Tom365

hi everyone,

i am new to this forum. what i would like to know if it is possible
for my partner and i to migrate to australia.

here are our particulars
1. my age 37 / her age 34
2. i am irish / she is south african
3. i am a sign writer (got trades recognition from australia 06) - 12yrs exp.
4. she is administration clerk - 8 years experience in admin
5. she is in good health / i am in good health
6. have lived together (tenancy 8 months) relationship almost 2 years
7. good character both
8. closest relative in australia cousin (maybe!)
9. chances of being offered a job very high having just looked online.

any help would be appreciated!!

Bermudashorts

Lots of information about your self there Tom, but what you have not said is if your occupation is on the skilled occupation list.

I don't recall seeing a sign writer on here before, but it might be there. I recommend you investigate that first of all, seach for "skilled occupation list" and review schedules 3 and 4. the best outcome is if your occupation is on schedule 3, but there are still options if it is on schedule 4.

Let us know and we can advise further then.

Tom365

hi

thank you very much. yes it is on sol, schedule 4 - sixty points
this has to be tested by the tra.

i was going to migrate five years ago and got this skill recognised by trades recognition australia. still have this paperwork. i did not apply for a visa
however...

any hope for us?

ROMFT_WO2RN

if it's only on sch 4 then you'll need to check each states sponsorship list, SMP, and see if any are sponsoring that trade.

If none are then you can't lodge a permanent 176 Visa app.

Tom365

hi i have checked the sol for south australia - it is listed as available
what does this mean?
and where do we go from here?

thank you
everyone

ROMFT_WO2RN

It means you can apply for SA state sponsorship if you meet their requirements.

I would:

Make sure you have a valid in date skills assessment

Make sure you can score 100 points on the visa wizard, including 10 for state sponsorship. I'd also advise checking if you can make 65 on the new points test proposed for Jul 1st should you not be able to lodge before then.

check for any specific requirements for SA sponsorship - IELTS, funds etc.

Whilst awaiting SKills assessment research SA job market, lifestyle, weather etc as you'll need to provide reasons as to why they should give one of the limited places to you.

when ready apply for sponsorship.

if approved apply for 176 visa then wait :smile:

sammax

Hi Tom, no idea, but what I would say is you must use an agent. If they're reputable they will be able to assess whether you would have a chance by your first discussion on the phone, and then if they think you do, give you a proper appointment. We screwed up the first time because we didn't use an agent and missed a load of stuff out, but second time we used one and it was worth every penny. He bawled me out one night because we hadn't done precisely what he had asked, but it was only because he knew that if just one piece of crucial paperwork/info missing, our case would be rejected.
We paid about 2,000 pounds all-up about ten years ago, which wasn't all fees but included other things we had to pay, and I am sure it has gone up a lot since then, but still I think it's crucial to use an agent.

Tom365

hi,

and thank you for your reply. after your advice we did contact a few migration agents. all replied with the same answer that as a sign writer
only south australia and north australia are sponsoring this at the moment
which will change after july 1st.

their advice was go for state sponsored visa rather employer sponsored
visa.

i have three problems with this
1. i am unsure to trust these people as i know they run businesses and
will tell me anything i want to hear - got revealing our actually chances
of success.
2. we are ready to leave now and i am told it will take a minimum of six
months to process the visas maybe more???
3. there is problem in that officially i have only lived with my partner since
last october even though our relationship is nearly two years

any advice on the above

any would be great
thank you again

newjersey

Agents do have a business to run, but also a reputation to uphold. Discussion boards may serve as a good indicator of the agent's overall "score", but you know that bad news tend to travel further and linger for longer. Find lots of positive feedback on an agent, it probably means they are good. You are doing a right thing for yourself by investing time into research.

Then, hiring an agent is not mandatory. If you feel you can do it all by yourself, by all means do it.

On your second point, there is no such thing as "now" in permanent visas. You are going to have to get back in the several months long queue and wait as everyone else. No rush fees or whatever else to speed things up and anyone telling you otherwise would be lying at best.

Your third question is exactly where an experienced agent will make a difference. The answer you will most likely get from boards such as this - depends on your evidnce - and not much more.

Tom365

hi there,

thank you for your reply. i understand that most agents would vary but
most would be relaible. i will try and do a bit more research but if anyone has a name near london feel free to pass it on.

when you say several months for the average state sponsored visa application
are we talking 12 months?
or 4 months?

the reason i ask is i am on a work contract here in the uk which ends in may.
i am looking to move as soon as possible. if i lodge an application in march i
want to know where i will stand even a best estimate from someone would be
a help.

newjersey

March to May - not possible no matter what you do. Sponsored visa for low risk countries - figure 12 months on a safe side. But at risk of sounding mentoring - is your skills assessment still valid to apply with or it needs a revalidation? Then take the valid skills assessment (plus or minus IELTS results, don't know if SA wants them), the state sponsorship itself may very well take 3 months for all I know, only then you will be able to lodge a visa application with the DIAC. Hence why one of the posters above recommended to check if you still can meet the points test with the new system that comes into effect in July, because you may or may not be able to collect all your paperwork before then and at this point it is not quite clear what points system your application will fall in.

Tom365

my tra (trades recognition) is still valid according to the migration
agent. sign writing is listed as a required skill for south australia even though
in schedule 4.

my points are god knows. i do know five years ago when i looked at it i was
five points short but i am not sure what ahs changed my details are listed.

do i have enough points?

point taken about july. fortunately i have most of the documents i require
ready including the tra for my skill.

Bermudashorts

Why *must* he use an agent?

I quite often advise that an agent is the way to go if something looks complicated, but I have seen nothing in Tom's post that makes me think he *must* use an agent and he has managed to successfully complete a TRA before.

Many people manage the process by themselves and cases are not rejected because of one missing peice of paper, if there is some information missing then it will be asked for.

It is not crucuial to use an agent, my experience was that the agent made things worse and indeed if I had not found BE and had just stuck with my agent I would not be in Australia today because I now know that something they told me was incorrect.

Tom365

i agree with you about the agent. however i must admit something i did use an agent to get help with my tra!!

i must admit i do have a low threshold for paperwork and patience
at times so it may be worth the cost for me personally however i also will always not take for granted everything i am told.

anyone out there for my points?? my chances??

cheers everyone
big help tonight

Bermudashorts

Tom, if you prefer to use an agent then use one. There is no right answer to this. I just do not think it is correct to say it is "crucial" or that we all *must*. Because lots of people do not and manage just fine.