Has anybody being sponsored on the 457 visa as a disabilities service officer???

[Guest gareth-hutchinson]

Hi ALL,

I have being trying desperately hard for nearly 2 years now to find a sponsor on the 457 visa for my wife.

She is a disabilities support worker in the U.K with over 8 years experience and a UK diploma level 3 in health & social care.

 

Is there anybody out there who has gone down this route as a disabilities support worker?

Every company apart from 1 that I have contacted in over 2 years have said they don't offer sponsorship?

 

DO THESE COMPANIES WHO SPONSOR EXIST???

 

I AM BEGGINING TO THINK THEY DON'T.

 

WE HAVE LOOKED AT PERMANENT VISA OPTIONS BUT AS MY WIFE DOES NOT HAVE NVQ LEVEL 4, SHE CAN NOT BE ASSESSED BY VETTASSESS.

THIS IS WHY WE HAVE BEING SEARCHING FOR A SPONSOR.

 

ANYBODY WHO CAN HELP US, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE AS THIS IS STARTING TO DRIVE ME CRAZY.

[portlaunay]

Is the role on the Skilled Occupations list? If not an organisation cannot offer sponsorship.

In addition, in my experience you have to be extremely lucky to obtain sponsorship from outside Australia unless there is a significant skills shortage.

I've no experience with that role though so hopefully someone else will be able to be a little more helpful.

 

Welcome to PP though and, please, there's no need to shout.

[Guest gareth-hutchinson]

Is the role on the Skilled Occupations list? If not an organisation cannot offer sponsorship.

In addition, in my experience you have to be extremely lucky to obtain sponsorship from outside Australia unless there is a significant skills shortage.

I've no experience with that role though so hopefully someone else will be able to be a little more helpful.

 

Welcome to PP though and, please, there's no need to shout.

 

The role is on the 457 occupation list and is also available for Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme. It is also on the W.A state sponsorship but for the more permanent visa options you need a skills assessment. Vetassess have told us that my wife would have to complete her level 4 NVQ in health & social care to be passed.

 

If we had no children then we could use the option of a working holiday visa but unfortunately this is not an option as it states you can not travel with children on this visa.

 

According to alot of different web sites there is a huge skill shortage in Australia in this industry.

Alot of companies I have e-mailed have told me how frustrating the government's laws are on the 457 sponsorship option as they are crying out for good quality Disability support workers.

They say that the company needs to meet alot of different criteria to set themselves up to sponsor people such as us.

 

We are good honest hard working people who want to come and offer a lot to Australia but we just don't seem to be able to find a way of doing this.

Our option may be that we need to stay in the U.K and get further qualifications.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ali]

Can your wife not do the NVQ level 4 which would then open up your options for a visa.

[elfie]

The level 4 nvq is a 2 year part time course she could study whilst working with day release from her job most of the work is done at home just pop into college a few hours a month to see tutor for guidance and submit work etc.

[Guest gareth-hutchinson]

Can your wife not do the NVQ level 4 which would then open up your options for a visa.

 

It is looking that way, Unfortunately we are very in patient people and we was looking at a way of getting over faster. ... Shift+R improves the quality of this image. CTRL+F5 reloads the whole page.

We had a sponsor all set up, paper work done for 457, contract signed but unfortunately the employer decided she was not going to offer sponsorship anymore as too many people had let her down by returning to the UK after only being there for a matter of months.

So I know that companies do exist who sponsor but it is finding them from the other side of the world which is the proving to be the very hard part.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

[ali]

I think that is the risk for the employer and also they have to pay for them to get back to the UK so financially not very attractive for them, also the 457 visa is getting a lot of press here which may also be making people a little reluctant to go down that path.

[Guest Masieford]

Hi,

i am sponsored with Global Disability and Health Services in Sydney. Google them. Hope this helps otherwise keep trying in Western Australia I am not entirely familiar but I have heard a lot of people get sponsored there in disability services

[verystormy]

You need to be very careful about this route. It is a temp visa, normally valid for 4 years. If you lose your job in that 4 years you have 90 days to find another or leave the country. Personally there is no way i would consider bring a family on that route - we came on it, but dont have children and had moved internationaly previously.

 

Most companies avoid using 457 and from November it will be a lot harder for companies to do so as they will have to prove they have attempted to fill the role with a local for 4 months before they consider a 457. Also, i imagine a lot of companies have staff on a part time basis, which rules out the 457

 

You also need to factor in things like there is no financial help available on a 457 - no child allowance and things, also WA are introducing school fees for 457 holders as of January that will be $4000 per child per year.

[itchyfeet]

Have you tried looking at the acwa they assess skills for welfare worker which is want sounds like your wife would be over there. Good luck.