nicrock

We are looking for migration agencies at the moment to apply for PR Skilled Workers Visa (my partner is a qualified welder with 12 years experience)

He only completed his qualification last year, as we lost our sponsorship in Oz and had to return to the UK With his Diploma we have the paperwork to apply now.

One Migration Agency advised us he can only apply for the visa if he has been working 12 months out of the past 24 as a welder - so we are a couple of months short with him studying last year but the worrying thing they said was about the new points system coming into effect this July. They advised he may not have enough points if they change the points system and our only option then would be sponsorship again - which we want to avoid.

I'm worried if we apply for the visa before July, our application may be put on hold if the rules change again, as this happened to us last time applying via Pathway D (experience but no qualifications pathway) this pathway was discontinued and our only option was sponsorship, which we then lost because his company closed with the recession in Oz!!

Do we apply before July and take the risk of the visa being put on hold?? Or do we wait until the new points system comes into effect and take the risk of Welder being taken off the skills list??

Were desperate to get back to Oz to start our life again and start a family, but i'm terrified of making the wrong decision of when to apply and which migration agent to trust?

Sherlock Holmes

Look at the points test at www.immi.gov.au the current one and the new one.

When choosing an agent ensure is that whoever you use is registered with MARA, and if you search the forum for MARA agents you will find several of them post on here - including (in a totally random order!)

Alan Collett, George Lombard, and Stephen Dickson.

They should be able to tell you when it would be best to apply.

nicrock

Hi,

I know we can apply under the current points test, but if this changes in July could our application be effected and put on hold?

Sherlock Holmes

Sorry, I can't answer that point but I'm sure someone will be along later who can. Maybe in the Oz morning We don't all stay up till 3.00 am, only the loonies like me.

Dorothy

Nobody knows what might happen 5 months from now. If you qualify for a visa now then why would you not apply now? On the other hand you say your OH is a few months short of his required 12/24 experience requirement, so if you don't qualify now there is no sense in applying now.

I would think this is the kind of advice you're paying an agent for.

newjersey

I thought that it was covered in the FAQ on the immi website. When you apply, the conditions are "frozen". However, there were a few cases in the past years where regulations were changed with a retroactive force, that affected applications in the middle of the processing. Critical skills list comes to mind. That was done in response to the global financial crisis and amid alleged abuse of the immigration system by certain kinds of applicants, that required such drastic response from the government, to manage oversupply of applications.

So if nothing earthshuttering happens, you are locked in to the rules as at the time of your application.