Sugo

Hey im just waiting for police clearances to arrive from the UK, NZ and AFP, once they arrive I will be able to apply for a 175 visa. Im just a bit worried about processing time, im on a 457 visa that runs out in 12 months.

Is there a chance that they might prioritize my application? Im a nurse and can ask my employer to sponsor me, they have done it for another nurse, i just have to pay the 450 or so bucks for the sponsorship. Would that speed it up, I would prefer to do an independent application, but suppose if I have paid for the sponsorship then I shouldnt feel tied to them.

Im a bit worried that I might run out of time.

Pollyana

Not sure where you are, but I know someone in Brisbane who has done that recently, 457 to 175 as a nurse, and it took about 6 months, would've been quicker except for a holdup over the IELTS test

Sugo

im in Melbourne, i really hope it only takes 6 months, else im screwed

My own fault really, i should have applied earlier but other things got in the way and 4 years has creeped up quickly. Hopefully i will get a decent case officer who will try to prioritise me.

thanks for the reply and the info, makes me feel a little better.

qamar_qadian

Employer Sponsarship is better option as that has number 1 priority with DIAC.

Sugo

thanks, yeah im not even sure i can apply for the 175 visa option because im onshore. They really dont make it easy eh. Looking at the onshore options doesnt make too much sense either. They all seem to be for people who have studied in Australia.

Sugo

yep have called DIAC they said that I can apply for the 175 visa but have to be offshore to have it granted, she said it currently takes 12 months to 3 yrs for it to be granted. So that rules that one out.

Need to speak to work to see if they will sponsor me, or could see if i can get in as a defacto, my partner is a New Zealand citizen.

qamar_qadian

Ok cool , all the best to you mate.

Pollyana

They will quote you the worst case scenario for a timeline, they were sayig the same at the start of this year when my frend applied. Applying as a nurse I'd be really surprised if it took 12 months for the grant.

Sugo

yeah i did think that too, have decided to get a New Zealand citizen sponsorship of partner visa, it only costs 250 bucks and will last 5 yrs, my partner is a kiwi. Then using the same medicals and xrays will apply for the 175 visa as well.

should be less stressful that way. Spoke to human resources at work and as usual for my hospital they were difficult to deal with. This is the email they sent me

To be eligible you

· must have worked at *** for 12 months and must have had written reviews at 6 and 12 months that reflect positive performance.

· If the above condition has been met, a written submission is made to your manager as to why *** should sponsor you

· Your manager then evaluates the submission based on work performance

· A recommendation will then be made to the GM

· The outcome will be communicated to you

If the above is approved you will need to also cover the cost of the application fee for *** which is currently $455 (this is subject to change).

Im a Nurse who has worked full time for 3 years and have always turned up for work. So I have to pay for the nomination and then meet their set of procedures. Screw that. Great way to lose staff especially when they are so short of experiencedstaff

rammygirl

Just to say you do not need to wait for the police checks to lodge the visa.

Pollyana

Sounds like a workable plan,and will stop you worrying about the 457 expiring

Bermudashorts

What exactly is the problem with that process? There has to be a process surely.

We all have a few hoops to jump through on the path to PR and some fees to pay.

Also as others have said, it is unlikely yout 175 would take 12 months and you do not need to get the police checks back before lodging it.

Sugo

You dont know my workplace, and the educators there. There is a very good reason that i do not want to get sponsorship from them. Unfortunately its a typically Australian workplace reaction to overseas employees, I arrived with experience and qualifications that everywhere else in the world would recognize except in this place. I was told i would have to wait 18months before I could do even the most simple extended practice role. They ignored my last 10 years of experience in the UK and New Zealand. There is the attitude that if you havent worked in this emergency, you have never worked in emergency.

I have an Australian mate at work who was failed on a practical exam because he wasnt enthusiastic enough. He completed all the required points but because he didn't worship the educators they failed him.

Unfortunately my workplace is ruled by 3 nurses, the manager and 2 educators. They have never worked in another departments and have been there for around 25 years. They rule the roost unfortunately, the majority of the other staff are really good, and almost everyone has the same opinion of the trio. They only provide education if you are willing to pay for a post grad qualification through the hospital and local Uni, this costs at the moment 14000AUD. For me on a visa would be alot more. Also on the 457 visa i have to work full time, so I would have to use all of my leave time to be able to attend uni sessions.

So the short of it is, if i went for ENS i would be bent over a barrel with a sore ass. It would be ok to jump through the hoops if they paid for the ENS of 455AUD, but no, we have to pay for it, even if it means loosing a member of staff. I never thought i would miss the NHS but I do, atleast my previous managers recognized experience and treated their staff with dignity.


Reading that i do wonder why i am still here, and im not a whinging pom, or a troll. I need a visa to stay in Australia or New Zealand, the pay is better here, and once i get PR i can also live in New Zealand too. Australia is a great place but dont move for your career. Oh and join a union, im now the union rep and they have been good at sorting out a few workplace problems we have had.

Bermudashorts

Well if you don't like it there Sugo just leave. But I still don't see anything in the slightest bit wrong with the process as outlined. They are bound to have some written down procedures for this type of thing.

Oh and ENS costs a lot more than $455, so if that is your contribution then your employer is paying the lions share of it. Most people would consider $455 for PR a price worth paying.

Sorry but you do come across as a right old whinging pom.

Sugo

not sure where you are getting your info from but according to DIAC its 455 for the nomination, I then pay 2500AUD for the application. The hospital pays nothing.

Also im on a 457 visa so I cant just leave, need to get another job offer who is willing to wait while i apply for another 457 visa, get medicals and xrays and wait for it to be confirmed before changing. Also believe it or not, out of all the hospitals in my city, this is one of the friendlier ones. The others are worse, i hear that from agency aussie nurses who work in all of them.

I think its unfair that I would jump through hoops and end up paying an extra 455 bucks on top of the 2500 or so for the visa and then be bent over a barrel until the visa is issued.

Maybe your lucky and you work in a fair and reasonable workplace, or maybe you have turned into one of the bullies your self, who knows.

I think my plan of getting the defacto visa which will mean I am not under any work restrictions and then apply for the 175 visa is a good one. It means that I can reduce my hours, or change jobs while i wait for the 175 visa, i just wish i knew about it 3 years ago. Its funny that out of 100 or so nurses in my dept there are only 6 or 7 who are full time, and 2 of us have no choice. Its the kind of work/dept that people do not work full time because of burn out. I have done it for 3 years. Back in the UK i would never dream of being a part time member of staff, i didnt need to. The shift allocations were fairer, there was more job satisfaction with a clear career progression. I was enabled to further my practice and given paid study days.

Here in Oz you only get 4 paid study days a year, the rest you have to do in your own time. You have to pay for all courses including in house courses. Remember that these don't benefit me, I won't get paid more if i do these. If i do the post grad i will get an extra 50 bucks a fortnight, but the course costs around 14000 bucks. Also i lose a year and half of leave to attend uni. The only way to then progress in my dept is to wait until one of the ANUMS die, they never leave, most have been there for 20 years and the only people to get management jobs trained at that hospital. 100% fact. When i started the trio had me in the office, (i felt like a turd under their shoe) saying they didnt know what to do with me since they havent had anyone with experience start before, they usually like to 'grow their own'. Nurses in Australia do like to eat their young, the union president said this in a speach. Its true, maybe because im not young and not a push over and have experience they have difficulty dealing with me.

Its amazing that they sponsored me for the 457 visa.