IT Skills verified - ACS

[pasturesnew]

Considering having my IT Skills verified by ACS before taking the plunge on VISA Application, on ACS website they require Employer verification, is there any way around this ?, ie I don't particularly want my current Employer involved in this process given that it may not happen for a couple of years down the line or indeed have my Employer think I am going to jump ship soon or put me in the firing line prematurely. Just wondering how best to approach this.
Thanks

[Dolly]

Originally Posted by pasturesnew

Considering having my IT Skills verified by ACS before taking the plunge on VISA Application, on ACS website they require Employer verification, is there any way around this ?, ie I don't particularly want my current Employer involved in this process given that it may not happen for a couple of years down the line or indeed have my Employer think I am going to jump ship soon or put me in the firing line prematurely. Just wondering how best to approach this.
Thanks

Hi there,

My husband went through this process and I'm afraid there's no way around it. You have to get a reference from them. What he did was write it himself, tell his boss that it was a reference for applying to a professional body (like BCS for example) and his boss skimmed the document and signed it.

A bit of subterfuge was needed because he didn't want his company knowing his plans just in case we weren't successful in our application.

Good luck with your plans.

Dolly

[kaz101]

Dolly is right - I had to do the same thing too so I had to contact clients since I was a contractor.

I like the idea that it was a reference for a professional body

I actually became a member of the BCS (took an exam and everything) because I didn't have any formal qualifications and it made it easier with the ACS (so I've been told).

Regards,
Karen

[Liana Allan]

There are ways and means of getting around this. Do you have any close friends or associates in your organisation that are not your direct boss?

[pasturesnew]

Thanks for all replies, in addition to this , I am exploring the idea of going to Oz for 2 weeks in April, prior to this, forwarding my CV to select recruitment Agents with the hope of securing Interviews with prospective Employers who are prepared to offer Sponsership, I understanding the Banking Sector in Oz for IT Specialists is fairly healthy right now - Incident Management. Just wondering if this would be a worthwhile exercise or at best show good intention with recruitment Agents.

[kaz101]

Hi Pasturesnew,

If you haven't been out here then I think it's a great idea for a visit although 2 weeks isn't very long (by the time you get out here and get over any jet lag ). Most job adverts with agents actually state that people applying have to have a visa to work here, so most of them don't want to deal with sponsorship.
Liana has posted a job website where there are companies requiring sponsorship if you do a search.

Is there any particular reason why you want to go for sponsorship rather than a skilled independent visa? Have you done a points test? You can find the visa link in the "PLEASE READ..." post towards the top of the forum.

Regards,
Karen

[pasturesnew]

thanks for mail, I dont believe I can make the points required because :

1. 41 years old, less points right !.
2. Non degree holder.

Points system is rigid, doesn't take into account that a person can be a high achiever in the workplace (I am proof of that) but not neccessarily have the education one would ordinarily expect for the position they hold, unless I have missed something.
Thanks

[Dolly]

Hi,

We applied for a designated area sponsored visa and husband was 44 with no degree or professional qualification of any type. Luckily, with that visa we weren't tied to the points system otherwise we wouldn't have made the pass mark. Not sure which visa you are thinking of applying for, therefore not sure of the pass mark you need to get.

Have you thought of getting some professional advice. There are 2 migration agents who post here (Liana or Alan Collet), I'm sure they wouldn't mind a PM to ask their advice.

Don't give up just yet. Try all avenues possible first before you get to that decision.

Dolly

[pasturesnew]

Thanks for info Dolly, I hadn't considered the Visa you mentioned , I will go away and look at that, perhaps best I employ an Agent to hopefully give us the best chance of obtaining a Visa.
I don't mind the DIY route but time not on our side.
Excuse me for asking, how long did it take in your case from Day 1 of Application to securing entry Visa's.
Thanks

[Dolly]

Originally Posted by pasturesnew

Thanks for info Dolly, I hadn't considered the Visa you mentioned , I will go away and look at that, perhaps best I employ an Agent to hopefully give us the best chance of obtaining a Visa.
I don't mind the DIY route but time not on our side.
Excuse me for asking, how long did it take in your case from Day 1 of Application to securing entry Visa's.
Thanks

Hi there,

We were able to apply for the designated area sponsored visa because my husband has an uncle who lives in Australia. You would need a relative living in Australia to be able to apply for that visa.

My timeline is here What is your visa timeline?

It took just over 9 months from submitting our main application to getting visas.

I always advocate getting professional advice from an agent when you're first thinking about emigrating. It's so important to be sure you're applying for the right visa and you don't have to continue with them, you're first consultation is free. Lots of people DIY their applications, we employed an agent and felt it worth every penny - we just didn't want to leave anything to chance. If you do DIY, then you just make sure you read everything in triplicate and then read it again! As you say though, time isn't on your side.

Let us know how you get on.

Dolly