Australian 457 Visa megathread (sponsorship)

magh

memaul wrote: »

Firstly I would just like to say that I have read through all the posts and I'm sorry if I have missed the answer to the questions I'm asking.

I will be graduating in May this year with a Civil Engineering degree and I have a company that will possibly sponsor me on the 457 visa.

My questions are the following:

Do I need to have a certain amount of experience in my field or can I be a recent graduate? I have read in a few places that the potential employee needs to have relevant experience but I cant see anywhere that puts a number on it. I have 6 months experience over the last 2 years.

Also, I will potentially be getting this sponsorship as a friend of mine who works for the company is vouching for me. He got sponsored last year. Because he got sponsored only last year I know that the company is an approved standard business sponsor. Does this mean that they can completely skip step 1 which is "Employer applies to be a sponsor" and move on to step 2 which is "Employer nominates a position".

I should also mention that I used my WHV a good few years ago. As well as that I will be hoping to get my fiancee defacto on my visa. I have plenty of evidence to prove that we've been together for years.

Any info or advice is greatly appreciated

Hi Memaul, Ive recently moved to Adelaide on a 457. The company Im with already had applied to be a sponsor so yes they were able to skip that part which really cut down on the waiting time for the Visa- mine took a little over a month in total (including the company nominating me (a month) and my own Visa application submission and approval (4days)).
I have my boyfriend and our daughter as de factos on my Visa and it was very straight forward. Although we didnt have to submit any evidence of our relationship as we have a child so I cant relate that closely to your situation!:)

As someone previously said, when you have a profession like yours you need to go to the Engineering body of Australia to see what you need to do (e.g I didnt need to do a skills assessment, that didnt relate to me, but I had to do a two stage assessment with my regulatory body here in Aus as well as get registered to work). They will most likely have the answer to your question about if you have enough exerience or not too.

Hope some of this helps! Best of luck cutting through all the red tape!!:)

kkelly77

I have recently been given a sponsorship offer by a company in Sydney. However, there is a bit of a catch.

They have never sponsored before, so they are looking for me to do all research into the 457 from the companies perspective. I need to find out all that is required of them and to let them know what has to be done in a simplified document. The reason for this is because they are quite busy with projects etc. and do not have the resources available.

So my question is this; Does anyone know of where a simplified breakdown of what is required of a company looking to sponsor? I understand most of us have searched the DIAC website from an employee perspective but now I have to cover both. I need to find out what a company has to do to apply to the DIAC to be eligable to sponsor and also nominating the position they are trying to fill. Lastly, nominating a potential candidate for sponsorship.

Thanks for the advice.

kkelly77

Can anyone that has been through the 457 process confirm if a skills assessment is a necessary requirement?

I read THIS document which states:

You must provide documents that prove your intention to perform the occupation is genuine and, if required, that you have the necessary skills to perform the occupation. This list of documents does not apply to your family members.
Examples of the types of documents that you could provide include:

My understanding from reading that is the assessment is not an absolute requirement. Is this correct?

Mellor

You don't need a skills assessment for a 457. You just need to provide some sort of proof of qualifications, eg papers, degree, resume showing experience, etc

darcy07

Hi guys got sponsored back in november however i have not done anything since it states you need health insurance at the time i had travel insurance but now thats expired so i would like to keep to the visa terms and health insurance is always good anything else i need to do joined a super fund any entitlements anything i need to apply for now im on 457 ??

kkelly77

Mellor wrote: »

You don't need a skills assessment for a 457. You just need to provide some sort of proof of qualifications, eg papers, degree, resume showing experience, etc

Cheers Mellor. Have that information to hand. Not having to go through the TRA process is a big hassle eliminated.

natter85

darcy07 wrote: »

Hi guys got sponsored back in november however i have not done anything since it states you need health insurance at the time i had travel insurance but now thats expired so i would like to keep to the visa terms and health insurance is always good anything else i need to do joined a super fund any entitlements anything i need to apply for now im on 457 ??

If you've got an Irish passport you don't need health insurance as part of your 457 due to the reciprocal agreement in place.

darcy07

i thought it was only british people that had that agreement do i have to get any cards etc ?? cause the form i got explicitly said i need health insurance

hussey

darcy07 wrote: »

i thought it was only british people that had that agreement do i have to get any cards etc ?? cause the form i got explicitly said i need health insurance

This has come up a few times over the years. Since Irish has a recipricol agreement with Australia (not medicare) you do not need health insurance.

https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/migrants/visitors/ireland-nz.shtml

This covers you

irishmover

Even though this is 10000000% confirmed I thought I'd make it that little bit more confirmed.

