Marisawright

Your employer will have to engage an agent to do their side of the paperwork, so why not ask the employer to ask their agent for an estimate of how long it's likely to take in your particular case. Judging by others who post here, it's a case of "how long is a piece of string" as it varies so much. There is a whole section of the forums dedicated to employer sponsored visas: https://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/48-business-sponsored/

The percentage of cocoa butter and vegetable fat is different, supposedly to help prevent it melting in hot weather. There's no cream in Cadbury's, just milk. I've heard it said that the flavour of Australian milk is noticeably different and that affects the taste of the chocolate, too, but I'm not a milk drinker so I can't say. After 30 years in Australia, I'm so used to Australian chocolate, I don't even like the genuine British version any more. But I usually buy Belgian chocolate anyway.

If I went down the route of "compassionate reasons" what evidence would I need to supply? What reason did your member give for example? Things I am thinking of for example is whether I need to prove my relationship, which I know is required for partner visas etc. - The member in the example was leaving Australia forever to go and live in the UK, so that is not relevant to you. Is there a chance you could be denied travel? And if so - would I be allowed to appeal this decision? Yes, there is a chance it could be denied if it's felt your reasons are not compelling enough. There is no appeal process BUT you are allowed to apply again immediately, and it costs nothing so there is no reason not to try again. If I go down the route of "urgent personal business" is it enough to supply a written statement that I am leaving Australia? Or would I need a statutory declaration witnessed and signed by a legal official? You need to show proof that you have given notice on your lease (or put your house on the market) and booked your one-way flight and shipping. Also evidence of where you will be living when you arrive in the UK (if that is with your partner or your family then a statement from him/them). No need for a stat dec. Note that it takes about 4 weeks to get a decision so allow for that when making your plans. Information from the Home Affairs website about applying for travel for compassionate reasons: In your request, you must provide us following information: the reason for your visit, include your compelling or compassionate reasons which countries you will be visiting (include stopovers) how you are related to the person you are visiting details of the people you plan to visit, including their: full name date of birth your relationship with these people when you plan to travel (both to and from the countries you wish to visit) how long you wish to stay in each country why you need to visit these countries evidence of compelling or compassionate reason copies of any identity cards or identity documents with your photograph copies of passports (or other travel documents) of all visa holders wanting to travel your travel arrangements (if already made) your contact details while outside Australia your contact details in the country you wish to visit contact details of your migration agent or representative (if this applies) Compelling or compassionate reasons can include: visiting or caring for a close relative who is seriously ill or dying attending the funeral of a close relative attending the birth of your child

Yes, that's been the case ever since I arrived in Australia over 30 years ago. The change to the Creme Egg was far more recent. There was a huge outcry about it on Facebook, I recall. I've never eaten one since, they're a travesty. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/12/shellshock-cadbury-comes-clean-on-creme-egg-chocolate-change

Raul is a migration agent. If he says you must stay with the same employer for two years, then you must stay with the same employer.

In your particular case, you have two choices. If you choose to apply under "compassionate reasons", then you don''t have to give notice or leave your work until you know you have the exemption. You just need to supply evidence of your compassionate reasons. If you choose to apply under "urgent personal business" and declare that you want to leave Australia forever, then you will not be refused, so you can confidently hand in your notice, leave work and arrange to ship your belongings, and then submit evidence of all of that. You will not be refused because they don't really care about you leaving. They only care about people who want to leave for a short period and then possibly bring the virus back with them. We had a member here who left recently without any problem. If you are really not confident about the process, how about asking your partner to help you understand it? The form is really very simple and actually, most applications are approved. If you are rejected, you are allowed to reapply with further evidence. I feel you're allowing panic and stress to cloud your thinking, so perhaps involving someone who's calmer would help. It's not a migration issue so an agent wouldn't normally get involved, though I suppose one would be happy to help you if you are willing to pay for their services.

It’s not that with the creme eggs. They actually changed the chocolate on them so it’s not the usual Cadbury recipe any more. Tastes totally different. There was an outcry when they did it

Definitely, and not the same chocolate either

Yes, but not much. To get a skilled visa, you have to achieve a certain number of points on a scoring system. The visa process is competitive - although you only need 65 points to be eligible for a visa, only those with the highest points are selected. You are already at a disadvantage because one of the criteria is age, and the older you are, the more points you lose, especially once you're over 40. The clock is definitely ticking for you and if you are serious about migrating, I would make an appointment with an agent as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister has said that there are no plans to cut permanent migration after the Covid-19 emergency is over. The question is, will they hire extra staff to process the backlog of applications that have been on hold during this crisis? Or will they just start processing again at their normal rate, which means the wait will be even longer? I suspect the latter.

