) but on the up side we are here and loving it. Within a few months we will have our PR sorted and then we will be able to buy a house and feel fully settled.
We had to redo all of our medicals etc for the Pr but the company are paying for an agency to deal with the application so we are lucky and it takes a lot of the stress out of it for us.
Oh yes and I can work if I want to, also our son can (if he ever gets around to getting a job hee hee).
The important thing to do is to be certain exactly what the company are offering you regarding the whole process.
Good luck
Nicky

wmoore

How long a contract are you being offered (i.e. how long will the 457 be valid for)?

As the others have said, what you've been told isn't necessarily a lie but could be stretching the truth a bit if you're going to be left to your own devices. If the company will sponsor you, then it will be a lot less painful

spuds

Hi Nicky,

If you are here on a 457 you should be getting some pretty hefty company benefits. You should be taking advantage of the tax free allowance (LAFHA) and the compnay should be obligated to provide you with private medical insurance on top of your reciprocal healthcare agreement - all benefits most PR employees will not get.

Being a temp resident doesn't mean you cannot buy a house either, you do need to apply for the Foreign Investment Review board but it's a very straightforward process in my experience.

You should also be aware that you probably won't be able to claim many government benefits for the first two years of a PR visa anyway.

Em

NickyP

Hi there we have got a pretty good deal for us especially with the compay funding the PR fully as well. We have the private insurance etc but not the LAHFA as we have no links to the UK so cannot show that we are living away from home. Also the PR application was put in alongside the 457 application and hubby has a permanent contract with the company so the few months on 457 are an irritation but nothing more as I am happy to be here while we wait for the PR. With 4 kids the child benefit (or tax allowance as it is here) will be a real help once we can get that but at least here we aren't having to pay overseas school fees as we would in NSW. Other than that the big difference for us is that until we get the PR sorted then tertiary education attracts overseas fees which can be expensive (at least our eldest hasn't reached that yet).
With buying, yes we could technically get a house now, but we wouldn't qualify for the first time buyers loan until the PR is through and as this will be $10000 it is not to be sniffed at. Also most of the banks insist on a big deposit when you haven't got PR so we are happy to wait a while as we would like to get as much as we can for our money.
Thanks
Nicky

Derek Clarke

Hi I came over on a 457 in Aug 2005 an after a few weeks put in for permanent residency. After 5 weeks i have permanent residency. If you are going to do this then I would recommend getting the permanent residency medicals done then you only have to have one set done. Also get the police checks done not needed for the 457 visa.
Correct about your wife and children from 14 years and 9 months!

Derek