shella_n

Hi

We have got a potential job offer in Adelaide but progress is being very slow so we are trying to come up with a Plan B.

We are thinking about taking a Gap Year with the kids and spening 6 months in OZ. What would happen if OH was offered a job with sponsoship while we are there - would we have to leave if our tourist visa had run out and sponsoship had not arrived yet or is there some kind of bridging visa that would let us stay?

Im pretty sure that he could get work - he is excellent at what he does and we see quite alot of jobs being advertised but no one will talk to us as we are not there and have no visa. If we are there and can show them what he can do I am hoping we might find someone willing to sponser him. We wouldnt want to come back to the UK at that point due to the expense involed.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

newjersey

Tourist visa is not one of the "substantive" kind, so there are no bridging visas - nothing to bridge from. So it boils down to the offshore-onshore type of your next visa. If the proper visa with the work rights will be of the on-shore kind, then you can be on shore when the visa decision is made, but if it is an off-shore kind, then you'd have to leave no matter what.
HTH

scott4526

Hi Shella

I did exactly the same thing i new that i wanted to move to Austraila. At the time i did not know to much about the visas and all the hassel that goes with it. Anyway i got a tourist visa for 3 months came over went to a few interviews and got a company to sponser me on a 457. This was 2 and half years ago though.

shella_n

well it great to know that it is possible! We are using this as a last resort as we will ditch our jobs, rent the house out and go for a year with the hopes that we might get a job en route - a very risky stratergy with 2 kids in tow but I do think it could work (fingers crossed)

Scott - did you have to leave in between cause I think ive heard it takes around 4 to 5 months for the visas to be granted?

Pollyana

There are two kinds of visas for tourists - the e-visitor (ETA) which gives you 3 months at a time, and the full-blown tourist visa, which can give you up to a year.
Very risky route, especially with children in tow, and to be honest I wouldn't recommend it. However, manypeople on here have come that way so it isn't impossible.
You would have to think though - what would you do if you had to go home?

shella_n

Hi and thank for the advice. I think my job are willing to give me a 2 year "career break" so I know if it goes pear shaped I can come home and walk into a well paid job. We plan on renting the house out so the way we see it we have nothing to lose and as we have the"the bug" if we dont get sponsorhip from here we are going to go abroad for a years break anyway...nothing ventured nothing gained although I do appreciate it is high risk - but all we are really risking is losing face and some cash.

Michelle


"Very risky route, especially with children in tow, and to be honest I wouldn't recommend it. However, manypeople on here have come that way so it isn't impossible.
You would have to think though - what would you do if you had to go home?[/QUOTE]

scott4526

No the visa was granted on the day our tourist visa expired. In total the visa only took 2 weeks to be granted lucky really. The company i work for have quite a few 457 workers so they know the process. Like i said that was 2 and half years ago. We also came over with the kids, sold house, quit jobs. I know it was risky but if we did not do it this way we would not have been able to get over.

shella_n

Hi Scott

Thanks for that. What you did is exactly what we are thinking of too - risky especially in a recession but fortune favours the brave!

Does anyone know what the current processing times would be for an on-shore 457 I thought it would be 4-5 months.

Thanks

Michelle