Migrating To Australia Podcast

In this episode David takes us through his Checklist that he uses for his clients applying for the Prospective Marriage Visa (subclass 300), for the OFFSHORE Applicant to deal with the interview that occurs with the Immigration Department.

Over 14 years, David has collated information about the question s asked and the issues raised in these interviews.  David and Grant have explored all these issues, and share the must do tips and the traps to avoid.

In this episode we are focusing on the situation where the Sponsor for this Visa is an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident, or an eligible New Zealand Permanent Resident.  The Applicant is the Non-Australian who is located OFFSHORE.

For this visa the Applicant will be interviewed, usually by phone call, by a staff member from an Australian Embassy or High Commission.  It is usually done over the phone, but in rare cases it may occur face-to-face.  David gives an example of how far embassy staff may travel to undertake these interviews.

This episode is full of helpful tips, and some warnings about how to handle an interview.  Following are some important items that are very important to bear in mind while preparing for an interview;

The Department have your information, and all manner of information about you and your family from other government departments, and other countries.

Be totally consistent with your answers. Do not invent an answer if you cannot recall details.  It's better to say you don't recall exactly, but provide context to the answer.

Be sure to have developed a Relationship Timeline - you will be expected to know many key dates about your relationship, and important dates and anniversaries within families.

You will be expected to know details about your partner and family in minute details - you are expected to know your partner inside-out.

You must be familiar with details of previous partners, children, employment history, academic history, living arrangements etc.

How you keep in contact will be examined in detail. Keep records of social media chats, email, records of any financial transactions. You will be expected to have evidence to support any claims you make.

Your travel with your partner (and without) your partner will be examined. Be sure to have the exact dates and itinerary to hand.

If you have travelled with friends or family of your partner, this is fantastic 3rd-party validation and recognition of your relationship. Pictures showing friends and family of your partner is fabulous evidence.

The interview should be conducted in your native language.  You have the right to insist on this.  If you do not feel that the person conducting the interview understands your answers properly, you can (and should) insist on an interpreter or translator being involved. You are entitled to this. Do Not take part in an interview being conducted in a language that is not your first language, or that you are not a MASTER of! In an interview like this, the subtleties of language are very important.

You will be asked how you communicated with your partner, by what means and in what language.  You will also be asked how you communicate with the parents and family of your partner.  How familiar are they with your relationship? Is it recognised by the family? By friends? By workmates? Is it accepted and approved of?  Be prepared by all manner of questions about this.

What do you do if your visa application is not approved?  You can lodge an Application for Review with an independent body, the Migration Review Tribunal. Your partner, the Sponsor, has to lodge this review application, and strict timelines apply. Do not delay in submitting the application for review.

There are so many great tips provided by David in this episode, so it really is essential listening if you are applying for the Prospective Partner visa. Also be sure to listen to our earlier episode about the Spouse or Partner Visa.

If you need assistance with a visa, make an appointment with David to discuss your situation.

David and Grant are joined by Career Coach, Marina Pitisano.

Marina shares her family migration story and then lays out what is required to find a job in the Australian job market, or develop a career in a changing employment environment.

Check out Marina's resources and her podcast at Letz Create, her career coaching information centre.

We continue our look at the 491 Skilled work visa program based on nomination by one of the states of Australia, this time, Victoria.

In this episode David looks closely at the requirements and conditions to be successful in getting the State nomination for skilled migration from the State of Victoria.

All of the ins and outs are covered, but pay attention to what to look out for if you change jobs or are offered a promotion or pay rise. This is super important!

Here are the links you need if you are seriously considering applying for this visa.

Here is the Australian Government Working In Australia medium and long term skilled occupation list for this visa subclass. This link is to the legislative instrument, and is current at date of release of this episode. 

The short term (temporary) occupations are also included in the same document, as well as the relevant skill-assessing authorities.

Check out the Live In Victoria website about this visa

Follow David on Twitter

Visit our website to make an appointment with David

In mid-December, the latest round of invitations for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) and Skilled Work (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) from the Australian Department of Immigration and Home Affairs were released. 

These are working visas, and pathways to permanent residency, and invitations to apply are assessed using the points system that David discusses frequently.

The latest round has lifted the MINIMUM points required to be considered has risen to 100, and now makes Accounting a very poor (if not stupid!) choice for anybody thinking about studying in Australia as a pathway to gain permanent residency.

David and Grant walk through how to arrive at 100 points, and discuss how it is basically impossible for anyone studying accounting.

They then answer a listener question about cannabis (weed) and the medical blood test for immigration.

https://migratingtoaustraliapodcast.com

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If you are considering a move to Australia, the individual States of Australia each have special visas to help them find the skilled and qualified workers needed for their employment markets.  This episode focuses on the State of Tasmania.

David walks through the new state-based skilled work visa for Tasmania, the Subclass 491 -Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa, discussing in detail the criteria for;

• Eligibility
• How to apply
• Requirements
• lodging an Expression of Interest
• your obligations under this visa
• Documents required to lodge a successful application

Check out https://www.migration.tas.gov.au

A short message from David and Grant wishing everyone a happy holiday season, with a big thanks for listening for the past year!

David and Grant discuss tips to be successful and the pitfalls to avoid when applying for several classes of visas.

• Maximise your chances to get a Tourism Visa 
• Prospective Marriage Visa (300)
• Working Holiday or "Backpacker Visa" (417 & 462)
• Skilled Migration (189 & 190)
• Resident Return Visa (155)
• Contributory Parent Visa (143)

Does Australia have a discriminatory immigration policy based on geography?

Australian culture and its effect on our labour market.

Make your your applications are completely filled out.

What are the Top 10 countries of David's clients?

David has interviewed Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Andie Macdowell!

David explains how the points required for skilled migration and permanent migration have changed, and what to do about it.

The government is trying to change the conditions for gaining citizenship.

Bringing your parents to Australia and Grant is shocked by the cost.

Handy tip to get your English language test result maximised.

Chukwudi Ogoh tells David and Grant about his reasons for choosing to study in Australia almost a decade ago, and why he chose Australia over the other options - USA, UK, Canada and New Zealand.

He tells us what he misses about Nigeria, how he has found visiting other countries, and his feelings about Australia after 8 years.

A revealing and very personal chat with a very interesting man.

Special update on Grant's health following his major surgery and what comes next for him.  Also some commentary on how many highly skilled migrants contributed to his medical care.

David and Grant talk to Eshan, who is about to complete a PhD examining the socio-economic dynamics of Indian students who are studying, or have studied in Australia.

Eshan has been in Australia as a student for 11 years, the last 5 working on his PhD.  He is also a lecturer at Latrobe University, Melbourne Polytechnic and Chisholm TAFE.  As part of his thesis he has interviewed Indian students in Australia and in India who have studied at Australian universities and colleges, examining why they chose Australia as a destination, what difficulties did they face and what did they do when they completed their study?

Following a pathway that has taken him from physics into business and economics education, Eshan is candid about why he chose to study in Australia, how he managed to fund himself for 11 years and how he uses his experiences to assist the international students who are fortunate to have him as a lecturer.

Eshan also talks about the growth of the Indian community in Australia and the cultural events and support for Indians in Australia.

David also explores the substantial achievements in the martial arts that Eshan has, running alongside a very successful academic and personal journey in more than a decade in Australia.

Eshan discusses how sees the education environment in Australia, what he would change, if given the opportunity, and what he will do when his thesis is published.