Hi all,

I'm in the middle of getting a 442 visa (Due to govt change on the salary level for 457 sponsorship) through Westpac, my new employer in Australia, who I will be working for as of Feb.

Ernst & Young who are lodging the application for me there think I probably won't need this but I want to make sure (it is going to be close time-wise to getting the visa through for my start date - altho the company are happy for me to start later, I'd ideally like to start 2nd Feb still...)


The below is taken from the 442 page of the immi site. The bit I don't really get is there's 2 sections, Trainee eligibility and Student eligibility. Do I only need to meet one of these?? As the following point "have recently graduated from a foreign educational institution and are:
o seeking occupational training in a closely related field"

But then the student section mentions current study/employment.... I finished my degree in June (Hence how I managed to get the job with Westpac as it is on a Graduate programme)

I just want to make sure I have everything ready for my application when I need to do my bit for the 147 side of it here in England.


Sorry if it's garbled and I hope someone who's already gone through the whole 442 visa application can help reassure me on this




Trainee eligibility

Trainees must meet one or more of the following requirements. They must:

* have been employed in their current occupation, studying or engaged in their field of expertise for at least the last 12 months (unless exceptional circumstances justify that a visa should be granted despite a shorter period of experience)
or
* have recently graduated from a foreign educational institution and are:
o seeking occupational training in a closely related field
or
o undertaking research in their field of study (other than full time research towards a further qualification).

Trainees must:

* be at least 18 years of age (unless exceptional circumstances justify a visa being granted to a person under 18 years of age)
* have sufficient English to undertake the training program and to ensure occupational health and safety standards are met
* have a genuine intention to undertake the occupational training program
* have adequate health insurance
* be of good health and character.

See:
Health Requirements
Character Requirements

A foreign national is not eligible for an occupational trainee visa if they are undertaking either one of the following:

* an apprenticeship
* research for a full time post-graduate degree for an Australian Institution

See: Student Visa Options

Student eligibility

If in Australia on a student visa, foreign nationals may be eligible for an occupational trainee visa if they:

* have successfully completed the principal course of study for which their student visa was granted
and
* want to undertake a period of supervised work experience for professional registration either in Australia or in their home country

or
* have successfully completed the principal course of study at the diploma or higher level, in Australia, for which their student visa was granted
and
* want to undertake a supervised occupational training program in a closely related field for up to 12 months.

If outside Australia, foreign nationals may be eligible for an occupational trainee visa if they are:

* undertaking a course of study at an overseas educational institution
and
* able to provide evidence from their overseas institution that the occupational training will be credited towards the grant of an award at the overseas institution.


Thanks...

lerato


ps - I'm getting the impression from the checklists etc that you need to fall into one OR the other category, i.e. a trainee or a student. But I can't find anything that says that for sure anywhere, which is the main thing stressing me out at the moment...