Bus Driver/HGV Driver Query

[Guest WeGottaGetOuttaThisPlace]

Hello

 

My brother in law has become really interested in the whole emigrating to Adelaide situation since we are almost finished the process. The only thing is, his occupation is not on the MODL list but he still wants to look into emigrating.

 

We told them to contact a migration agent like GoMatilda for the initial free chat to see if there is anything they can do.

 

In the meantime, he has asked if I would put a wee message on the board to find out if anyone else is a bus driver or HGV driver in Adelaide (although he would rather just go back to bus driving since long distance lorry driving would take him away from his family for even longer in Australia) and if so, how did they get a visa...

 

Thanks in advance for any help with this one - they were saying they had heard that there is a shortage of bus drivers in the major Australian cities but I am not sure where they got their info so... Any advice would be great Thanks!!!

[Gollywobbler]

HIya

 

I helped some people recently to find out about HGV driving in SA, where there is a known shortage of HGV drivers - I don't know about bus drivers.

 

Please see this list and scour it carefully for anything that might suit:

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/asri/a-z.htm#p

 

We drew a complete blank with the HGV drivers. It seems that DIAC is currently talking with the relevant Trades Unions again, but the Unions are implacably opposed to putting HGV driving on to the ASRI list.

 

As far as I can gather, the Unions argue that the reason why there is a shortage of HGV drovers in Oz is because the pay & working conditions are allegedly so lousy that home-grown drivers won't do it, even though loads of home-grown Aussies have the necessary licences etc. The Unions fear that opening this particular door to immigrants would simply encourage unscupulous Aussie hauliers to become slave-drivers, making the whole problem worse than it already is. It seems to be an annual argument between DIAC and the Unions, this one!

 

Please have a look at this site:

 

http://www.immigration.sa.gov.au/site/index.php

 

SA sponsors people for jobs such as "General Gardener" though that is on the ASRI list too

 

I've been following the truck-driver debate for a couple of years (though I'm female and have enough trouble driving a VW Golf!)

 

The gist seems to be that truck-drivers CAN get visas for Oz provided that they can find an employer willing to sponsor them for a visa, and finding the employer/sponsor seems to be the difficult part.

 

I would suggest that your brother in law should have a chat with Darrell Todd of Thinking Australia. He is not a migration agent himself but he is an Aussie and he tends to have a , "Fiz it, don't moan about it" attitude to life by all accounts. Very charismatic, and very resourceful, is Mr Todd I am told.

 

He might be able to help in some way when other Agents can sometimes be inclined to say, "Come back if & when you find an employer who is willing to sponsor you for a visa."

 

The TA website is here:

 

http://www.thinkingaustralia.com/home.asp

 

Does your sister have a skill that could secure the couple a visa based on her own skills, though? If that is a possibility then I would suggest exploring this too.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest WeGottaGetOuttaThisPlace]

HIya

 

I helped some people recently to find out about HGV driving in SA, where there is a known shortage of HGV drivers - I don't know about bus drivers.

 

Please see this list and scour it carefully for anything that might suit:

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/asri/a-z.htm#p

 

We drew a complete blank with the HGV drivers. It seems that DIAC is currently talking with the relevant Trades Unions again, but the Unions are implacably opposed to putting HGV driving on to the ASRI list.

 

As far as I can gather, the Unions argue that the reason why there is a shortage of HGV drovers in Oz is because the pay & working conditions are allegedly so lousy that home-grown drivers won't do it, even though loads of home-grown Aussies have the necessary licences etc. The Unions fear that opening this particular door to immigrants would simply encourage unscupulous Aussie hauliers to become slave-drivers, making the whole problem worse than it already is. It seems to be an annual argument between DIAC and the Unions, this one!

 

Please have a look at this site:

 

http://www.immigration.sa.gov.au/site/index.php

 

SA sponsors people for jobs such as "General Gardener" though that is on the ASRI list too

 

I've been following the truck-driver debate for a couple of years (though I'm female and have enough trouble driving a VW Golf!)

 

The gist seems to be that truck-drivers CAN get visas for Oz provided that they can find an employer willing to sponsor them for a visa, and finding the employer/sponsor seems to be the difficult part.

 

I would suggest that your brother in law should have a chat with Darrell Todd of Thinking Australia. He is not a migration agent himself but he is an Aussie and he tends to have a , "Fiz it, don't moan about it" attitude to life by all accounts. Very charismatic, and very resourceful, is Mr Todd I am told.

 

He might be able to help in some way when other Agents can sometimes be inclined to say, "Come back if & when you find an employer who is willing to sponsor you for a visa."

