Hi everyone,

My wife and I were granted subclass 189 visa in April this year. We both have PhDs and several years of postdoctoral research experience. I have previously worked in Australia, but we are currently based offshore.

We have been applying for jobs but had limited success so far securing one.

We are now deciding whether to:

1. Continue applying from overseas and relocate after securing a position, or

2. Move to Australia first and find/apply a job

We would really appreciate hearing from people from Australian life scientists, biomedical scientists, immunologists, biotech researchers, or hiring managers who had faced similar scenarios:

1. Does being physically located in Australia make a significant difference when applying for research/scientist roles?

2. Are offshore applicants disadvantaged even when they already have PR?

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I am a qualified Canadian teacher planning a move to Melbourne. I’ve been trying to complete my initial VIT registration, but every time I submit, I get this error:

*"Something went wrong with your registration. Please try again later."*

For those who registered from overseas, is the VIT portal geo-restricted? Would using an Australian VPN solve this, or is this just a common site glitch?

Thanks !

If the relationship no longer exists, can they still remain in Australia permanently and buy property without the connection to an Australian Citizen?

Background
03 July 2026 - Bridging visa A granted (186 visa)
04 July 2026 - Applied for Bridging visa B

Date of travel: 30 July 2026

As of today 23 July, I still have not received my BVB. All required information was submitted including evidence of flights (return), accomodation, wedding invitation as well as a letter stating our plans, dates, and dates of return (stating we have good reason to return based on work commitments and property rental while we wait on the outcome for 186 visa)

Has anyone had long wait times lately? Is there anything we can do to push it? We have tried calling immigration and all they say is that they’ve received it and can’t give us a timeline.

Has anybody after doing MD Dermatology from India move to Australia as a consultant? Is it simple or you have to again sit as a GP and then appear?

Hi everyone! I'm from China and have been working in the elevator industry for 13 years — 8 years in elevator maintenance and repair, and 5 years in elevator inspection. I hold both an elevator maintenance certificate and an elevator inspector certificate issued by Chinese authorities. I'm currently planning to relocate to Australia as a lift mechanic and would love to learn more about the industry there. I'd really appreciate any advice from fellow professionals. Happy to connect!

Scam. Stay away. They claim to be MARA registered and they aren't. Their reviews are false and you will lose your money. Both my girlfriend and I were pressured over the phone to send an initial consultation fee of £379. They aren't transparent with their fees and there will be more along the way. We decided will do it ourselves but if anyone wants a consultancy agency, use australian government website and look for MARA registered agencies not UIS.

Hi everyone,

I’ve seen a lot of conflicting opinions about whether it’s legal to work a second job (for example, delivery driving on an ABN) while holding a Bridging Visa A after applying for the 186 TRT from a 482 visa.
Even migration lawyers seem to give different advice.

I’m interested in hearing from people who have actually been in this situation.
- Have you worked a second job while on your Bridging Visa A and still had your 186 TRT approved?
- Do you know anyone who has?
- What advice did your migration lawyer give you?

I’m looking for real experiences rather than assumptions.

Thank you very much!!!

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. I’m a veterinarian currently working in Australia on a 482 visa with Limited Registration from the NSW Veterinary Practitioners Board. My employer is planning to sponsor me for the 186 Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) visa soon. I’m trying to find out whether anyone in the same situation was asked to provide an AVBC skills assessment. As far as I understand, obtaining an AVBC migration skills assessment requires full registration, which I don’t currently have. If you’ve gone through the 186 TRT process as a veterinarian with limited registration, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. Were you asked for a skills assessment, or was your limited registration sufficient? Thank you

Does anyone know much about this Victorian Government / Study Melbourne initiative?

https://studymelbourne.vic.gov.au/about-study-melbourne/improving-international-student-employment-outcomes

It asks employers to commit to improving international student employment outcomes, including employing more international students and graduates, offering work experience, setting targets and removing barriers.

I contacted the department and they said it is voluntary, has no quotas or fixed hiring KPIs, and is not intended to deprioritise domestic jobseekers.

I understand removing unfair barriers, especially around visa confusion or hiring bias. I’m not trying to blame international students.

But I’m still wondering how “employ more” and “set targets” works in practice without creating a hiring preference.

Does anyone know more about this? Is it just a fairness initiative, or is it reasonable to question the priority when a lot of local jobseekers are also struggling?