Twice in last two weeks I've been to Hospital and not paid a penny. Infact they didn't even ask for my passport, just gave them my Australian drivers licence.

GP's aren't free though.

Edit: So yeh I'm on 457 1.5 years and never needed health insurance due to reciprocal agreement.

melonstar

I've just accepted a job in Melbourne (457) and they told me that I need to have health insurance for the duration of my four year contract. Why are they saying that if there is a Healthcare Agreement in place?

Mellor

melonstar wrote: »

I've just accepted a job in Melbourne (457) and they told me that I need to have health insurance for the duration of my four year contract. Why are they saying that if there is a Healthcare Agreement in place?

Because you need basic health cover as per the 457 rules, they stating the general rules that apply to 456 applicants. They obviously aren't aware that there is a special circumstance of cover that applies to applicants from the Republic of Ireland only*. The vast majority of countries require private cover.

(There is similar cover for a few other countries but Ireland's is quite unique)

6541

Anyone in the IT game in Oz? Melbourne to be more specific.

I have a few very complicated things going on and would appreciate some advice. I need to get into Oz ASAP. Complicated romantic reasons !

There was me thinking that I would get an 189 visa no bother until I saw the Occupation Ceiling.

Question 1) Can you get sponsorship from recruitment companies / umbrella companies for third party contracts, anyone in the IT game will know what I am on about here.

Question 2) Would one hit Seek from Ireland applying for contracting roles and then hit a Recruitment / Contracting company for the 457?

Question 3) Anyone know would it be a complete waste of time heading over on a tourist visa and pavement pounding for the 457 or would that be unrealistic.

Question 4) Not so much a visa question but a general IT question, in Ireland I am a jack of all trades in IT, maybe a System Analyst, Maybe a Network Analyst, Maybe a System Administrator or even Maybe a Automation Engineer/ Production Support person any advice on how this would translate in the Melbourne market place.

This is a matter of the heart and urgent thanks so much for the help.

hussey

6541 wrote: »

Anyone in the IT game in Oz? Melbourne to be more specific.

Yes/Not Melbourne but doesn't really make a difference

Question 1) Can you get sponsorship from recruitment companies / umbrella companies for third party contracts, anyone in the IT game will know what I am on about here.

yes & yes, I held a 457 for sometime with one. But most of them don't since a few rules were changed a few years ago.
One rule was that if you finish up your contract, you have 30days to find another job or you are out of the country, this goes for the contract game too

Question 2) Would one hit Seek from Ireland applying for contracting roles and then hit a Recruitment / Contracting company for the 457?

Yes, in theory, in reality, you could be overlooked for most jobs as agents/companies don't want the hassle of 457 applications

Question 3) Anyone know would it be a complete waste of time heading over on a tourist visa and pavement pounding for the 457 or would that be unrealistic.

That could well work, but can be an expensive and frustrating process, as having no job in Australia is damn expensive - even with free accom.

and next question is what age are you - under 31 by any chance?

6541

Firstly Hussey, thanks for your reply. Yes over 31 and already done 2.3 years in Oz working Holiday visa etc, so that route is gone.

irishmover

Can't give you much of an input sorry.

But just be wary that on a tourist visa you're not supposed to look for work. Keep that in mind if you do come out on that visa.

Kiith

Can someone point me to somewhere that gives a brief overview of the 457, and the costs involved? I'm looking at the immi.gov page, and it's pretty indepth. Just looking for something brief, so i could explain it to someone if they aren't sure of the process.

Had a call this morning about a job i was suitable for, but they weren't really familiar with the sponsorship process. She said she'd get back to me though, and it might be good if i was able to briefly go over it.

Looking at the visa charge sheet, it seems to say it only costs $365 to sponsor someone on a WHV. That sounds a lot cheaper than i'd heard before though, so is there additional costs?

eoindoyle_syd

Kiith wrote: »

Can someone point me to somewhere that gives a brief overview of the 457, and the costs involved? I'm looking at the immi.gov page, and it's pretty indepth. Just looking for something brief, so i could explain it to someone if they aren't sure of the process.

Had a call this morning about a job i was suitable for, but they weren't really familiar with the sponsorship process. She said she'd get back to me though, and it might be good if i was able to briefly go over it.

Looking at the visa charge sheet, it seems to say it only costs $365 to sponsor someone on a WHV. That sounds a lot cheaper than i'd heard before though, so is there additional costs?

