Right, Ill say sorry in advance as it may be a bit long but its only because I’m laying my points out. My goal is to finish my bachelors degree and get PR as fast as possible without wasting too many years.
My situation is that I currently have 2 offers where one is from Flinders and another is from UoW(University of Wollongong). I am currently turning 22 this month and will be studying computer science for 2 years as I’m transferring from a university in Hong Kong. Which is starting this Feb, I have only a few days to make my decision and am in dire need of help. Im extremely sorry if this ends up being long as I did promise I would try to keep it short.
I was wondering what would be the best approach if I wanted to gain PR?
As of currently, I was thinking that my best way to get PR would be through the 189 skill test. As of currently, I will these points
18-24 years old = 25 points English language = 20 ( I am in the proficient section but am confident I should be able to get 79 through PTE) Australian education qualification = 5
Professional year = 5 ( will do professional year if needed)
1 year work experience in Aus through graduate visa = 5 ( I plan to hopefully work a year there and gain the experience )
Bachelors degree qualification = 15
Wollongong route total points = 70 ( if I complete professional year or get 1 year experience I will be 25/26 years old so 75 and if I am able to get state nomination ill be at 80 though I think thats being too optimistic?) would this be sufficient down the line in about 3 years? Im skeptical as seeing all the competition Im worried it wont be enough.
Flinders route: 80 points due to low population area. ( 85 if Im able to get state nomination which I think will be easier in Adelaide than Wollongong? I think)
So that is my game plan above, which route would you suggest taking? I want to go to UoW as it is a better university in terms of ranking which will help if I decide to return to HK but I do want to prioritise PR as well so I can get both my degree and PR status. Which would you suggest I do and which route would give me the best chances?
I have spoke to some migration agent but my contact has been limited due to them only willing to look at my case after I pay the fees which I cannot financially afford at the moment. What I did gain from speaking to 1 was I shouldn’t change my path of going to UoW and try seeing if there are other ways. He as even if I go to Flinders due to the policy changing annually it still may not be a guarantee that I will get PR through going to Flinders and all. What would you suggest I do?
Lastly, I just wanted to clear some doubts.
- Am I able to gain the 1 year experience while studying? Or is it only able after I have completed my studies?
- Does part time work count as experience? For example on the medium and long term list there is Web developer if I were to do part time web developer jobs while I do my professional year would it count towards it?
- Am I able to apply for the 189 visa if my job isn’t listed on the medium and long term list?
- Will I have to declare my job? Like for example, if they require web developer does that mean while applying I can apply as a Web developer on the 189 visa, as long as I have 1 year worth of web developer experience? Or how does it work, as In IT a lot the programming skills are interchangeable so experience in lets say network security can also help in web developer roles so how do they actually check these roles? Would it mean that my best way would be to check the roles in need when graduating and then apply for these roles and gain 1 year experience in them for the best chance in PR status?
- How does the 190 visa work? Is it that, if your job roll is in the short term skill shortage you may apply and may get state nominated and then get PR? If I get this would I believe I have to stay in australia in the state nominated area for 2 years, so during that 2 years am I able to leave the country for a short period of time like 1-2 months etc? Also what are the chances slim according to you if I were to try for state nomination in Wollongong or would it be better to do it in adelaide? Lastly, is it possible to lets say graduate from UoW but move to a state where its easier to get state nomination and apply from there? Like move to Adelaide for example after graduating and then applying from there to increase my chances on 190 visa.
- Is it worth it to go to Flinders just for the 5 points? Does going to increase my chances substantially due to the points from region and maybe higher chances in state nomination?
- Lets say I have enough points for the cutoff that year after graduating, will I be able to apply for the 189 visa without any experience? Or is experience required?
- If Im put in a scenario where I had to choose between getting a year experience first or doing professional year which one should I do first? As from my research, professional year is basically like going to school with classes for 7 months and 3 months internship, I wont be able to get any experience beside the 3 months during internship as the agent said part time work wont count.
- Are there any other routes I could take to get PR?
- Any tips/advice or things you would like to warn me about?
Thank you very much in advance! I need to make my decision in a few days so I am in dire need of advice.
