Science work/visa question?

arsenal

Hi all,

I have read through many, MANY pages of this forum and picked up some good advice and experiences but if people will indulge me for 2 minutes to see if I can get some things straight in my head... apologies if answers are glaringly obvious!

I've a PhD in Biochemistry and looking to move out and work in Oz, ideally for more than 1 year but we'll get onto that in a minute. Looking for work as a postdoc researcher or in a pharma company

1 - Obviously there's no hard and fast rules and it's a case by case basis but I presume I'm right in saying 457 visas are extremely hard to organise before you go? Who's gonna jump at the chance to sponsor someone they haven't met, right? AND do you have to be working in that role for a year here inorder to qualify for a 457 visa? (I haven't hence my ineligibility for a sponsored GSM visa)

2 - Is the most usual route people go down to get a WHV then get sponsorship later on after working for a company? BUT how does that work getting a job... you're irish.. chances are you're on a WHV so obviously they're going to ask about your visa situation? If you can only work 6 months in the job does this not severely hamper your chances of landing a position?? You can go "yeah well I'd love you to sponsor me if things go well in the 6 months" but surely they're just going to take someone else and not have to go through all that hassle.

3 - The limit is 30 for applying for the WHV... does this mean I have to start the process before I turn 30? Not sure what the turn around time is but as long as it is "applied for" before I'm 30 or "granted" before I'm 30?

4 - Am I right that there's also set roles specified to be eligible for a 457 visa. I had a quick look and while life scientist is mentioned, some roles working for a pharma company are quite generic (eg. Regulatory affairs or Compliance) and are not listed specifically. Is there a generic title that these might come under?

5 - Lastly, anyone been in a similar situation looking for these types of roles, any advice, experiences, success, failures??


Once again, thanks to anyone who takes the time to offer an opinion or help. It's greatly appreciated!!

hussey

arsenal wrote: »

1 - Obviously there's no hard and fast rules and it's a case by case basis but I presume I'm right in saying 457 visas are extremely hard to organise before you go? Who's gonna jump at the chance to sponsor someone they haven't met, right? AND do you have to be working in that role for a year here inorder to qualify for a 457 visa? (I haven't hence my ineligibility for a sponsored GSM visa)

Yes 457's would be pretty hard - but not impossible - to get from ireland, unless you have a high demand skill, or transferring job etc.

2 - Is the most usual route people go down to get a WHV then get sponsorship later on after working for a company? BUT how does that work getting a job... you're irish.. chances are you're on a WHV so obviously they're going to ask about your visa situation? If you can only work 6 months in the job does this not severely hamper your chances of landing a position?? You can go "yeah well I'd love you to sponsor me if things go well in the 6 months" but surely they're just going to take someone else and not have to go through all that hassle.

Yes the most usual route is a WHV -> 457.
actually the 6 month rule is a pretty good one, 6 months is a good time frame to see if someone is worth employing. One of the hardest parts of business is finding good staff.

3 - The limit is 30 for applying for the WHV... does this mean I have to start the process before I turn 30? Not sure what the turn around time is but as long as it is "applied for" before I'm 30 or "granted" before I'm 30?

You have until you are 31, so you can apply when you are 30 + 11months, then have 1 year to land in Australia, turn around time is usually 24-36hours.

4 - Am I right that there's also set roles specified to be eligible for a 457 visa. I had a quick look and while life scientist is mentioned, some roles working for a pharma company are quite generic (eg. Regulatory affairs or Compliance) and are not listed specifically. Is there a generic title that these might come under?

Sorry can't help you, too specific, though you seem to be jumping the gun, concentrate in getting a job first!

arsenal

Thanks for the clarification!

Fair point on 4. I guess while I had a thread going I thought I might as well ask everything that was on my mind. I guess it was more the thought that if they arn't even covered as listed jobs for a 457 then the whole thing would be pointless to begin with!

Thanks again for the input!

mandrake04

arsenal wrote: »

2 - Is the most usual route people go down to get a WHV then get sponsorship later on after working for a company? BUT how does that work getting a job... you're irish.. chances are you're on a WHV so obviously they're going to ask about your visa situation? If you can only work 6 months in the job does this not severely hamper your chances of landing a position?? You can go "yeah well I'd love you to sponsor me if things go well in the 6 months" but surely they're just going to take someone else and not have to go through all that hassle.

I was in that situation, it's a matter of convincing them to take a punt on your experience.

Actually you have the right attitude thinking like that, some people who post on here think getting sponsored is like popping down to the post office and buying stamps.

Best advice is try to sell it to them, you have something that they need and the sponsorship is the trade off.

Hasmunch

i have a degree in chemistry and 3 years experience in a pharmaceutical company in ireland.
I found there was lots of jobs around (melbourne) but very few willing to take a person for 6 months, most were loooking for long term employees.
However after 2 months with no luck (not even an interview and several knockbacks after hearing about the visa.), i landed a good job with option to sponsor if things go well.

If you work hard and keep looking there are jobs out there that will sponsor.

Also i can put you onto a recruitment agency in melbourne that has lab jobs in the pharma industry, just pm me of interested.

arsenal

Thanks a million folks for all the replies!

I think I could land a post-doc position alright but I've no industry experience so I don't really have much to offer and would be competing with Australian University grads, so not sure if I could get something in that area.

I'm looking at this as something that will help my career abit so don't really want to go and work in a coffee shop or something only to come back in a year and be in the exact same situation again....hmm....food for thought!