adam.markey2011

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me please.

I am a fully qualified, JIB electrician in Manchester, UK, with 7 years industrial and commercial experience. After a job interview/offer fell through with an Australian company, I am stuck with regards as to what to do now.

What visa would anyone reccommend to go over to OZ with? Alot of people have said the Working Holiday Visa but if I dont get a sponsor after 12 months then I have to go home and can't come back on another WHV can I? If so, what would an alternativ be?

Also, I am primarily looking for work within the mines and am wondering if I need to get the Australian electricians licence before I can work? And is it easy or hard to get a job in this industry? Is there any certain things that I will need to get a job in the mines?

Would anyone suggest I should stay at home and email companies asking for sponsorship and job vacancies, or just go over and try and find a job with no Australian licence?

Any help would be great please

Thanks

Adam

derren7

Hi Adam,
I've replied to your PM
Regards Derren

Jockstar

Me too. The mines is where the big money is. But not easy to get in. But you need to get a licence before they will even touch you. Good luck.

adam.markey2011

Thanks alot guys for all your help! very helpful

derren7

Hi Adam,
An ARTC is only available to Australian residents. If you get a WHV then you are considered as a resident of Australia. The ARTC is not a licence, merely a recognition of your skills. The ARTC will allow you to undertake some gap training in order to get a A grade licence. As your preferred destination is Perth then you should read through this THREAD on how to get a WA A grade licence and read this LINK on how to apply for an ARTC.
Bear in mind that you cannot apply for an ARTC until you have your visa.
As you want to work in the mines you'll need at the very least a full licence.
Most of the jobs I've seen for mine work requires previous experience although if you're persistent enough I'm sure you'll find a way in.
Also, if you intend to migrate permanently to OZ after your WHV then it is a bit of a grey area as to whether you would still need to do a VETASSESS assessment to gain Permanent residency. Personally, I would think it a bit daft to do this if you have already got an AUS licence but you may want to seek clarification from the DIAC regarding this.
Another thing to bear in mind is that on a WHV you're only allowed/supposed to work for the same employer for 6 months max.
Kind Regards Derren

derren7

Hi Adam,
In reply to your recent PM, I'll start from the top to make it quite clear. Not meaning to sound patronising but it is quite a confusing process and it took me a while to get my head around it all.
Firstly, if you decided to migrate permanently then as a main applicant then you would have to have your skills assessed by VETASSESS for migration purposes. There is no way around this. The situation that Warren Thomas was in (which is identical to mine) was that he was not the main applicant for his PR visa, his wife was , so only she had to have her skills assessed. Once their visa was granted then Warren was considered to be a resident of Australia and was then able to apply for an ARTC.
If you do decide to go on a WHV then you are then considered to be a resident and would be eligible to apply for an ARTC.
Note, you can only apply for an ARTC once your visa has been granted and follow the steps that Warren took.
The reason I suggested that you go on a WHV is that it can take a good few years to be granted a PR visa and would cost a good few thousand pounds.
A WHV can be granted almost instantaneously at a fraction of the price and will give you some idea if Oz is for you.
What is unclear is that if you decide to migrate permanently in the future then would you still have to be assessed by VETASSESS for migration purposes? Personally, I would think it to be a bit daft to if you already have an Aussie licence but then there's no accounting for bureaucracy.
If you do decide to migrate permanently after a WHV then you will probably need to contact DIAC to clarify , but that need not concern you now.
Regards Derren

adam.markey2011

Hi, thanks again for your reply.

That has cleared alot up for me regarding this issue. I now understand the PR route to get an A grade license and the ARTC route (after being classed as a resident on a WHV).

I shall contact the DIAC anyway, I know it's a bit previous, but I don'tsuppose there would be much point paying for and taking all exams and tests twice!

I will let you know the answer when I get it.

Thans again for all your help

Adam Markey, Manchester

sparky d

Hi,
My nephew is looking to do the same thing, he would like to know if he got a whv then got sponsored my a employer would he still have to go vetesses route. all help appreciated!

adam.markey2011

Hi everyone,

As I have posted before, I am a UK electrician wanting to emmigrate and work in Perth, Australia. And like most newbies, I have discovered there are many questions that I have had to ask about the many options that there are. I have constantly been on my laptop every night after work researching!

Big thanks to the guys on here who have helped me out so far as well.

So I just thought I would write a few things I have thought about and that I have discovered along the way to try and get to Australia and to legally work as an electrician upto now.

My options to go to Australia and work as an electrician are:

12 month WHV - give up my home and belongings and go out to OZ in hope of finding a sponsorship ( even though I would have no A grade licence) and if not, coming back to nothing!

