Hi Sirs,
First of all I've to say that I'm not British (even if I visited a lot of places in UK), but this is an excellent forum and I hope that someone will help me.
I'm Italian and from here there isn't so many people migration to AU.
I`m a Civil Engineer and I`ve six years of experience.
My girlfriend will take a master degree in November as social worker.
We will be in Melbourne on February, 1 - 2011 (I`ve already bought our flying tickets) on a Working Holyday Visa.
At the moment we`re studying to take IELTS and we`re planning to dedicate the first period in Melbourne to improve our language skills, probably in an English school (I hope to take IELTS before April/May 2011). Meanwhile we will search for a local job (not connected with our degree but only to collect some money to live there)
I explain to you which are our projects (in order):
1) I'm studying to take IELTS
2) I'll start quickly with the EA Assessment
3) Once done everything, I'll start with the VISA 175 Process (consider that we have to demonstrate DE FACTO status, so I think that the lodgment could be on November/December 2010).
The best prospective is to find a VISA 457 sponsorship before the end of 2011. I don't know if I'll find a sponsor according to my English language skills (I'm not so good but I'm working on it).
In the bad case, we have to find a way to let us remain in Au. Or with 3 months of rural work, or applying for the VISA 175 without DE FACTO relationship (in this way my girlfriend can take a rural work, I've all requirements for the VISA 175, the time for the approval is more short).
The problem is that we'll start to live together on 1 February and so we have to wait 1 year before VISA 175 lodgment.
Do you know if is it possibile to add a secondary applicant (my girlfriend as a de facto) later than the first submission?
With a VISA 457 aren't there time limits to demonstrate DE FACTO status?
TY Very much,
Luca
I think a particular level of english is required for student visas so if that is why you are currently studying for the IELTS that's fine but being on a WHV it is not required and one of the best ways to get your english language ability improved will be to get out working.
Your written english is already very good and though hearing is always a problem because of local pronounciations/accents, practice is what will improve that and confidence for conversation.
Our vowell pronounciations are very flat and different to how Europeans pronounce vowells so if you have listened to any Australian speakers you may have picked that up.
Radio Australia:Ways to Listen may help you and I see they even have a section on english languages, the ABC being Australia's government funded national media service.
Never be backward in asking someone to repeat a bit slower for you and as soon as they recognise an accent they will understand for Australians do speak english at a rate of knots, a bit like Italians or the Swiss with their Schweize duetz and then even when they speak German.
You will find that it is more probable than not for there to be english classes run part-time outside of working hours and rather than look up a specific english school that could be run by someone as more of a business, have a look at TAFE and other community colleges.
Even Immi have arrangements and though through a WHV or your Gf in study you are not eligible for free AMEP there is a link to other programs -
http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/help-with-english/amep/learning-english/eligibility.htm and the Living in Australia section of Immi has a wealth of information that will be useful to you.
The other source you should follow up on is to see if there is a cultural association between your country and Australia, and say for instance you are from Italy, though the IAI seems to focus on Italian studies, I imagine for an Italian there would also be plenty of advice available for Australia -
The Italian Australian Institute
Though your projects or plan as we would say in english seems reasonable, re #3:
3) Once done everything, I'll start with the VISA 175 Process (consider that we have to demonstrate DE FACTO status, so I think that the lodgment could be on November/December 2010).
I think you may have meant lodgement could be by Nov./Dec. 2011 seeing as you are not arriving until Feb. 2011.
With the Defacto requirement, I assume you are looking at applying for a visa with your Gf as a defacto and as for Permanent Residency [ PR ] visas there is likely the defacto 12 months relationship requirement, if you are not already living together, by doing so from now before you leave for Australia that would enable you to meet the requirement by Nov./Dec. but if you have to wait until you arrive in Australia you would need to get 12 months from Feb. and so that would mean applying in Feb. 2012.
There are a couple of more things you also ought to be aware of and that's a 175 independent skilled visa processing can take quite a while, perhaps a two year wait before granting and as well as there being no bridging visa offered. because it is an offshore visa, though you can apply for it while in Australia, you do need to leave Australia when it is ready to be granted.
You may want to have a look at also getting state sponsorship and via the State Migration Plans which should be established by the time you are ready to apply, then applying for a 176 SMP visa your application will have higher priority and be processed quicker.
The 457 visa is a good option for you, either as an interim measure or it can also lead to PR as you may have seen and you can stay in Australia on a 457 while a 175/176 is processed or if an employer offfers to go from a 457 sponsorship to PR sponsorship, as long as you pick the offshore application, it will be fee free as the fee you have already paid for the 175/176 will substitute.
So once you have your qualifications assessed by the IEA, it is possible that you may find employment and once your Gf is nearing completion of her masters, you may want to consider the possibilities of seeking employment in regional areas or if beforehand your Gf has also had her original qualifications assessed, it may be possible that she may even find an employment offer and it only needs one to have a 457 visa for the other the to be the secondary applicant.
But depending on the nature of your experience, if it has been associated with local authority work or even if not, our local authorities or councils as they are called are big employers of both civil engineers and social workers.
If you have not got a 457 visa, yes, you can do your three months seasonal work to get a second WHV and perhaps you may want to plan ahead a little and if February is when you plan on both coming here, I would think of yourself at least coming earlier to get your three months regional work done as there is more availability of that here in late spring and summer rather than leaving it to later summer and into autumn and winter.
A big mistake many people make is leaving it too late, and so even if it means you leave your employment earlier and get your ticket changed, by coming earlier, even alone you could have done your three months work before your Gf arrives and by working with other people and socialising you will probably find your english will be very good too.
The WHV has a link to the harvest trail which shows locations/times for seasonal work.
On a 457 visa, yes there is a less stringent testing for the relationship requirement.
And yes, if you have a visa application submitted, you can add a secondary applicant while it is being processed but once a visa is granted there is a separate visa application required.
If you are successful with a 457 visa while your Gf is on a student visa doing the masters, you can still include her but it may be better to wait until she has finished her study for the one problem some people experience with a 457 is that it is reliant on maintaining a sponsor for the visa to remain valid and so a good reason for you also to have the second WHV and then be in no rush to get a 457 for if you get onto a 457 before having qualified to apply for a second WHV and then your sponsorship ceases, you cannot go back to the WHV to work and qualify for a second WHV.
You definitely would not want to disrupt your Gf's study by her having also transferred to a 457 that went kaput!