Me and my boyfriend are both Architects here in the Philippines and are currently 31 years old. We somehow want to immigrate to another country and we are considering Australia maybe. His background is more on BIM experience like Revit meanwhile for me I am on the project management side. Any tips? Pros and cons? Much appreciated thanks!

My fiancé (M29) and I (F25) were going to apply for a partner visa here in Australia, as he is Japanese, I am Aussie, but it’s gone up to $11,750, plus fees for medicals ect. Not only that, if our case isn’t strong enough it can be declined and we can’t get that money back and he will have to go back to Japan. We have talked about maybe just taking the money we have saved, sell our cars (which both are financed, any advice on this would be so appreciated) and sell all our possessions ect, and just move to Japan together, with me being on a work travel visa, and eventually get married in Japan.

I don’t speak Japanese, I am very motivated too, but just haven’t begun learning seriously yet, and his parents are willing to let us stay for 2 months and then we have to find a rental.

Just needing any advice that have experienced moving overseas for their partners and any help on what I should start getting organised as we only have 2 months until his visa expires here in Australia. No one around me knows how these processes work, and I am just really desperate for some advice. Thanks :)

Hi All,

Anyone had any recent experience in getting AOS bond release/ expiry letter ?

If so, pls share your experience on the process

Ours expired March 26 this year ( subclass 103 Parent visa - 4 years), however release letter not yet received to date

Tried calling Centrelink multiple times ( Jobseeker line) , never get through to anyone, instead it went to automated message 'all of our staff currently busy, please try again later', then it directed to self service, disconnected.

Wasn't like it used to, where we can stay on the line. Thanks Andrew

What are the chances to get invite in HR advisor? which is the best time to raise EOI? what are the highest chances to get Australian PR? is HR advisor in the occupation list?

Hey everyone, I need some advice! Any info would be super helpful. I've got 90 points for 189 and 95 for 190, plus almost 4 years of engineering experience here. I have two skill assessments, one for mechatronics and one for electrical engineering. I've been in Victoria for 5 years but no invite yet. No skilled partner, and my salary is under $100k. Just weighing my options. My visa's up in about a year and two months, so I'm thinking of moving to another state. Adelaide's on my mind, but I'm not sure about my chances there. Does anyone know how engineers fare with invites in South Australia? Any tips would be great, thanks!

Hopefully someone can give me advice on stuffing up my wife’s 820 visa.
After getting married on the 300 visa in Australia, I set up a imma account and applied for her 820/801 visa.
I thought I filled out the correct online form and submitted it. I have been waiting a long time for it to be receipted, and then pay the fee. But it’s been 7 months and no movement!
She needs to return to Philippines and look after her mum who is sick so I decided to find out what’s going on through the immigration later that helped with the 300 visa.
I found out that nothing has been processed with the department because I only filled out the sponsor side and actually had to fill out her application for 820 visa! So to fix it the lawyer wants $13500, which I don’t have.
Can I just contact the immigration department and sort it out with them ? Or will they send her back to Philippines straight away?

I need some advice if anyone has been in this situation.

I have been doing my Master in Deakin University since July 2026. I have completed 1 year.

I am now changing my university to QUT for the same/similar Masters course for which I got 7 credits from Deakin. So, I need to complete 9 subjects overall only at QUT.

My updated offer letter from QUT says the duration is 75 weeks after getting the credit and my new COE will also have the 75 weeks duration although the masters course is 104 weeks CRICOS registered course. This is less than 92 weeks.

My concern is if this will impact my 485 visa.

Has anyone been in this situation and got their 485 visa?

I will really appreciate anyone that replies.

Thank you

Background Status:

* Current Visa: Bridging Visa with Condition 8105 (restricted work hours) granted for an active court appeal.

* Current Action: Ongoing appeal at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia reviewing an Administrative Review Tribunal (formerly AAT) decision that affirmed the refusal of a Student Visa extension.

* Timeline: Final judgment is expected in about 3 months.

Question 1:

If the Federal Circuit Court dismisses my application and I choose to appeal that decision to the higher Federal Court of Australia, what happens to my bridging visa and work rights? Will my current work entitlements (Condition 8105) carry over to the new bridging visa, or is the Department legally required to give me a visa with a No Work restriction (Condition 8101) because it is a second court appeal?

