As i suggest previously, 1 step at a time. Now Oz visa is getting stricter but not impossible to get.
I give up 2 times to apply PR from 10 years ago and 5 years ago. Thinking the same way as u. I'm telling u this is becoz u're switching to right channel.
I consider myself very lucky coz i tot i'd never get PR since i left Oz for 10years.
But for children sake, i reassess again, this round they change the system and recognise my exp in malaysia. I just dump in my application and try luck and i finally get it in 6 mths.
i'm bringing AUD3500 only and even walk in to supermarket to look for night fillers. Now i start work fulltime as a builder just 2 weeks after i arrive and kicking arse now.

Believe me, u won't regret here once u get ur PR. It's very hard and damn hard to establish in a foreign country. Please bear in mind u're not alone. Every immigrants has a story to tell.
Some even hv the worst scenario. but now they're living pretty relax and good. If u can sustain 1st 2 years, u're safe.

Anyone who wanna surrender their PR, please do so coz let someone who really keen have it. Social security will provide u something u need even u're single parent. No racial or religious restriction, just u as a human can apply for it. Just hang on for 2 years then u'll be fine

Hey there,

Been reading your post and I am in sort of a dilemma. I have a full PR that will expire next year in May 2014. I really am 50/50 on migrating back to australia. I left aust in 2008 due to financial difficulties and loss of job. Came back and have been working in sales and marketing positions for last 4 years. Now that it's close to expiry date am wondering whether or not to go back. Career wise i'm no CEO or Tony Fernandez...just earning slightly above average and in small company. My only worry is go back there have no job and no way at all to sustain myself.

Also there is the GF thing. She really wants to move there and pressuring me everyday to marry her and bring her there. Problem is we both aren't very stable together and marrying would be the last thing to do

Really in a massive dilemma now.. I know australia is good. But issit good enough to go there are slog without family...without a good job and having to work in cafe, construction, restaurant etc... i mean what's the point right if the whole point of migration is to be happier with better standard of living.

I'm not trying to knock down those who are working in these jobs... personally i feel for myself...kinda waste study so hard then go there n do all this. maybe it's my stupid pride.

But i like your posts and it would be great if you can share some of your thought processes when u decided to leave msia

There is a time limit for a PR. 5 years to be exact. Within those 5 years you must spend a minimum of 2 in Australia.

No, long distance studies do not count towards migration points. Unless you're doing a PhD as a post grad, you will not receive extra points for post graduate qualifications as outlined in the 2011 amendments to the GSM program.

No. Your qualifications are generally secondary to your immigration status when it comes to hiring, unless you are a special talent with a lot of working experience or research potential. Generally Aussies do not look at postgrad quals, only Universities and academia do so. Australia does not have a research orientated workforce.

Postgrad quals used to be a ticket to more points under the now replaced 885 and 886 visa stream. These categories have since been withdrawn. But remember regardless of your post grad qualifications, if your degree and nominated occupation isn't under the SOL list, you have no chance of getting a resident visa. Thus it would be best to think about what you wish to major in.

Yes, you must be resident on Australian soil for a minimum of 2 years out of 5 from the date of issue. 2 years is a pretty long holiday. No you do not need to work, you can duduk umah for all they care, but of course, best to work lah

99 percent of Australian businesses WILL NOT hire you even if you have a PR without an Australian address. Needless to say it is because Australia is a big country and not all employers will want to either pay you for relocation or wait for you to relocate. If you are a fresh grad, fly here first and set up before looking for a job.

Also when applying for PR, your Malaysian experience is worth less than equivalent Australian experience, thus you must judge the correct amount of points necessary to be eligible for the visa.

Resident visa means PR generally.

ACCA should be recognized but people here mostly look for CPA or ICAA. Above all, do not put all your hopes on migrating to 1 country. Migration controls here change very rapidly and with the right wing Liberal Party in power, they're more than likely to heavily cap migration.

You may work provided you have a working visa subclass 457 where an employer sponsors you or a recognized graduate visa (Only graduates of UM and UITM are recognized by the Australian government)

PR got 5 years period which u need to renew periodically. Some ppl renew it 5 times which means they stayed in Oz for 25years but still maintain their malaysian citizen! However, u'll be bugging by Oz government to convert to Oz citizen.

The best is to take 2 years study in Oz and getting ur degree but this cost money. U still can apply for PR but the 2 years study u can't claim for the points.

