cubeonly

Hello all,

Is it possible/easy to get an Australian credit card, car loan/buy car, etc., if on 457 visa?

Cheers,

Bermudashorts

I am sure people do get credit but you should not expect to get credit straight away. We have been a year on PR and still not applied for any credit, it is not good to apply and be turned down.

Chortlepuss

It's not easy, but your bank should give you a credit card with an insultingly low rate. Take it to build up your credit rating. I reckon a loan would be tough to get. I had a really well paid job when I moved out here 5 years ago on a 457 and even though I am now PR with no debts I have almost given up on getting a big enough credit card limit to cover 4 airplane tickets to the UK. It's such a bore having to pay cash for airline tickets!!

hoofie2002

There are NO credit ratings in Australia as such. All your central credit record has are the dates and amounts of credits applied for and any defaults, judgements. Getting a credit card and using it for 6 months makes zero difference.

At the time of application the bank/whatever determines whether you are a worthwhile risk based on income/expenditure/debts/assets and then other factors such as age, job, number of kids etc etc.

From what I can remember, 457 visas are not the banks ideal criteria as you have a limited time after which you may well be gone. Each bank will have their own policies.

Chortlepuss - if you are on a PR with a good job and little/no debts a CC should be a breeze; do you own property etc ?

When I came as a PR we organised a mortgage and a CC after 4 months - I think getting a mortgage makes a BIG difference as the banks [in theory] then know you have a large capital asset behind you.

verystormy

Never had a problem. Was offered a credit card after about a year with a fairly large limit and decent rate (Nab Platinum) and got finance for my car with no problems.

pumpkin blossom

Every single loan and credit card I have seen advertised has in the small print that you must be an Australian permanent resident.
I dont think they actually check if you are or not though, they just take your word for it.

We were also told we would not be able to get a contract phone until we had pr. We just went and applied and they ticked the yes box without actually asking us...

verystormy

We were up front about our status. Couldnt get a card when i applied to one company, but bank, who knew our status were fine. Car loan only headache was that the duration of the loan could only be the legnth of the visa minus 6 months. At the time we had 2.5 years left on the 457 and so loan had to be repayed in 2 years.

cubeonly

Hello all,

Thanks very much for your helpful replies; greatly appreciated!

I guess UK credit cards can be used in Aus no problem; Visa, Mastercard, Amex?

Cheers,

h2oskineil

Never had any problems on a 457.... I think the only problem is buying a house (need to request permission).
No child care on a 457. If you loose your job = 28 days to find another sponsor company... or leave the country.... make sure your job is safe. - Just my advise.

KJCherokee

Yes they can, but bear in mind that you will pay forex fees as all purchases in A$ will be billed to you in GBP - and if you are paying the account with A$ you will pay to convert that to GBP as well. And in most places you will pay extra to use Amex or Diners due to the exhorbitant fees they charge the merchants - or they may just not take them at all.

Do you actually need a credit card (i.e. live now pay later)? It is probably easier to get a Visa debit card, as long as you have an Australian bank account to link it to.

Bermudashorts

Yes they can be used, although I probably would only do that short term. I also agree with KJCherokee, don't understand why some people need to get credit cards the moment they arrive. We got visa debit and live within our means so no need for visa credit yet.

cubeonly

Yep, agree good points.

ScotsSal

I've been here almost 2mths and I've only just been allowed to get a credit card from my bank.

I've been refused an unsecured loan for furniture (so I've been living in a flat for a month so far with not even a sofa to sit on and it has wooden flooring, so not very comfortable! Luckily I have a bed I bought from the flat owner!). I've also been refused a secured loan for a car. Although, the bank did make a huge error with the loan applications process and their customer service completely failed in the way they dealt with my applications as a result of the error ('declined' them instead of 'voiding' or getting me to withdrawt the applications and start again).

I've not dared apply for credit again after that for fear that the problem with the bank now impacts on my chance of getting credit elsewhere. So, I am car-less as well as sofa-less at the moment!

HelenTD

Not a good way to try and set up your new home. There are places where you can rent furniture and white goods, and Ikea do some OK stuff, eg Poang or Boliden chairs. I know a family a few months ago who just arrived and 2 weeks later bought a car with finance from the car yard, with only one adult earning, on a low salary. In fact they got the car just as she was starting work, ie before any salary was paid.

I couldn't cope with being in Perth and having no car. Ikea will deliver if you can't get the piece of furniture home, plus you can always hire a car, or ask a favour of someone on here.

ScotsSal

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing - taking a day off work and hiring a car to head there. Problem is I've already bought a sofa. They started off saying it would take 4 - 5 weeks to arrive (bearable) but now they're saying 9 - 10 weeks, so I've got another 4 - 6wks of waiting and no sofa! For 4-5wks I didn't think it was worth buying a cheap fill-in from Ikea. Had I known it could have been 10wks, then it would have been different.

Put in a complaint to the bank about how they've handled it. Hoping they can delete all traces of the application and 'decline' (not sure if they can though) so that I can apply for credit elsewhere. Not sure what garages give credit for a 457 visa though. Anyone got any recommendations? I know I may have less negotiation power on the price, but willing to put up with that to get a car!