General Skilled Immigration Visa - Step By Step Process

mav14 · May 2016

Hi guys,

I've been a lurker here since March of this year (after our vacation in AU). After getting a glimpse of what AU has to offer (and some convincing from friends), my wife and I decided to migrate to Australia. I browsed the threads in this forum to get some tips. I didn't know about PTE (which helped in our application) until I read about it in this forum. We were also able to have the medicals early on (by My Health Declaration). Though I didn't post at that time, I got valuable information just by reading the threads.

I was supposed to include my application in the April 2016 Visa Tracker thread since we lodged our Visa application last April 29. To our surprise, we got the grant this afternoon. We were so ecstatic to receive the golden email from GSM Adelaide!

I'd like to give back in any way I can to this forum. Ang daming natulong sa amin ng forum na 'to!

Captain_A · May 2016

@mav14 congrats.. btw sale ang jetstar ngayun.. sg to oz

Gabrielle28 · May 2016

@aolee

Gabrielle28 · May 2016

Hi Po, newbie here, may i inquire if anybody can share a template for CDR? for assessment for Engineers Australia?

Thank you.

se29m · May 2016

@mav14 congrats!

Captain_A · May 2016

@Gabrielle28 email mo?

mav14 · May 2016

Salamat @Captain_A @se29m

tangentph · May 2016

@tangentph
1 yes
2 yes
3 your visa will expire, if you need to leave and re enter australia, you need to be on a valid visa again, in this case a resident return visa is applicable

@se29m, sa SC190, kelangan maka 2 years ka ng works sa nominated state mo or 2 years hindi ka pwedeng magwork lang sa ibang state? kasi for instance pumasok ka sa state na un ng 01/2016 and nagka work ka ng 03/2016, pwede ka na magwork sa ibang state ng 02/2018 or sa 04/2018?

Cassey · May 2016

@mav14 That was quick! Congrats!

Welcome to Australia!

mav14 · May 2016

Thanks @Cassey Goodluck on your visa application. Hopefully ma-grant din kayo agad

Cassey · May 2016

@mav14 Thank you. Hopefully, by the Grace of God.

Cassey · May 2016

@tangentph Are you on student visa at the moment? When are you planning to apply for 189?

tangentph · May 2016

@Cassey Not yet. Still waiting for the grant. SVP573 applied ako. Thinking of applying for 189 after the grant kasi qualified naman ako and less pa sa tuition fee.

Cassey · May 2016

@tangentph Oh i see, just make sure that u won't get bridging visa E if u decide to cancel your student visa grant..

tangentph · May 2016

@Cassey what do you mean? is the transition from student visa to pr not that simple? can you share what you know of how usually it goes for visa change similar to my case? coz right now I have yet to research on it. still working on how to make the documents required of for 189 visa. thanks.

Cassey · May 2016

@tangentph I'll share with you our recent experience with the transition from student visa application to 189... We thought its gonna be simple but its full of technicalities.. We're onshore by the way. Before our visa expired, we decided to apply for another student visa and was given the bridging visa A. Unexpectedly, while waiting for the student visa grant we received the invite for 189. We immediately lodged our 189. So our dilemma started here, we did not get a bridging visa for the 189 right away. Turns out, that its not automatically given.. During this time, we didn't know if its safe to withdraw our student visa application or not.. So we called immi (queued for like 2 hours) and the staff told us that its better not to withdraw it just yet but wait for the BVC to be granted. During this time, we were hoping that the student visa will not be granted as it might further aggravate the situation. If it gets granted it only means that we'll need to have it cancelled and cancellation would mean that it will cancel all the bridging visas that were granted and the possibility of being unlawful as well (worst condition to be in while waiting for a PR grant,hehe). After a few days of waitin, we got the BVC. The BVC was not in effect because of the BVA that is currently in effect. We didn't know what to do, whether to withdraw our student visa application or not, and if we withdraw what are the consequences awaiting for us. I read forums and somehow freaked out a little bit because I saw a lot of applicants who are in the same situation being granted with BVE (lowest form of bridging visa-no travel rights, no work rights plus the time stayed here in Au is reset) We even asked a MARA Agent but she couldn't give us an answer.. So, i was thinking there might be a deciding factor why they got BVE, turns out they voluntarily cancelled their student visa. We called immi again and they told us that we can now safely withdraw the student visa application and the BVC will take effect after the cool down period. So fortunately, it ended well..