Sponsored 457 Visa Application Process

For a subclass 457 visa (skilled temporary overseas workers) application there are three steps involved when a person from overseas to work in Australia.



The three stages involved are:



Stage 1 - Lodging an employer sponsorship application where the employer must be approved as a sponsor.
Sponsorship Charge $420 (if not a previous approved sponsor)

Stage 2 - Lodging a business nomination (lodged by the employer) that describes the position to be fulfilled.
Nomination Charge $85

Stage 3 - Lodging a visa application.
Visa Application Charge $455

In order for Stage 3 of the 457 Visa process to be successful, Stages 1 and 2 must be approved by DIAC.

http://www.visabureau.com/australia/sponsored-457-visas.aspx
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i/employer-sponsored-temporary.htm

Kiith

Cheers for that Eoin. Are all those charges for the company, or can the employee pay them?

Mellor

Kiith wrote: »

Cheers for that Eoin. Are all those charges for the company, or can the employee pay them?

1 and 2 are for the company
3 is for the applicant

Kiith

Cheers lads. Handy to at least know that so i can suggest it if the opportunity arises.

old_aussie

This maybe worth a read/review

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/door-shuts-on-thousands-of-cheap-foreign-workers/story-e6frfkp9-1226583823908

Coileach dearg

old_aussie wrote: »

This maybe worth a read/review

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/door-shuts-on-thousands-of-cheap-foreign-workers/story-e6frfkp9-1226583823908

If they looked close enough and not turn a blind eye, the government would see that these so called "rogue employers" are actually the biggest employers in Australia and everybody is in on it.
The biggest IT houses in Australia bring in all these Indian firms (on 457 visa's) to cross skill with the aim to take the jobs offshore eventually. The whole thing stinks to the high heavens.

Of course the number of 457 visa's is gone up in the past few years. The skills required to fill those roles simply aren't available in Australia and employers are having to open up to foreign workers.
The smart thing for the government to do would be to have a look at the skills shortage list and have a better career guidance enforced to would be University students and make sure the courses to meet those skills are available in those Universities.
The other question is when will it all go belly up down here? Let's face it, it's inevitable and what will happen all these 457 visa holders then?

In summary, they make out it's only a handful of employers that take advantage of 457 visa holders by under-paying them when everybody knows for a fact that every employer is at it. A few spots have become available in the company I work for in recent weeks but where do ya think the first place they look to fill these spots? That's right, the cheap Offshore option.
Why? Because it's cheaper to fly them over here with a 457 visa, upskill and send them back to work from Offshore.
Not one ounce of effort was put into looking at the local market to fill those spots in the first place.
These companies make billions in profit and it's because of decision like this thst contribute.

It's all about the figures at the end of the day and as long as the demand is there, they will always need the 457 visa holders to meet that demand. There's an election coming up so there will be loads of pointless articles like this written.

I'm going to be eligible to vote in this election and to look at the agendas of both parties is very disheartening. Absolutely disgusting the way they use the media to sully each other. In fairness, this is not just Australia, it's the whole world of politics. Makes me sick to even think about it.

mandrake04

It was only a matter of time before this happened.

Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor says the changes will reduce the number of 457 visa applications, which have outstripped national employment growth.

"We have seen too many examples of abuse across the nation," he said.

"We have seen situations where people's jobs have been dressed up to be so-called skilled jobs, but in fact when they come here, they are working in unskilled areas.

"We have seen situations where people have come out on this visa [who] are friends or family of the sponsors, and that is not the way in which those people should come here.

"They have perfectly good streams of migration to apply and this stream should not be used in that manner."

There's also a lot of scams going on, people paying sham 'employers' up to $6000 to facilitate false sponsorships very much like the scams paying for signing off the farm work the 2nd WHV a few years ago. The people making money from this are a big target for the DIAC investigation unit, also like the 2nd WHV anyone tainted by any association can expect to have their visa cancelled.

The Aussie

mandrake04 wrote: »

There's also a lot of scams going on, people paying sham 'employers' up to $6000

Is that like the "Self Sponsership Route"???

mandrake04

The Aussie wrote: »

Is that like the "Self Sponsership Route"???

There's no such thing as 'Self Sponsorship' you can't sponsor yourself.

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/101970-457-visa-can-sole-trader-sponsor.html#post939979

Giving some bunch of con men $6000 to nominate you for a job that doesn't exist is not self sponsorship either, you will hear more about these rorts in the future.