No, you are incorrect. Your employer is trying to CLAIM you were casual, but you signed a permanent, full-time contract and your employer cannot change that without giving you official written notice. So you have been permanent full-time for the last 11 months.

sorry misposted

It has been tricky for some time. Some states are now requiring a job offer, and the fact is that there is NO way you're going to get a job offer unless you're already registered to teach and already in the country. So I'd say the WHV is definitely your best chance.

That is a good point. The main applicant must be under 45 as that's the cut-off age for a skilled visa.

Yes, it is tough and it is confusing. The harsh fact is that Australia is no longer desperate for migrants and is now like any other country, placing severe restrictions on who it will accept. To migrate, one of you must have qualifications and experience in an occupation that's on the Skilled List. If not, you can't migrate, end of story (unless you are willing to retrain in an occupation that is on the list, which is a whole other story). Police Officer appears to be on the list for a 494 (employer-sponsored) visa so that might be a possibility. Your best plan is to have a consultation with a good migration agent.

As others have said, the problem with going for the 491/190 is that it takes so long to process, and you'll need to get back to the UK before your son starts year 11. Otherwise you'll be paying full international fees for him to go to university, because you won't fulfil the residency requirements. If you go for the 482, the processing time is much faster so you'll be on your way earlier. Given your timeframes you'd only want a 2 year contract and let's face it, even if it isn't the perfect job, you could stick it out for 2 years. I'd say if you go for the 190/491, you'd need to plan on the basis that your son will complete his education in Australia, including university - but another factor to consider is that by the time he's finished uni, he'll be an adult with lots of Australian friends, probably including an Aussie girlfriend, and he may not be willing to return to the UK should you wish to go home. That may or may not be an issue for you. I don't agree with Quoll about the "limited" nature of Medicare cover - it's true that if you read the letter of the law, she's right, but in practice I've seen many Brits have operations and procedures under Medicare which I would never have expected would be covered.

@Fonzarelli, there are flights available now and people are arriving every day. Given that, I'd say it's less likely they'll be sympathetic to anyone who claims they can't arrive in time for the "enter before" date.

I think an agent is essential these days if you're going for a skilled visa, because they can get complicated. However as you say, a parent visa is fairly straightforward - they're either eligible or they're not. The only worry would be if they have any health issues which might lead them to fail the medical, in which case I'd definitely hire an agent who specialises in people with health issues. As Tulip1 says, I hope you're aware that the waiting time for parent visas now is at least 8 years. The government website is misleading - it says 4 years, but that is based on the fact that early 2016 applications are being granted now. The trouble is that in mid-2016, there was a huge surge of new applications - and every year since, more new applications have come in than visas granted. So the queue is getting longer and longer and longer every year....

Once upon a time I'd have said "you don't need an agent" but these days, the whole process is so complicated, I wouldn't dream of not using one. Immigration is very unforgiving - if you make a little mistake, they dont come back and say, "did you mean....", they just reject your application and your money's down the drain. I thnk it's particularly true now, because there are big changes coming after Covid apparently, and it will be hard for ordinary people to keep up to date - whereas agents get notified. In fact, the only reason we know big changes are coming, is that the agents on this forum told us. The general public hasn't been told yet.

Yes, that's exactly what I was suggesting. However I'm a little surprised that there's an agency which can get you work as a teacher in Australia. Do they help you get your registration, too? Even casual teachers must be registered.

Welll no they're not, that's the point. You hold a 309 visa so you're entitled to enter the country and you've got to arrive by a certain deadline. None of that has changed. There's a good choice of flights available now too.

So you are saying the employer is offering you a below-market salary, which they are not allowed to do. The employer is selling the hotel where the business operates. If the employer sells the hotel, will you still be employed by the employer in the same position? If not, there is not a genuine need. It's very clear that the employer didn't make a proper effort to find a local candidate, probably because they didn't want to pay the proper salary. It does not sound like a convincing case to me.

Hi Joeyroo. There are several agents who post regularly on these forums. Try Go Matilda or Suncoast Migration. Don't expect a lot of detail in a free consult, but they will be able to give you an idea of your chances and let you know if it's worth proceeding.

It is confusing - but if you paid her a fee, you are entitled to go back and check the answer to questions like the above. It's up to you to make the decision, but it's up to her to supply you with enough information to make that decision. However, I am pretty sure that if you want to claim points for a skill, you must have both the qualifications and the experience otherwise it doesn't count.

I've suggested it before. The best way to get your questions answered is to have an initial consultation with a good migration agent. It won't cost you a cent.