Disclaimer: I'm not saying that we'll have the same situation but before you do anything call the immi first and stay away from BVE,hehe

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY in all the things that you do whatever situation you're in just KEEP THE FAITH.

tangentph · May 2016

Hi @Cassey! Thanks for the heads up! Keep mind of it. Based from little I know of, I think your situation before has mainly something to do with the Australian requirement that you can only 1 visa at a time.

You have applied for student visa that is why you will have BVA. And when you applied for 189, you cannot be issued with another bridging visa for the transition from student visa to PR visa because you have existing bridging visa already (transition for student to new student visa). You cannot cancel BVA because you will technically have no visa and you are in foreign domain.

I am thinking if the same situation goes on to me, I will wait for my new student visa to be approved, then, logde the 189 visa (automatic issuance of bridging visa from stud. visa to pr visa). Not sure though. This is just my opinion on the grounds that you cannot have 2 visas at a time and that different bridging visa have different transition conditions (i.e., BVA for stud to stud, BVC(?) for stud to pr).

Cassey · May 2016

@tangentph If you're planning to voluntarily cancel your student visa grant it might render you unlawful since ikacancel mo yung substantive visa to stay here in AU. That's what i understand. So be careful in cancelling your would-be-visa. Another thing to watch out for is if you decide to cancel your visa, it would mean cancelling out the other bridging visas that you have if you'll have like yung BVC na kasama ng 189 application if ever maglalodge ka. WIthdrawal of visa is different from Cancellation.

Yung BVC namin is just waiting to take place after our BVA expires. So thank God at tama lang yung mga naging pabara bara naming desisyon gawa ng excitement.

tangentph · May 2016

@Cassey, seems not that simple than I originally thought of. what I was thinking is when I get off to Aus, after one semester, I will lodge for 189 visa and have a bridging visa in the process. after I get my 189, I will still continue studying but my tuition fee will be less than compared to holding a student visa. Anyway, I will also research on it further.

Cassey · May 2016

@tangentph Not that simple, especially if you're planning on cancelling your student visa.. Just be careful not to be unlawful as it might affect your 189 application or if not you might get a BVE which doesn't have any work rights which may be hard not unless you have the money to sustain yourself here in Au.

All the best!

tangentph · May 2016

@Cassey napaisip ako doon ah. I am searching online for similar cases but can hardly find one. I ended up making inquiry to DIBP fb page. Awaiting the response.

Cassey · May 2016

@tangentph try searching voluntary visa cancellation sa mga forum, maraming ganung cases. If not 189 partner visa kinukuha nila..para you'll have an insight.

tangentph · May 2016

@Cassey thank you very much! I will try to check out the ins and outs of it. hope I can get more information from you later on after I have researched also on my own.

Cassey · May 2016

@tangentph No worries, i hope DIBP will not think that you're not a genuine student by asking so... Remember yung so-called na "GTE". Feel free to ask,

It's my pleasure to help.

tangentph · May 2016

@Cassey that might be their perception. but i will still be studying even if i have the 189 visa. with 189 i still can study but with less tuition fee. plus, i will be turning 33 next year so if i can do it this year, then, why not. i already have 55 points even without work experience. but i have to go through the assessment first for my degree and if i can get some years for work experience, it will be a big bonus.

sammiesam · May 2016

Hi po, may question po ako. If na invite na sa SkillSelect, yung ibig sabihin b na "lodge visa" ay yung "apply visa" sa skillselect page? Tapos paano ko ba mkikita yung tinatawg na ImmiAccount? Automatic po ba yan mki-create if nag apply visa na ako?

Thanks po sa inyo

Cassey · May 2016

@sammiesam yes, yung lodge visa means its to apply visa. Dadalhin ka nun sa immi account. Hindi automatic na makicreate yun, ikaw ang gagawa.

sammiesam · May 2016

@cassey thanks po sa response.

Tanong po ako ulit. Nakikita ko lng sa ibang timeline dito sa forum compared sa info sa DIBP website, pwede po b pla unahin yung medical at police clearance before maglodge? If pwede po, ano po yung ipapakita sa medical at police na document/s?

Thanks in advance

Captain_A · May 2016

@sammiesam im currently on that stage. pwede po sya as long as meron kana immiaccount then you can generate hap id at referral letter to do medicals. sa NBI clearance, wala nmn docs na required pwede na kumuha before lodge.. para nmn sa police clearance abroad, like s singapore, may requirement sila na doc from DIBP bago ka makakakuha, in my case referral letter, invitation letter at yung form sa immiaccount ipapakita ko para kasama name ng wife ko.