Originally Posted by verystormy (Post 6135620)

I think the reason companies like the 457 is that it is so much quicker. You can get it in two to three months compared to the very long times people are waiting for other visas. There are few employers happy to have a vacancy unfilled for months at a time.
We are on a 457, though the company have already said the will sponser PR as soon as we want, i think they want to ensure we are happy in Oz, before going down the full and expensive PR route

Originally Posted by verystormy (Post 6135620)

I think the reason companies like the 457 is that it is so much quicker. You can get it in two to three months compared to the very long times people are waiting for other visas. There are few employers happy to have a vacancy unfilled for months at a time.
We are on a 457, though the company have already said the will sponser PR as soon as we want, i think they want to ensure we are happy in Oz, before going down the full and expensive PR route

Originally Posted by verystormy (Post 6135756)

From what i understand, the sponsered PR can be done anytime regardless of salary, it is the non sponsered PR that requires a salary over a certain amount

Originally Posted by jayr (Post 6144990)

It can be but there are different ways of getting it.

One rule is that you need 2 years of employment in the career in which you are being sponsored with 12 months with current employer.

An alternative is to earn above a threshold salary which negates the requirement above.

Originally Posted by Pollyana (Post 6079587)

Ok, I'm going to throw this one in as a bit of devil's advocate. Does anyone feel that employers prefer to use the 457 sponsorship because -----
it gets workers to Aus quicker, into jobs that Australians wont take, in the hope that by the time the migrants find out why the Aussies won't take them the migrants have expended so much effort getting to their "promised land" that they will stay anyway. By the end of the sponsorship period they already have enough potential employees in the next batch to replace those that say "on your bike" and walk away, and so the cycle repeats itself.

(this is a purely personal comment btw, no particular employers in mind)

Originally Posted by ponyrama (Post 6080784)

I fall into the desperate category and so will be considering all options including 457. However, having researched the routes I could take I will be pressing any prospective employer willing to sponsor me to support a PR application straight away. Technically you are tied to them for two years (you can walk into another job and sponsor at any time on a 457) and so whilst it may take a few weeks longer to process, they should get more bang for their buck? It is definitely a more attractive option I feel and whilst I might have to settle for living in a regional area for 2 years, at least I know after that time I can please myself whereas on a 457 you might never get out of the loop and end up having to return to the UK.

Originally Posted by I_Will_Freckle (Post 6145394)

We originally agreed to come over on an ENS PR visa. The sponsoring company employed an agent who recommended the 457 route and we refused, saying it was PR or nothing. We got the PR visa. The risks associated with a 457 were just too great for us to consider it.

Originally Posted by Alan Collett (Post 6145868)

"Tax reasons" was the main argument given. Which is fine, but there is an old adage I remember from my UK tax practice days - don't let the tax tail wag the commercial dog.

Best regards.

Originally Posted by verystormy (Post 6135756)

From what i understand, the sponsered PR can be done anytime regardless of salary, it is the non sponsered PR that requires a salary over a certain amount

Originally Posted by Vanessa (Post 6157484)

I don't think that is quite right. As I understand, if you are here on a 457 you can apply before the 2 years is up on for an ENS but only if your occupation is on the skills list (you could also apply for PR in your own right in this instance anyway). If however, you are are not on the skills list there is a 2 year waiting period unless you earn over $165,000 not including super.

This is very basic advice and it is more indepth than that, but someone will correct me if I am wrong