alpacca20

Hi all,

this will probably seem a really strange question but I am looking to find out if I can come to Australia on a 457Visa rather than my Australian Passport?!

I hold dual nationality and have both a british and Australian passport, I have been offered a job with a large construction company. I thought my citzenship would be advantage for getting myself and my wife in the country rather than the 457 Visa, however it would seem to work against me as to get my wife in under a spouse visa via an immigration agent is going to cost circa $5000 and be far more involved than the 457 Visa.

Could anyone help me here , as I say I know it may seem strange but I actually feel disadvantaged by having citizenship

many thanks

Shellyj

As a citizen you are not able to be granted a visa so you really dont have the option of a cheaper visa for your wife.

A spouse visa is costly compared to the 457 but the benefits far outweigh that. Citizenship when the residence requirements are met, welfare and childcare payments (if you have kids), no having to leave the country if it doesnt work out with the job.

You dont have to use an agent to get your wifes spouse visa. You could do it yourself, I did and saved a loads of money.

abi31

The spouse's is $2k vs about $800 for 457 but I reckon the benefits of having permanent residency way outweighs the cost. And don't think you'll need an agent - the immigration website has checklists and details for everything you need so it takes a bit of time to get everything together but definitely doable.

alpacca20

Hi Shelly , thanks for your reply , is there no way I can come out under the 457 as I still hold a British Passport? I know it seems strange and the long term solution of residency has greater benefits but at the present we are looking at the quickest most cost efficient way of getting out there and working. The spouse visa processing is going to take too long and take money that we do not have at the moment.

thanks again for taking time to reply

alpacca20

thanks for reply Abi , it is time and cost that are against us with the spouse visa

thank you for reply

abi31

I'm sure you're doing loads of research before making the decision - but if you can't stretch to the extra few hundred dollars for the visa I hope you're bearing in mind the high costs of living in Oz/start up costs etc. Maybe, if your new employer would have been willing to do a 457, they might be willing to sub the difference in cost for a spouse's, or pay for flights or something. As far as time goes, you can apply for the spouse's in Oz, so come in on a holiday visa which I presume is granted at least as quickly as a 457.

Good luck

Shellyj

Nope I remember seeing a post from someone who applied for a visa who was rejected because they were a citizen and they didnt even know it! No idea if they got their money back in those circumstances.

We had trouble when hubby was granted his citizenship and his tourist visa was cancelled. Had to get a passport last minute before we flew because he was not allowed a visa and couldnt enter on his British passport as it had no visa in it.

You could totally do the visa yourself its one of the easiest to do if you are in a genuine relationship and married. You could go and let her wait for it offshore or go with you on a tourist visa but would need to leave again to validate it.

alpacca20

Hi Abi,

again thanks for reply. The thing is it isnt a extra hundred dollars to get my wife a spouse visa quickly it is going to take about $5000 which we hadnt budgeted for as the offer of employment was based on the 457 Visa where we could both get out and working straight away.

I know what your saying re the high cost of living I remember it all too well lol .Thankfully our start up costs are not to bad due to the relocation element of my offer

thanks

alpacca20

thanks once more Shelly , at least I know now, the only reason I was looking to use the immigration agent was for a quicker turnaround

Shellyj

An agent can not get it any quicker than you could so long as you have time to fill in the forms and respond to any requests for further information from your Case Officer. DIAC work at their own pace and there is not much that can really speed them up. But spouse visa lodged offshore from low risk countries are usually done quicker than onshore and it wouldnt cost anywhere near $5000. More like $3000 tops if you count medicals, police checks, certified documents etc.

Pollyana

Spouse Visas in the UK are taking around 5 months to be granted; she can travel to Aus on a tourist visa once its applied for, but will have to leave again for it to be granted.

You CANNOT hold a 457; you a citizen of Aus which means you can't hold an Aus visa - even if oyu have other citizenships as well.

alpacca20

Thank you Pollyana , any idea how long they will take if applied for in Australia ?

Cheers

Bermudashorts

It doesn't cost anything like 5k for a partner visa, I thought it was about 2k for the off shore version. There is no point repeating the question hoping for a different answer, a citizen cannot get a visa. I think the people that have been kicked out of the country with 28 days notice might not share your view that you are disadvantaged over them for being a citizen. You are being very short sighted about this, 2k is a small price to pay

The visa is more expensive and takes longer if applied for onshore.

alpacca20

Bermudashorts with respect I am dealing with the info I have been directly quoted just this morning , this sum includes the visa and agent fee , the visa fee being $2960.

I don't believe I had repeated the question hoping for a different answer , furthermore you do not know my situation , it is not important that I receive permanent residency for my wife hence the criteria of a 457 would have sufficed.

Should my post annoy or infuriate you I suggest you ignore and move swiftly on

Thank you

alpacca20

Thanks Shelly you have been really helpful