Permanent Residency on a skilled migration visa - costly and time consuming but the best option (even though I want to go now!)

or

Get a sponsorship visa (457) from a company whilst in the UK but this can be difficult to find a company over here. And if your employment is terminated or you leave, you only have 28 days to find another sponsor!

As I want to go over quickly, I have been looking at the WHV option. Although this would be good, I wouldn't be able to legally work as an electrician without an A Grade licence. So I did some research and asked if I could, like Warren Thomas on this forum, apply for an ARTC and complete relevant courses and exams when I get to Australia. This is because this method is mainly cheaper than Vetassess route. Here's what I asked:

email sent to TRA (in brief) - Thursday 8th June 2011

I am in the process of obtaining a WHV and when received, I would like to apply for an ARTC so that I can sit all relevant exams when I arrive in Australia, to achieve an A grade licence and legally work as an electrician.

Am I correct in saying that I can achieve a licence via this method?

Reply email from Sonia Grey, TRA (in brief)- 9th June 2011

Please note: If you hold a positive migration skills assessment from TRA, it can only be used towards skilled migration. A migration assessment is not a qualification and it does not entitle you work in your designated occupation. If you have been successful assessed by TRA for the purpose of migration, your first ARTC application is free and no payment is required

Basically this means that you cannot apply for an ATRC with a WHV and others on here have acheived this route whilst being on their partners skilled visa.

I also looked at the Permenant Residency option (skilled visa 176) and wondered what would happen if I passed my skills assessment, but for what ever reason I no could not or did not want to persue permannet residency at that time. Did my skills assessment have an expiry date:

email sent to Vetassess - sent Thursday 9th June 2011

Hello, I would like to apply for permanent residency in Australia on a 176/5 Visa as I am an installation electrician. I understand that I have to go through the skills assessment process. As a result, I am contacting you to ask how long the skills assessment lasts for (when successful) and does it have an expiry date? Is it a number of years or is it indefinate? The reason I am asking is that in case something happens and I have to put off the visa process after already passing the skills assessment process.

Reply email from Vetassess - received Friday 10th June 2011

[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']Thank you for your email. There is no validity date for the practical test results but it is recommended that you apply for immigration within a year or two as the industry standards do keep changing from time to time and there may be certain issues with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship if the applicant decides to apply after 5-6 years.[/FONT]

[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.[/FONT]


[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']Yours sincerely, [/FONT]


[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Yunyi Ma[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Administration Officer[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Skills Recognition Support Services[/FONT]


This is quite handy if I have to put off the visa process for a while!

Obviously I have done a load more research but I am drawn to the conclusion that if time and money is no object, then the Permanent Residency option is the best and most secure if you definately know you want to live there for good. However if your dying to go (like me) then the WHV option is good but would it be hard to secure a job and sponsor over there? And for the about same amount of money (after your spending money), you might as well have got a Permanent Residence visa!

At the minute I am trying to find as much information out as possible about getting a job as an electrician over there in the mines and what I will need to do so (as well as saving hard every week!!). I am still deciding which visa to try and get until I save up enough and I will choose one! However, I am looking alot into trying to get a sponsor from in the UK.

I know the experienced guys and girls on here will know all the things I have put, but I just wanted to try and give something back to the forum that I have found out! After all, people on here have given me so much help so I want to try and help others. I hope some people new to this process can relate to it and hopefully it may help them.

Thanks, Adam

adam.markey2011

Hi Sparky,

To be honest Im not that sure myself! But if he got sponsored then surely the company would put him through his licence at college over in OZ (as he would be staying).

Does anybody else know?

Thanks

Jockstar

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. But aren't the rules changing in July? So what is now is not necessary what will be next month?

sparky d

This is a question under FAQ on the ARTC website.


Can I apply for an ARTC?
You can apply for an ARTC if you:

have training and employment experience in a metal or electrical trade assessed by TRA.
are an eligible Australian resident. TRA consider anyone on a visa which allows them to work including working holiday makers or employer sponsored workers, to be an eligible Australian resident for the purposes of applying for an ARTC.
have skills, knowledge and employment experience equivalent to an Australian trained tradesperson. Applicants who have not successfully completed an appropriate formal apprenticeship (or equivalent) must have been employed for at least six years (or seven years for electrical trades)
provide evidence to support your claims



Hope this helps

adam.markey2011

Hi, thanks for that info sparky

I will email the TRA again and quote that on their Q & A page because this is something I will definately be intrested in.

Nice one

sparky d

no problem mate, let us know how you get on.

derren7

Hi Adam,
I think you have misinterpreted the response from the TRA and I think in turn they have misinterpreted your email.
You can apply for an ARTC on a WHV. It is clearly stated on their website as Sparky D has shown in the previous post and there have been a few sparks who have posted on this forum who have done it.
Kind Regards Derren