walkerroo

Good morning guys and girls, I have a feeling this could be a long post!

Currently I work and live in Brisbane via a Working Holiday Visa which will expire in February '10, my current job was extremely promising and the possibility of sponsorship was mentioned many times, however due to pro's and con's of working for the government we have all been given 1 months notice to find another career.

Sponsorship is now looking unlikely mainly due to the fact that a I need to find another job and b I only have 7 months to find a job with sponsorship opportunities which would be difficult.

Previously before arriving into Oz I was looking into the Skilled Independent Visa (175) and now actually think this could be the best bet, especially as I believe I can apply for this in Australia right?

If I can set off the application process asap then I would potentially only have to go home for a few months assuming the visa is granted I did do an IELTS test etc back home and now quite easily meet the points test, I just need to complete all of the various assessments which leads onto my main question...

As mentioned I currently reside in Brisbane and would like to know...

1.) Is it possible to get the character/police background checks completed overseas (ideally Brisbane)

2.) Does anybody have any ideas of costs associated with the various checks i.e. medical, background checks etc?

3.) Are there any implications of applying for this type of visa in Australia?

Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

eurosyl

Most important assessment would be your skills assessment, you have not mentioned whether you had that done yet. Please know that with the current processing priorities for the VE175 wait times easily are longer than a year if you do not qualify for CSL. Alternatives are employer sponsored (and you are looking into that) or state sponsorship. If you are not eligible for priority processing wait times can be as much as 18 months, but up to 3 years seems not unlikely from other posts.

To go back to your questions:
- Most countries have a mechanism in place to request PPC whilst outside of the country (I am Dutch and it could be done, but the price was quite steep: about 140 euro opposed to 30 euro at city council counter). I hope someone can advise you for your country. Do NOT get PPC or medicals done until requested by the Case Officer (CO) as they expire in 12 months and you may be requested to do them again if your visa is not processed yet.
- Cost for medical in Australia: 271 AUD in Sydney area for medical, bloodtest, xray.
- If your current visa does not have condition 8503 'No further stay' on it, you can apply for the permanent visa whilst in Australia. You do need to leave the country before it can be granted tho. If you meet all other requirements the CO will sent you a pre-grant letter in due time and you are to provide your travel schema for leaving the country. The visa can then be granted upon your departure. Note that there is no way to bridge the time between your current visa and the VE175, when your visa runs out you must be out of the country or you are overstaying (and possibly facing a ban of 3 yrs).
- If you are currently on your first WHV, is there any chance of fulfilling the requirements that allows you to apply for a 2nd WHV? Otherwise a longstay tourist visa may bridge a gap (tho you can only apply for a maximum 6 months extension in Australia)

I hope this provides you with some further insight.

Cheers,
Sylvia

walkerroo

Thank you for your quick reply Sylvia, I have indeed completed the points test and seem to come around the 120-140 points mark although I probably do need to double check things before I go ahead.

I could certainly go for a 2nd year visa as I do have age on my side which is good and yes that would help bridge my time while awaiting for a decision.

Because I will be applying for this visa in Australia do I actually apply for the Skilled Independent (Residence) visa 885 rather than the 175?

I am of course in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa and am not sure if I am classed as a resident while over here.

Thank you

eurosyl

You completing the points test is not the assessment I was talking about. You MUST have your skills assessed by the proper authority to be able to even apply for VE175. Please have a careful read here: Skills Assessment

I do not think you can apply for the 885 as the DIAC website reads:
You can apply for the offshore visa VE175 while you are in Australia tho, unless you have conditions on your current visa that prevent that (like the mentioned 8503 - No further stay).

Please have a good look at all the requirements on the DIAC website. Start reading booklet 6 if you intend to go for skilled migration. Asking advice of a reputable MARA registered migration agent is certainly a good way to see what your options are.

WHV is considered as a visitor visa. To be eligible for a 2nd-WHV you need to meet other requirements than before. As you have still some time to go on your 1st WHV, see if you can meet the requirements for the 2nd one.

Cheers,
Sylvia