hi to all you people, basicly my sponsor dropped out at the last minute which is a right bummer after i was ready to go over before xmas. i wish people would let you know!!

so i have a new plan and just wonderedif anyone has done this before or knows anyone that has. i have family in perth and am going to go over on a 6 month holiday visa i can stay with them for the duration of my stay and wil have around $5000 dollars with me. im then going to look for work, or a potential sponsor but not do any work while im there so i dont get in trouble.

im 26 years old bricklayer and love playing rugby. i play semi pro rugby here and would love to doing that over there im a qualified bricklayer with 9 years experiance behind me. if you know of anyone that has done this or heard of anyone trying it please let me know. any advice at all would be great .

Why don't you apply for a permanent visa (175/176)? At your age if you are sufficiently qualified it should be easy enough.

You might have to be patient for a few months but then you won't be tied to any sponsor and can do whatever you want, wherever you want, in Oz.

Yes and if you end up anywhere near northern Sydney we'll give you a small job on our retaining wall. There is talk of a recession but the tradesmen do not seem to have heard of it, we know of a few and they are still doing very well. We have a few jobs to do on our old house but they either do not turn up to give a quote or accept the job but never turn up to do it.

You are probably aware that in this country you need a tradesmen's licence to operate in your own name, these are available to suitably qualified people.

At 26 can't you apply for a working holiday visa for a year then you will be able to work in Australia too. In the mean time you can also investigate your more permanent visa options if you are planning on staying in Aus.

Bear in mind that most working holiday visa holders end up breaking the continuity of skilled employment, which in turn renders them ineligible for general skilled migration.

True, but a six month holiday visa will break this anyway and OP could start the application process for PR then come to Aus and work for a year whilst waiting for it.

hi all thanks for the replys. my problem is i have already had a working holiday visa so i cant get another one. im not going to be working when im in perth at all as i know i can get into trouble if i get caught. that is why im bringing alot of money with me and then hopefully it will last out untill i get a sponsor or a work offer from another company. im also looking into working for my uncles company full time and maybe him sponsoring me to stay in australia on a family visa. does anyone have any advice or knows anyone trhat has done this before on a family visa. im desperate to get into australia as soon as possible and will do anything to get this. hope to speak to you soon.

I would suggest spend a few quiet hours surfing on immi.gov.au as that has all the details about visa's. Most will require you to get your skills assessed (including family sponsored ones) so probably worth doing this in the UK so you still have easy access to former employers/referees.