176 vs 175 processing times

[bornmw]

Hi

Pretty soon I will have to choose between applying for a 175 (Independent) and 176 (Sponsored) migrant visa.

Theoretically 175 should have preference over 176 because 175 applicants are supposed to be more skillful (175 points requirements are higher). Thus one may suggest that 175 processing should be faster.

BUT, my friends keep telling me that in reality 176 visas get processed faster than 175, and this has proven to be true - a friend of mine had applied for 176 visa two months ago and got an officer appointed to his case in just one month - which means that he will get his visa within 6 months (is that true btw?)

At the same time some people report that it took years to receive their 175 visas.

So my question is: should I 'degrade' myself and apply for 176 instead of 175 to get faster visa processing time?

Thanks

There are actually two types of 176 visas - sponsored by state and sponsored by relative. The ones sponsered by state are the ones being given priority. For this you have to clear the state's assessment to get nomination which as you can imagine is quite a challenge. If you can get a state nomination, then by all means apply for 176 you WON'T be degrading yourself in any way.

Originally Posted by bornmw

Hi

Pretty soon I will have to choose between applying for a 175 (Independent) and 176 (Sponsored) migrant visa.

Theoretically 175 should have preference over 176 because 175 applicants are supposed to be more skillful (175 points requirements are higher). Thus one may suggest that 175 processing should be faster.

BUT, my friends keep telling me that in reality 176 visas get processed faster than 175, and this has proven to be true - a friend of mine had applied for 176 visa two months ago and got an officer appointed to his case in just one month - which means that he will get his visa within 6 months (is that true btw?)

At the same time some people report that it took years to receive their 175 visas.

So my question is: should I 'degrade' myself and apply for 176 instead of 175 to get faster visa processing time?

Thanks

[bornmw]

Originally Posted by ausimmi

by all means apply for 176 you WON'T be degrading yourself in any way.

By opting for 176 I will clearly degrade my freedom of finding a job in any state and moving there, I will be restricted by job options in a single state for years (two years right?).

Are there any stats on 176/175 processing times? How much longer 175 will generally take? If it is a year or two then 176 will definitely worth it

[kaz101]

Yes the difference can be as long as a year which is why most people go for sponsorship. Two years can pass really quickly.

Regards,
Karen

[anj1976]

and going for 176 isnt degrading yourself, it entirely depends on how fast you want to be there and it is human tendency, when you want to do something you want to do it now and can not wait for it to happen over a few years.

we applied for 175 back in 2008, we converted to 176 (it was possible back then). we have a CO adn we will get the visa anytime now (i say this with my fingers crossed). it is just 2 years and trust me time flies, we are sittign in 2011, we appleid in 2008, it feels like yesterday when we applied, its been 2 adn half years already..

[mpogr]

These days the difference is not between 175 and 176 but between Cat 3 and Cat 2. 176 applicants with state sponsorship according to the newly published SMPs get placed into Cat 2, which is currently processed almost right away (people get a CO in a matter of a couple of weeks). In Cat 3 currently COs are being allocated to Jan/Feb 2009 applicants. From the moment you get a CO, there is no difference between the two, it can be very short and it can take several months, mostly depending on your country of origin (high risk vs. low risk countries).

That's why it's better these days to apply for 176 with state sponsorship than for 175 or 176 with family sponsorship.

Take the following into account as well:

• As more and more people apply for state sponsorship, limited processing resources may start getting over-burdened hence creating a new bottleneck.
• As more and more peopel apply for state sponsorship, the increasing choice selection may lead states to raise the internal bar for selection.
• States may be sponsoring for a certain occupation, but there is no guarantee YOU will get a job in that occupation and in that state. That said, most people on the forum seem to consider as not a very important risk.
• Due to the recent floods, one state has already been hit and its economy is going to take some time to return to nomal. Trades like electrician, plumber etc. will be high in demand but white collar/IT/managerial jobs MAY NOT be so much in demand!!!
• Another state is starting to get pinched. We don't know what the future holds but it MAY spell a disaster for the IT economy of that state.
• It IS true that 175 GSM applications are stuck at the Jan 2009 mark but that mark doesn't give you enough information. It only says that ALL people who applied on or before a certain date in Jan 2009 have been allotted a case officer. Search around on the forum and the internet and you will find that people who applied many months after Jan 2009 have also been allocated a case officer. Plus, a stopper was put on the GSM 175 applications from Jan 2010 - June 2010. NO applications were launched during this time. The waiting time MIGHT NOT be all that much (but don't hold me up on this one).

What's a person to do? Take a cold, hard look at the sponsorship criteria for ALL states and give yourself a reasonable, realistic evaluation. Mark the states where your assessment tells you you stand a good chance. Take a look at the job market, the flood situation, the cost of living and again give yourself a cold hard evaliuation about your chances of getting a job and being able to live comfortably. Keep in mind that without 'First World' experience, you will start quite low in the salary ladder, especially when people come to know you are in need to settledown. After this, if you think a state is good for you, GO ON AND APPLY AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!!!! Otherwise look at GSM 175 or relative sponsored - both in SOL 3. I wouldn't advise ANYONE to apply in SOL 4!!! Even us SOL 3 people are in a danger zone. We don't know on which basis SOL 3 has been made. SOL 3 is a 'national' need list but one would assume that the national need comes from a sum of local state needs. With more and more states sponsoring occupations that they need, there is a big question mark about SOL 3. Worse, DIAC has been known to shift occupations on SOL 3 and this change impacts EVEN THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY APPLIED BEFORE THE CHANGE!!!!

In the end, best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!! You'll need it

As an addendum to the above, do take a look at this

Victorian Government ICT Sponsorship Applications

This is +1 to GSM 175

A slight mistake in the post above. It is not true that:

... a stopper was put on the GSM 175 applications from Jan 2010 - June 2010. NO applications were launched during this time.

Rather, according to http://www.allianceau.com/imm22_5.pdf the temporary freeze was from 8 May 2010 - 30 June 2010. And according to Articles this temporary freeze was because a lot of people started applying for GSM 175 because the SOL was going to be modified - so muich so that it put a strain on the DIAC resources. But again, if DIAC acted quickly, the waiting time might still be not that much. Let us hope for the best!!!!

[rucati]

We applied for our SS for Victoria in April 2010. Received it in November 2010 and applied then for our 176.

Got word in January 2011 to have medicals and police checks in place by 07 February 2011. Our agent has indicated that we may have our visas by end of Feb.

So - really depends how fast you want to move to OZ...