Even if u get the PR, accounting jobs are hard to come by. Multiple applicants for each job. Health care, aged care, child care, trades - plumbers, electricians - r in short supply, based on what I have read.

getting a PR with accountancy qualifications is not difficult.

Getting a job is another matter altogether, market is down expected to be like this for awhile.

i think you better put a priority into education first then only PR. the immigration rules will change year after year so you won't know if accounting still in the SOL list after 2-3 years. only consider it when u entering last or last 2 of semester

Realistically speaking, I don't have an answer but I would like to suggest you to ask yourself the following questions and appreciate the relevances of those question:

(1) Do you graduate from a top uni with top grades (if not, getting the relevant accounting finance job is REALLY hard for graduates as competition at the graduate level is MADNESS)
(2) Do you foresee that you will be able to get PR subsequently under the relevant migration scheme? (Accountant as a nominated profession may cease to be in the list in the future, and you might just wanna try your luck now and get your foot in while it last)
(3) What is your goal to seek employment in Australia? (If you intend to earn a lot and save, Aus is not really an attractive place as tax is really high and cost of living is high as well. Singapore or HK maybe a better choice as tax rate is low and hence you can save a lot more, as long as you do not intend to buy property and car there. If you intend to buy property, then Aus is a better choice, again, it depends where you wanna buy... it is a separate topic altogether this is the general frame for consideration. If your goal is just to have a better lifestyle, the yes Aus might be better but you need to try to know that)

To put things into perspective, I also like to share with you the following observations about getting a job in Aus based on my experience:

- If you are not a PR, 90% of the time employers are not interested regardless of how good you are
- if you are offshore, employers are less likely to be interested in calling you even if you have PR
- If you do not have enough local job experience or contacts, employer are less likely to be interested even if you are onshore and you have PR.

The above points posts a very interesting challenge because even if you are good with solid working experience, you might not get a job because of the above-mentioned.

If you can afford, I will suggest you to obtain your PR first because regulation changes is beyond your control and you should secure it while you can, while getting job experience is within you control. There are more options available with PR in hand.

Taking a gamble is a prerequisite in securing jobs in Australia and you must be ready to persevere for a year or two. Given that prerequisite, the real decision point is whether to get your PR now and head back to Asia to obtain the relevant job experience before moving back, or to get your PR now and try your luck with the job market immediately. FYI, As soon as I got my PR, I also spent almost a year before I secure a job, but fortunately, I was working in SG then. My intention then was to save enough so that I can move to Australia and sustain myself for year while I look for jobs. Most ppl I know need to hang around for at least a year or two before they get a job, although some are luckier because they have right contacts.

Btw, there is still healthy demand for accountants, just that it is not evenly distributed - there is shortage at the senior, experience level and in places other than Melbourne/Sydney. You may stand a higher chance if you are willing to work in say.. Gold coast or Adelaide or somewhere but then I suppose that defeats the purpose as most ppl wants to stay in Sydney and Melb.

Not sure if that helps but I hope it give you some points to think about and make a more informed decision.

I dunno about GPA requirement my friend, but I can tell you pretty confidently that if you do not accumulate enough internship experience and if you are not a top scorer, it is very unlikely any Big-4s or even mid-tiers will consider you at all. I said that because my Partner here said that in my face when we were having Manager's meeting and we were talking about recruitment. It is kinda brutal but that is only because everyone who look for a graduate job are with relevant experience before they graduate. They just raised the bar.

So to answer you question, yes possible but I personally think you need more than that.

About your PR question and the SOL, I have few answers to that: There is always Canada and NZ, consider that, though at the moment, Aus is more sophisticated market in terms accounting and finance. However, that might change in the future.

Considering your financial limitations and the fact that you are unlikely to get your PR as soon as possible, I will say it is alright and you should focus on building your career locally and move to SG or HK later (if you wish). As long as you have solid experience, the world is your oyster and you will be able to secure 457 visa and work in Aus. I have seen it happened before and it is possible. You just need relevant experience.

How did I get my job? I guess it is a combination of everything - I have a friend who worked there and he gave me an informal endorsement, I have the right skill set they needed in that market, I have a strong referral letter from my ex-employer, and I am a PR. Most of all, it is the right timing when they needed ppl and I impressed them during interview (just being lucky that they asked about things that  I know). It is hard to pinpoint. Sometimes, you just need to wait for the right moment, there is no secret recipe for this, just luck and preparation.

As for your question about 485 - I have seen ppl being employed under 485 but very very limited. The one I saw is a Dean's list student from Melb Uni and he built strong network even before he started work. I might be wrong but if you do not have those qualities i mentioned, forget about it.

I hope I have not been discouraging but I think it is better to tell you the reality. Again, there is always other countries other than Aus, and there is always 457.

Cheers