Hi everyone, share ko lang. I attended a Zoom webinar yesterday and the topic was about "Employer-sponsored Visas." Several free webinars are being offered on EventBrite and I suggest you attend some of them to get ideas from other migration agents. So the talk yesterday was discussing the different employer-sponsored visas and they presented some interesting case studies (e.g. accountant, IT, etc). The speaker highlighted that State-nominated visas are too unpredictable nowadays so it's better to look at the possibility of the employer-sponsored ones to widen our options. Of course, it is difficult for offshore people to consider this, but I think it has potential for those who intend to come onshore via Student Visa and for those with partners who can work full-time.
During Q&A, I didn't waste time and sought advice about my case. I asked, "I plan to take Master's and I am choosing between Adelaide or Brisbane. Historically, both States give visa 190 nominations to their graduates. Given that Brisbane has more jobs and potential employers who could sponsor me, shall I choose Brisbane over Adelaide?"
He explained that my decision would be a double-edged sword. Adelaide is considered regional and would give me additional 5 points for State Nomination, but potentially lesser opportunities. Depending on my nominated occupation, Brisbane could have more jobs for me, but studying there won't give me additional points. So if I'm planning my migration in terms of Employer-sponsored visas and I already have the required years of relevant experience (2 for 482 and 3 for 186 DE), he advised that I should go for Brisbane (or other cities where my nominated occupation is in demand).
I did my homework last night and listed all the job ads I got from September to now. (I subscribed to Seek, Linkedin, and Indeed to email me every job ads for my occupation so that I have a list of companies to apply for when I get there.) Unsurprisingly, Sydney and Melbourne came on top of the list while Adelaide is on the bottom 3. Two months ago, I would have blindly chosen Adelaide because a lot of people say go regional for the 5 points. But now I have some data to say that I probably won't find an employer there when I graduate. It's also important to me that my partner finds a relevant job in his occupation while I am studying.
So why am I saying all this? I just noticed that people on social media are quick to advise aspiring students to go regional for the 5 points. I think that the right recommendation should weigh in each person's particular circumstances. If someone has enough points and years of experience already to meet the employer-nominated visas, then he/she/they can choose a state where jobs are abundant in their particular occupation and not rely on / hope for state nominations alone.
By the way, there's another Eventbrite webinar that I am looking forward to. This guy, meanwhile, advises people to study in regional areas for higher chances of State Nomination. Maybe some of you may be interested: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/australian-immigration-update-presented-by-former-immigration-officer-tickets-122659829853