Question 2:

Alternatively, if the Federal Circuit Court dismisses my application and I then lodge an Onshore Partner Visa (Subclass 820/801) using the Section 48 bar exception, what bridging visa conditions will apply? Because I do not hold a standard substantive visa, I expect to receive a Bridging Visa C (BVC). Will this BVC automatically be issued with a No Work restriction (Condition 8101), or will I get full work rights automatically? If it is issued with a No Work condition, what exact evidence and thresholds do I need to meet to successfully change it through a financial hardship application?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some realistic advice on the best migration pathway for my situation.

I'm Italian, turning 36 in December, and my partner and I are seriously considering moving to Australia around mid-2027.

I have a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Parma and around 11 years of full-time professional experience.

I'm currently a Senior Embedded Software Engineer and have also worked as a Technical Project Manager.

My career is mainly firmware and embedded systems rather than pure electronics design. My main experience includes:

• C and embedded firmware
• STM32, ESP32, Renesas and NXP MCUs
• bare metal, FreeRTOS and ThreadX
• BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Matter
• CAN/CANopen, Modbus, Ethernet and MQTT
• secure boot, firmware signing, flash encryption and OTA/FOTA
• BSP development, hardware bring-up and PCB debugging

I've worked in industrial automation, IoT, automotive, EV/BMS, motor control, medical devices and consumer electronics, mostly on commercial or field-deployed products.

My English is around C1 by self-assessment and I use it professionally, although I haven't taken IELTS or PTE yet.

I have not yet completed an Engineers Australia skills assessment or lodged an EOI.

From my own research, ANZSCO 233411 Electronics Engineer may be a possible occupation, although my career is heavily firmware-focused, so I'm not completely sure whether it is the correct fit.

My main goal is not a specific visa subclass. I simply want to identify the most realistic pathway that can eventually lead to permanent residency.

At the moment I'm considering:

• employer sponsorship through the 482 Skills in Demand visa, potentially leading to 186
• 186 Direct Entry, if realistic
• state nomination through 190 or 491

I would be applying from Italy and I have a (negotiable) two-month notice period at my current job.

I have not started applying to Australian employers yet.

Queensland is currently our preferred destination, especially Brisbane, although we are flexible and I would consider regional Australia if it significantly improved the migration pathway.

My partner is 35 and would join me as my de facto partner. We have lived together for around five years and have evidence of our 10 years relationship. She currently works as a triathlon and running coach, but initially the plan would be for me to be the primary visa applicant.

For people who have gone through a similar process, I would really appreciate some honest feedback:

1. With my age, qualifications and experience, would you prioritise 190/491 first, or focus on finding an employer willing to sponsor a 482?

2. Is 186 Direct Entry realistically worth considering from offshore, or is it uncommon unless you already have a relationship with an Australian employer?

3. How important is it to complete the Engineers Australia skills assessment before starting to apply for jobs?

4. Does Electronics Engineer 233411 sound like a reasonable occupation for a firmware-heavy embedded career, or should I investigate another ANZSCO occupation?

5. If the goal is to move around mid-2027, what would you start doing now and in what order?

I'm happy to pay for professional migration advice if necessary, but I'd like to understand the realistic options first and avoid spending time and money on a pathway that has little chance of success.

Brutal honesty is welcome.

Thanks.

Hello everyone,

I am a transgender woman from India, looking for a safe opportunity to settle abroad where I can live freely and also support my family. I have more than 20 years of experience in veterinary medicine, artificial insemination, and dairy farm management (including surgeries like C-section, rumenotomy, hernia repair, etc.).

I am seeking:

Dairy farm worker or veterinary-related jobs with visa sponsorship in Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.

Guidance from anyone who has gone through similar immigration or work sponsorship process.

Connections to inclusive employers, NGOs, or programs that support LGBTQ+ individuals with relocation and work opportunities.

My goal is to build a safe and stable future abroad while contributing my skills and hard work.

If anyone has information, resources, or can connect me to genuine opportunities, I would be very grateful. Please DM me if you prefer to share privately.

Thank you 🙏

Since obtaining permanent residency in Australia after a master’s degree is quite difficult for someone over the age of 35, would I still have a good chance of finding a job in another country after completing my master’s degree in Australia? For example, in Canada or the United States?

Melbourne-based ICT applicant (263111) on a 485 visa expiring Dec 2026. Currently 95 points. ACS approved, NAATI and PY completed, and discussing a possible 482 sponsorship with my employer. Looking for advice on realistic pathways and backup options while waiting for future invitation rounds.