Phil-S

Hi, My 489 state Sponsored visa came through about 4 weeks ago. I'm coming over on the 10th Aug with the family to activate it - questions are: 1. Do I just turn up, is activation an automatic process - or do I need to do something? 2. How do I get the equivalent of a national Insurance number in order to start work and pay tax? 3. Do I need travel insurance anymore/what medical cover do I now have? Can anybody recommend someone in Adelaide that I can arrange to meet to discuss this and meeting the PR criteria thanks Phil

Hello all, I received the good news today that my 489 visa has been granted, so should be moving over to Adelaide by the end of the year in order to coincide with the start of the new school year. My goal is to obtain Permanent Residency through an 887 and then Citizenship – in order to gain PR, I must have: Have lived in a specified regional area of Australia for at least two years Have worked full time in a specified regional area for at least one year I fully intend in making Adelaide my families future home, but worry about meeting the ‘worked full time for a year’ criteria due to the nature of work that I do, and therefore the consequences if I don’t. You see I am an IT Project Manager, and looking at the job ads, many are contract based for 6 months, or a year – which means that I may have more than one contract, with breaks in between. Plus, I’m likely to be self employed/working through my own Australian equivalent of a Limited Company if I go down this route. My questions are: How are the contracts viewed, are the contract durations added together, or do I have to achieve full-time employment for a year without breaks in-between contracts? Does contract work even count – or do I have to be employed full-time by a company. Even though I’m the main visa applicant, could my wife meet the working criteria for the family ?(she’s a teacher – so it may be easier for her to achieve the year) Could I set up my own equivalent of a Limited Company in Adelaide and employ myself, or could I work for a Limited Company Equivalent that my wife sets up and be employed through it Does anyone know where I can find out more information about this, or someone whom I can contact to discuss? Your help is much appreciated

Thanks for the quick response Andrew,

Hello - I've just found out that SA will provide state sponsorship for me, so should be moving over at some point later this year. I work in IT as a Project Manager, so could end up working as a contractor or as a permanent employee. I'll be on a 489 Visa, and want to know when I'd be able to get a mortgage as either a self employed worker or as a permanent employee. Can anyone recommend someone to speak to or does anyone know the answer?

Hello, Does anyone know whether you can obtain National Police Clearance without being a citizen - can you obtain it whilst on a working visa? If so - does it matter which type of visa you have? Thanks in advance Phil

Hello all - great to have all your comments, sorry for the delay in getting back... Well - all I can ask is that we keep in touch on this topic - as people move and experience life in Adelaide please let us know how the job market seems. My wife and I are considering Melbourne now as an alternative - purely as a stepping stone to Adelaide, thinking if we secure employment and citizenship over there, then it may mean it might be easier securing a role in Adelaide a little down the line It's not an ideal situation for us, we've got a couple of young kids so moving them each time is tough on them - still weighing it up So please - keep in touch and if you hear of anyone looking for experienced IT Project Managers, then post it up Phil

seems I can't PM you for some reason - never mind, ,I'm sure others will benefit from hearing about your experiences too

Hi Sean, Thanks for getting back to me - it would be great to keep in touch, to hear about your experiences. I'd also be interested in chatting with you regarding your experiences as a contractor over there - I'll PM you

Hi, I'm in the process of visa application, I'm an IT Project Manager, manage fairly large IT integration projects in the UK. Looking around on the job sites there doesn't seem to be that many opportunities - I'd be happy contracting or with a permanent role - can anyone advise what the market is like right now?