Applying for job here requires local experience. They don't really look at ur malaysia exp. U need to think of how to get 1st job in ur profession not matter wat position or salary. After 1-2 years, u're better off than others who without local exp.

I think it's best that you refer to their website on how the point system works. You can do a rough calculation on whether you qualify for a/any visa.

on a side note, can anyone explain the difference between the SOL & CSOL? My understanding is that the CSOL is for state sponsored visa (489) and will boost you up by 5points while SOL is for 189. Apart from having to stay & work in the specific state, is there any other drawback for the 489? I find that the 489 would be easier to get compared to 189 if you can accept staying in one particular state only and of course, provided that your job is in the CSOL.

from your reply.. it seems you dont even know how the AUS PR system work..
it's better you goto the website they suggested and understand it..
if you dont understand how the system work, your question will sound a bit 'stupid', like your police check question..
and you are lucky some of them are willing to answer you.. and you yourself also have to ensure the answer they gave you is right, so do your homework..

AUS PR is not an easy task no matter you DIY or via agent, so spend some time to read and understand first.. even myself i spend few weeks/months to understand the rules and criteria (during my time) then only ask 'smart' questions

If you want fast answer whether you qualify or not, just go and do a free assessment, then you will have your answer and proceed from there.. none of us here can tell you meet the criteria or not..

Sorry to be blunt.. but that is my 2 cents..

Try to read this thread from page 1 and you'll understand that:
- No AU employer will bother looking thru your resume once your resume has a non-Australian home address and contact number
- employer sponsorship is hard and rare to come by esp with the 457 as they have recently tightened the rules for this (must advertise the job for 3months locally before they are allowed to hire non locals).
you will be lucky if you even get to work in your line of profession in AU. A word of advice for you: I may be wrong but I have a feeling that you are jumping on this migrate-to-Australia bandwagon because you are disgruntled with your current company/country, wants a better future for your kids etc but you really should do a bit more of background research especially if you have kids. Nemesis is one of the rare ones who are able to secure a job in under 3months of entering Australian soil in his original line of work too. There are more horror stories of people being relegated to menial work e.g. cashier, petrol kiosk attendant. Mind you, these are professionals e.g. lawyers, accountants. I believe Pete would be able to impart more horror stories here

Honestly, you are wasting your time and the info you gathered here might not relevant anymore unless you lodge your PR immediately. I noticed lots of people wanted to migrate, but due to their 'not sure' or 'later la' attitude, they are not eligible anymore to lodge an application.

If you are serious about migrating and not clear about the policies, seek out a migration agent - they often offer free advice based on your current situation, not to mention policies change from time to time and some without any notice. Email or phone them, they could determine your eligibility to lodge an application, area to improve or a path to focus on.

If you are determined enough to lodge by yourself, just do it. Time is tickling and God knows whether the new elected government would scrap the whole migration program.

I think you did say somewhere that you are in your early 40s right? If your sibling is in Australia, you do get additional points for it too. Most of the questions that you have asked here are the very basic questions related to migrating to AU and surprisingly, the folks here have been answering you rather patiently

When I sat for my IELTS few months ago, I bumped into another woman who is in a similar predicament as you are (e.g. older age bracket, accountant). But at least she was working hard to meet the minimum points. It was her third attempt at IELTS as her previous ones were only Band 6 (or 7, can't recall now). Not meaning to pour cold water on you, but this isn't the place to do a Q&A because you are too busy with your studies.

No employer will sponsor you given your current situation. I'm 99.9999 percent sure of that. Mind you there are a million and 1 Indian graduates already in Australia with PRs and working at 7-11. Why would they choose you?

Actually I recall that the recognized graduate visa only applies to Engineering students. I don't make the rules lol. If they recognize only those 2 unis, what to do? I think famous kuda in this forum Meruchan tried to apply for onshore PR, she was a graduate of QUT with a Masters of Accounting, but end up had to go back because no work and she didn't want to be a waiter for the rest of her life.

Kesian her. She seemed pretty well settled here.

My suggestion is that you aim for;
1) SkillSelect PR invitation
2) Be in the skilled workforce for 5 years for the extra 10 points.
3) Aim for an IELTS Score of 8

If you start now, you'll get your PR visa in about 6 years.

If you want the faster way well, you'll need about 60k AUD.