 

The TA website is here:

 

http://www.thinkingaustralia.com/home.asp

 

Does your sister have a skill that could secure the couple a visa based on her own skills, though? If that is a possibility then I would suggest exploring this too.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

 

 

 

Hey Gill

 

Wow - thanks very much for the detail!!! I posted on the Expats site for general info but never really got anywhere. I will pass on the info and he can follow it up from there. Doesn't sound like a great situation with the HGV drivers though!!! He has a job offer in Tasmania but wants to move to SA....

 

Thanks again!!!

[Gollywobbler]

Hey Gill

 

Wow - thanks very much for the detail!!! I posted on the Expats site for general info but never really got anywhere. I will pass on the info and he can follow it up from there. Doesn't sound like a great situation with the HGV drivers though!!! He has a job offer in Tasmania but wants to move to SA....

 

Thanks again!!!

 

HIya

 

I would say that if bro in law has someone in Tas willing to employ him plus sponsor him for a visa then he should grab it with both hands, immediately, because offers like that are as rare as hens teeth. If the local GOvt of Tas is willing to sponsor him (though I don't know whether Ts has any Government that is independent of VOC) that might be even better.

 

I would say that bro in law should bear in mind that the requirement for him to be in Tas would not last for more than 3-5 years at the outside. That is not so bad out of the rest of one's life, I reckon, and particularly not if the alternative would be another 3-5 years (and maybe the rest of his life) in the UK instead.

 

Whoever is offering a deal in Ts, at least keep this person or organisation on side and don't keep them waiting to long, I would say. Meanwhile, get cracking on the SA Immigration Dept and also on the bus-companies and hauliers in SA just in case a more desirable deal can be struck somewhere there.

 

But I can assure you that I am in touch with LOTS of HGV drivers who would go to Tas with a very glad heart if it would give them a route via which to obtain PR in Oz sooner or later.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest WeGottaGetOuttaThisPlace]

HIya

 

I would say that if bro in law has someone in Tas willing to employ him plus sponsor him for a visa then he should grab it with both hands, immediately, because offers like that are as rare as hens teeth. If the local GOvt of Tas is willing to sponsor him (though I don't know whether Ts has any Government that is independent of VOC) that might be even better.

 

I would say that bro in law should bear in mind that the requirement for him to be in Tas would not last for more than 3-5 years at the outside. That is not so bad out of the rest of one's life, I reckon, and particularly not if the alternative would be another 3-5 years (and maybe the rest of his life) in the UK instead.

 

Whoever is offering a deal in Ts, at least keep this person or organisation on side and don't keep them waiting to long, I would say. Meanwhile, get cracking on the SA Immigration Dept and also on the bus-companies and hauliers in SA just in case a more desirable deal can be struck somewhere there.

 

But I can assure you that I am in touch with LOTS of HGV drivers who would go to Tas with a very glad heart if it would give them a route via which to obtain PR in Oz sooner or later.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

 

 

Excellent thanks. I will have to let him see your reply!!! I don't think he realises just how lucky he would be... You are so right about changing the way of thinking so it isn't 3-5 years tied to one state rather than NOT another 3-5 years in the UK!!!

 

Thanks

[Guest cubton]

Hi Gill,

Sorry to butt in on your thread but i see you have some knowledge on LGV licensing, I know you can exchange your UK licence and still retain car and motorcycle entitlement but cant seem to find out what i would need to do to hold onto my LGV entitlement.... Im guessing i would need to take some sort of assessment or do i need to under take the full training, Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks & regards

 

Tony

[Gollywobbler]

Hi Gill,

Sorry to butt in on your thread but i see you have some knowledge on LGV licensing, I know you can exchange your UK licence and still retain car and motorcycle entitlement but cant seem to find out what i would need to do to hold onto my LGV entitlement.... Im guessing i would need to take some sort of assessment or do i need to under take the full training, Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks & regards

 

Tony

 

Hi Tony

 

Alas, you flatter me! I haven't a clue about the requirements for a driving licence for anything bigger than my own VW Golf!

 

Mr Broughton over on Poms in Oz knows something about this. He is an HGV driver and they moved to Melbourne about 6 months ago. He had to do a course when he arrived and obtain truck-licence issued by the authorities in Victoria.

 

It is impossible to find the post because it wasn't specifically about this topic. However, here are the contact details for the Broughtons:

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/members/the-broughtons.html

 

I would suggest a PM or e-mail to them. Felicity said something about 18 gears and the trucks being Kenilworths, but neither she or I knew what we were talking about anyway!

 

I have not been able to discover whether drivers who go inter-state have to get a licence for each state they drive through, though.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill