BettyBoop

if you are hoping to get Goverment (Federal or Local) jobs. All of these postions require you to have either permanent residency or be an Australian citizen. We are in Australia on a SIR VISA and have just had this confirmed. So much for the Australian Govt. attracting and maintaining qualified people. Come on what is this all about?

Disgruntled
BB

joho

I think you'll find that most permanent gov jobs require you to be citizen as well. I know a lot that I have seen won't accept PR either.

Jo

Vik

The SIR visa is actually a trial solution to a political problem: the
persistent demands by many regions that they are missing out on the
Federal skilled immigration boom. As with most policies related to
regional development in Australia, it is a badly thought-out strategy
that causes considerable problems for many of the migrants who avail of
this visa, while at the same time failing to adequately address the
regional problem it was meant to solve. While those who miss out 5-10
on the points score have to consider struggling in the regions for two
years or more, many others with even less points make it to the
metropolitan areas simply because they have close relatives there. Many
SIR migrants feel that it should be a permanent visa with the clause
that they have to stay in any of the regions for at least 2 years - at
least that will allow them better job opportunities and a sense of
security. After all, even with points less than the current pass mark,
these are not unskilled workers. Otherwise, I think some of them could
well suffer extreme stress and demoralisation - especially those with
poor English skills and high expectations. But then, as Jeremy would
likely say: it's their choice. No one is forcing them to take the risk
of arriving on the SIR visa. At the risk of sounding didactic: the
world is not always just. You just have to do the best you can in the
situation you are in.

But don't lose hope BB - two years can fly by if you can find something
interesting and constructive to do...

All the best.

Cheers,
Vik

BettyBoop wrote:
    > if you are hoping to get Goverment (Federal or Local) jobs. All of
    > these postions require you to have either permanent residency or be an
    > Australian citizen. We are in Australia on a SIR VISA and have just had
    > this confirmed. So much for the Australian Govt. attracting and
    > maintaining qualified people. Come on what is this all about?
    >
    > Disgruntled
    > BB
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Pollyana

Depends where you are. In Queensland, State Govt jobs are open to Temp Residents, you just have to settle for temp contracts....I have been on renewed temp contracts for well over a year now as they can't make me permanent till I get PR.
Check out the rules of the different states, and councils within the states.

Federal however usually does require citizenship.

DianneH68

I too am working for the Queensland Govt on a three-month contract and I'm on a working holiday visa!
They have even asked me to stay longer but due to the 'maximum three months in one company' restriction of a WHV I've had to turn them down.
There are loads and loads of people here on temporary contracts - in fact there are probably more temp than permanent!
Pollyana - which department are you in?

Pollyana

Hi Dianne,
I'm in Emergency Services; have to agree with you, there are far more temp contracts than permanent. Takes a while to get used to after being in a perm job for so long in the UK!!

Not a happy SIR holder

Don't tell them you are on a temp visa. If they ask if you are a pr or tr
say you are a pr. If you get called on it just tell them you miss under
stood, or you just moved and you can't find your passport... or what ever
you can think of to put off sowing our status. Basically you have to look
out for number one cause no one here will. The only people here who have
less rights than SIR holders are the ones locked away in illegal migrant
camps around aus. So do what ever you have to to get by. One things for
sure when I get 52 weeks of provable work under my belt to hell with the
rules I'm going to the big smoke and get an acceptably paying job, I just
wont tell dimia when I go for pr.


"BettyBoop" <member35589@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected] m...
    > if you are hoping to get Goverment (Federal or Local) jobs. All of
    > these postions require you to have either permanent residency or be an
    > Australian citizen. We are in Australia on a SIR VISA and have just had
    > this confirmed. So much for the Australian Govt. attracting and
    > maintaining qualified people. Come on what is this all about?
    > Disgruntled
    > BB
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Lewis Lapthorn

Not in Perth - unless they've changed the law since 2003. I worked for the Western Australian Government on a permanent contract.

Tableland

The rules and regulations of the SIR are perfectly clear, and any sentient human being should read them through before signing up to it. The SIR is a good method of getting immigrants to the regions. If said immigrants want to whine about the quality of the work they end up with, said immigrants should consider that being an immigrant on a temporary visa hardly means you should have access to the best work.

One can imagine the outrage back in the UK "bloody Albanians come to this country on temporary visas and get all the best government jobs wah wah wah."

Two years is nothing. In fact, it is better to be on the temporary visa for two years than PR because you have a no-pressure environment to decide if you want to stay in Australia or not. Then the two years flashes by and you can get PR. Easy - and what an opportunity for people who couldn't even get enough points for PR in the first place.

Think about it.

Pollyana

Thats a really good way to get a career with the govt - start with a whopping great lie.
They haven't asked for my passport/visa, because I have been honest all along and am thus on a temp contract. They are doing their best to keep me until i get PR, and can then get a perm job. However I have friends who have accepted perm jobs, and they have all been asked to prove their PR/citizen status.

Lewis Lapthorn

..........although my temporary visa was not an SIR.