Australia Skilled Migrant Visa (175) - Timelines/Cost/Success?

Hockney

I'm considering applying for the skilled migrant visa, subclass 175.

I see the Oz immigration authority had put a temporary halt on application for the 175 visa, but this was lifted on 1st July.

My job is on the new SOL (Telecommunications Engineer), and I have over 5 years experience in this field. I'm 28. There appears to be lots of jobs available in all the main cities, and I reckon the permanent visa would put me on a better footing for getting a job than being on the working holiday visa.

Could anyone in the know advise on the following few questions?

1) Since I'm over 18 and my native tongue is English, will the total cost of my application be AUD$2575?

2) If I pay the AUD$2575 and get rejected for the visa, will any of the fee be refunded to me?

3) Given my age, work experience and the fact that my job is on the SOL, how likely am I to be given the 175 visa?

4) What's a realistic waiting time from application date to receiving the visa?


Thanks for reading.

mandrake04

1) Yes
2) No
3) Likely. If you can get a positive Skills assessment
4) 6 months - 3 years

mandrake04

Should have mentioned

Skills assessment $300
Police Certs $70
X-ray & Meds $240

Hockney

Thanks for that mandrake. 3 years?!?!? :eek:

For anyone considering the same there's a wealth of information here:

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/175/eligibility-applicant.htm

603304529

Also look at pomsinoz and britishexpats. A wealth of real person information.

KaiserBill

mandrake04 wrote: »

1) Yes
2) No
3) Likely. If you can get a positive Skills assessment
4) 6 months - 3 years

Hi mandrake04,
I'm surprised to see you mention 6months - 3Years for the wait period.
Its nearly one year exactly since i applied and I've heard nothing since I received a positive skills assessment 6 months ago. Queried 3 months ago but got one-liner that it was being processed.
Any idea why some applications could take up to 3 years?
thx

mandrake04

KaiserBill wrote: »

Hi mandrake04,
I'm surprised to see you mention 6months - 3Years for the wait period.
Its nearly one year exactly since i applied and I've heard nothing since I received a positive skills assessment 6 months ago. Queried 3 months ago but got one-liner that it was being processed.
Any idea why some applications could take up to 3 years?
thx

Easy....

6 months for occupations in Demand.

3 years for occupations they couldn't give a F**K about.


and a sliding scale for all other occupations in between.

kittex

They have an order of processing list now for general skilled migration...
It goes roughly:

1. Employer nominated visas - within that regional employers/visas then city
2. State Sponsored visas
3. Independent visas on the skills list
4. Applications not on the skills list (why bother?)

My story...

I have done 18 months of a 457 in a remote WA mining town. I was supposed to be submitting my PR application by now, and under the old wait times, be able to leave in Feb next year. But the cancellation of new 175s until July 1st, then this new list means a big risk to doing that. Could be stuck here 3 years while I wait.

I have been offered by my employer to transfer to the 3 year Regional PR visa. (3 years in regional area = automatic PR) This will be backdated and so I would automatically receive PR after another 18 months...

I want to leave the remote town I'm in though as planned but it looks like it's suck up the next 18 months or face 3 years!? And who knows if the new government will slow down visas even more and I'd face a longer wait.

mandrake04

kittex wrote: »

They have an order of processing list now for general skilled migration...
It goes roughly:

1. Employer nominated visas - within that regional employers/visas then city
2. State Sponsored visas
3. Independent visas on the skills list
4. Applications not on the skills list (why bother?)

My story...

I have done 18 months of a 457 in a remote WA mining town. I was supposed to be submitting my PR application by now, and under the old wait times, be able to leave in Feb next year. But the cancellation of 175s, then this new list means a big risk to doing that. Could be stuck here 3 years while I wait.

I have been offered by my employer to transfer to the 3 year Regional PR visa. (3 years in regional area = automatic PR) This will be backdated and so I would automatically receive PR after another 18 months...

I want to leave the remote town I'm in though as planned but it looks like it's suck up the next 18 months or face 3 years!? And who knows if the new government will slow down visas even more and I'd face a longer wait.

You say regional visa..

Do you mean a

Subclass 475

or

Subclass 857

Zambia

Are 175's being cancelled?

mandrake04

Zambia232 wrote: »

Are 175's being cancelled?

Dont think so, but might be rumor of the week.

Mellor

She prob refered to the on hold status for a week or so a few months back

Zambia

kittex wrote: »

But the cancellation of 175s, then this new list means a big risk to doing that.

Kittex what makes you say this?

kittex

Zambia232 wrote: »

Kittex what makes you say this?

April May and June of this year processing of 175 was halted.

Guys, read the DIAC info on all of this, before going off on a tangent of assumptions!
It's there in black and white.

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/priority-processing-14-july-2010.pdf

Mellor

It's was posponed, not cancelled,
and I don't think it was 3 months either, they were delayed in stalling it, and existing applications were still processes,

kittex

My application was cancelled as it didn't get in prior to the Feb halting of new applications.

Existing applications that were beyond a certain point got dealt with. Some did not and got halted. Some got stopped altogether. Mainly they dealt with onshore PR visas (which the 175 is not).
I know of one person who has had to go home due to that situation.

My employer had applied to nominated me but it was cancelled pending the new SOL.

But what do I know? I'm only going through the process myself.

But there you go, I lazy-bastard proofed my post now.

Zambia

Thanks for clarifying that Kittex.

Sorry to hear your having trouble.