Now is the time to look at how you stay long term

18 June

I have a version of the same conversation most weeks. Someone books a consult, sits down, and tells me they've still got a good chunk of time left on their Working Holiday visa - six months, sometimes a bit less - and they want to know how to stay on. And almost every time, the tone of the conversations shifts when I walk them through how long the steps actually take. Not because anything has gone wrong. Just because “six months” and “the time you actually need” are rarely the same number.

‍ ‍A couple of recent examples, anonymised for confidentiality:

‍ ‍• One was working in insurance, on a Working Holiday visa, and had their decided they wanted a points-tested visa - the independent route, where no employer holds the strings. Sensible approach and it's what most people want. But once we looked at the points actually on offer, the skills assessment they hadn't started, the English test they hadn't booked, and the wait for an invitation round, that independent route simply didn't fit inside the time they had left. They're now working towards an employer-sponsored visa instead. Not their first choice, but the realistic one.

‍ ‍• Another was a couple on Working Holiday visas due to run out in January - one a tradie, the oner a teacher. They also came in keen on the points-tested route. But with the process not started and the clock running down to January, and the uncertainty of invitation rounds, that was far from secure in the time they had. So the realistic plan is employer sponsorship for the tradie as an insurance path while pushing to get the work completed to apply for a points tested visa.

‍Neither of these applicants had done anything wrong or dumb. They'd just assumed the process moved at the speed they did.

Why it takes as long as it does

‍Most people, given the choice, want a points-tested visa first - the 189, 190 or 491. You're not tied to one employer, once yu get an invite you carry the visa yourself, and that independence is worth a lot. The catch is that the points-tested route has the most moving parts, and every one of those parts has a queue.

‍ The skills assessment. Before you can even lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI), most occupations need a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing body. These are not quick, and which body you deal with depends on your occupation:

‍ • Trades go through Trades Recognition Australia, who say a Migration Skills Assessment is generally finalised within 120 days of your submission [1].

‍ ‍• A lot of professional and technical roles go through VETASSESS, currently quoting around seven weeks for a standard professional assessment but can be longer. Priority processing is available, for a fee [2].

‍• IT and tech roles go through the ACS, who ask you to allow four to six weeks for a clean application [3].

• Engineers go through Engineers Australia, who generally assign you to an assessor in 15 weeks[4]. Even their paid fast-track only promises to assign your file to an assessor within 20 business days, which is not the same thing as an outcome [5].

• Teachers go through AITSL, who aim to finish most assessment-ready applications within four weeks to six weeks [6].

• Nurses and midwives go through ANMAC, where the current wait just for the assessment to start is six to eight weeks [7].

All timelines accurate at time of writing but do change.

And those are the timeframes for a complete, decision-ready application. Send in something with a gap - a missing payslip, the wrong reference, a transcript that doesn't match - and the clock stops while they come work with you on the evidence.

‍The English test. Plenty of people need to sit an approved English test, and you can't always get a slot next week. You might need to prep for it. You might need to sit it twice to land the score you're after. And those points are often the difference between a competitive EOI and one that sits in the queue uninvited.

‍The invitation round. This is the part people miss entirely. Even with the skills assessment done and your English in hand, a points-tested visa EOI doesn't work like a visa application where you get a bridging visa and can “apply and wait”. You lodge your EOI and then wait to be picked in an invitation round. For the SC189 the Department runs these periodically across the year rather than on a fixed schedule [8], each State operates its own process for the SC190 but again are periodic. Being over the minimum points is no promise of an invitation, and if you look at the published round results you'll see the scores actually being invited for a lot of professional occupations sit well above the entry point [9]. You can be sitting there fully prepared, waiting on a round that may not come in time.

‍Stack those up - assessment, then English, then the EOI, then the wait - and you can see how the independent route quietly eats the best part of a year.

So what tends to happen

‍This is why people who'd genuinely prefer the independent visa - and have eligibility for one - so often end up on an employer-sponsored visa, either the 482 or the 186. It's frequently not the first choice. It's the one that fits the time available, because once you've got a willing sponsor you're not waiting on a points lottery. The trade-off is real: it ties you to that employer, and for the initial permanent options you'll usually still need a skills assessment. So the lead times above don't vanish, they just sit inside a different process.

What can you do?

If your visa has an end date in sight and you want to stay, start working on it now. Assuming you have eligibility for a points tested visa (and a chat with a Registered Migration Agent will clear that up for you) then specifically you should:

• Get the skills assessment moving first. It's almost always the longest single step, and very little else can properly start until it's done.

‍• Book your English test early (and assume you might sit it more than once).

• Run the pathways in parallel rather than one after another - points-tested and employer-sponsored at the same time - so you're not betting everything on a round that might not land.

‍• Get advice while you still have options, not when you're down to your last few weeks. The earlier you start, the more roads stay open.

The honest headline is the one at the top. Now is the time to look at how you stay long term. Not the month your visa runs out - now, while the lead times are working with you rather than against you.

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As always if you have any questions on this, would like to talk through your visa options or understand how this may impact you feel free to reach out to us through hello@mcdonaghmigrations.com.au and we can set up a time to chat.

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This is generic information correct at time of posting. It should not be relied on as personal or specific advice and is provided by McDonagh Migrations Pty Ltd authored by Andrew McDonagh MARN 2418484 for information and general education only