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Advice for move to Sydney for 12 - 24 months

josie0801
#1
Hi,

My boyfriend and I are aiming to move over to Australia in 6 months time and was wondering if anyone had any tips about visa's, rent, jobs, living expenses etc

As background, I currently work for IBM UK and have tried to get a transfer and sponsored visa to IBM Australia but have had very little luck to get through all the processes involved.
If this does not materialise i think i am going to have to go for a working holiday visa. This is ok but not ideal as we can only stay with an employer for 6 months and if we don’t do any agriculture work we would not be able to extend to 2 years.
Does anyone know if it is common for companies to hire someone from outside the uk and to sponsor a visa application?
Or if we were to be temporary staff is it likely that an employer would sponsor us to stay longer and become more permanent ?

We are both 25 and have good degrees in business and computing. We both have 4 years experience. He is very technical currently working as a consultant and has a large amount of knowledge about databases and in particular DB2. I however have just started to specialise in business process modelling (mapping processes to make them more efficient) and previously to that have a very rounded range of experiences from HR to Procurement to BPO. However I am thinking to get a job in Australia experience is going to be one if the biggest factors - does anyone agree?

Ideally Sydney would be where we would like to live. However the decision to living in the city or near a beach is still undecided - is there anywhere which has the best of both?

If anyone could help that would be very much appreciated
See also
SusheeMonster
#2
Actually, your situation is very similar to mine. I'm a 25 year old that went to Australia on the Work and Holiday Visa just to check it out, but now I love it here and want to stay for a couple years. Before I left, I was wondering the same about sponsored visas and you're right about how impossible it is to get when you're still overseas. It's a much more viable option physically being in the country when you're applying. Despite only having 3 years of experience, I landed my first job interview within two weeks. It may only be because I'm a programmer and there's a high demand for IT work in Sydney, but I'm no expert on the matter. I'm hoping to get a contract to permanent with a sponsored work visa. Once you prove your competencies on a temporary basis, it's much easier for your employer to agree on a long term commitment.

Good luck to both of us, seriously. :P

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davebirchall
#3
Hi Josie,

I also work in the process modelling space. The market here is probably small than you are used to but all the major players are here.

Its good to apply before you set off but your will find you will get more traction on the job front if you are actually here. Lots of people send speculative resumes to Australian companies and never actually take the plunge so they are discarded quickly.

Companies have an allocation of 457 visas that they can use to employ people from overseas. I came here for a working holiday and then changed to a spouse visa later on.

Hope that is of some use.
blueicewine
#4
Hi all,came upon this post..I am in almost the same situation as all of you , went to sydney, like it, and now thinking of moving there.I am an accountant and it seem that there are a lot of demands for accountant but yet, it seem like I just can't find a company to sponsor me.was wondering if theres any other options available..
chiTown
#5
Josie0801 - I'm sure there are several folks in our boat. What I have found is that recruiting from abroad is borderline impossible. That said, if you truly want to live in Oz, then its still worth the try, thus you should continue to try and recruit from abroad. I too plan to go oz should nothing pan out in the next ~6 months, and recruit while there. I've spoken with several different job consultants and the resounding comment is that, if a firm wants you, sponsorship will not be problem. Good luck and godspeed,

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