HOW TO PROCESS IMMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA (NO AGENCY!)

Photo Credit To Owner

When I was younger, I always imagined that life abroad would be better than life here in the Philippines. But that decision was affected by my love for chocolates and imported stuff, things that we can't buy from an ordinary local store.

Then I started working. I was good at it. My career flourished and I said, "I can do this forever." Life here isn't that bad after all. Then a speed bump -things got tougher.

Sending my son to school while keeping the house mortgage - and all other expenses in between really made it harder to keep things together. Then I got pregnant and things got even worse. I blame myself for not choosing a better company to work for. I blame my husband for not doing "everything" he physically could in order to earn more and keep the house afloat.

Photo Credit: NEDA

Office mates started leaving, they went abroad (with their families) in search for greener pastures. My husband's sister and her family migrated to Australia as well and they too, seemed to have gotten things together that quickly.

Put all of these together and the decision to consider migrating is becoming more and more apparent.

Photo Credit: DOF

I contacted the agency that my sister-in-law commissioned to migrate to Australia. We should have at least prepared half a million pesos if we want to proceed with this decision. I mean, WHAT THE F*CK! I can't even keep the household together without worrying how we'd pay for the bills and then this?!

We decided to cement our decision to migrate by travelling to Australia and experience the life there. So, last November, us and the kids packed our bags and left. We stayed at my sister-in-law's place for 10 days and we breathed and lived Australia. Check out my blog about how to process a tourist visa through the Australian Immigration Website here!

I fell in love with it all. The way their Government planned and mapped out the cities in New South Wales was so good that each community won't have to be dependent on other communities to get by. Each suburb has its own mini mall, train station, bus station, schools, churches, parks, you name it, they have it!

I will write another blog about What To Love In Australia soon!

When we got back, I know in heart that Australia is a very promising place to raise my family. I know that I can live my life there. The only problem is how?

So, I researched and found out 5 crucial steps to take in order to process migration papers, and get this - you do not need an immigration agent to do this!

Note that the VISA type we are applying for is VISA 189 Skilled Independent Visa. This visa lets invited workers with skills Australia needs to live and work permanently ANYWHERE in Australia.

This visa type is a "Points Tested" visa. This means that you have to check if you reached the (currently) passing points of 65 points to be eligible for Permanent Resident migration status.



1.) TAKE AN ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM
Although English is not our native tongue, I noticed that almost majority of the Filipinos that has taken an English Proficiency Exam is guaranteed with at least band 5 or Competent English. However, if you want to generate additional points from this, you must score not let than band 7 or Proficient English.

There are several agencies that can provide this type of assessment, Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test, Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) and the most popular of them all, IELTS (International English Language Testing System). IELTS is recognized by majority of cities such as the USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc.

Other pertinent information you may need to know:

• COST (as of December 2019): Php10,680.00 exclusive of Review Materials.
• TESTED ABILITY: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking
• TYPES: Academic and General Test (For immigration purposes, take GT)
• FORM: Hand-written, typical examination set up
• RESULT LEAD TIME: 13 days
• VALIDITY: Result is valid for 2 years, unless another test is taken

I personally prefer PTE Academic, since the test form or medium used is computer based. Unlike in IELTS, I feel that computers or AI (Artificial Intelligence) grades more accurately and objectively compared to human test facilitators where there is a likely possibility of being subjective. But, PTE Academic is currently just being accepted by Australian and New Zealand Governments.

Other pertinent information you may need to know:

• COST (as of December 2019): Php10,415.00 exclusive of Review Materials.
• TESTED ABILITY: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking
• TYPES: Academic and General Test (For immigration purposes, take Academic)
• FORM: Computer Based, special testing centers
• RESULT LEAD TIME: 5 days
• VALIDITY: Result is valid for 2 years, unless another test is taken

After Assessment, make sure to secure the Certification as you will need to submit this in the next process.

QUICK TIP! Review Centers often charge half the amount of the exam cost. Luckily, with the help of YouTube, review materials are now made available free of charge. Do I recommend reviewing? YES! Do I recommend going to formal review centers? NO! Just make sure that the sources you are using are legitimate.


2.) CHECK YOUR SKILLS & HAVE IT ASSESSED
In order to be eligible to this visa type, you have to know if Australia is in need of a person like you. You can check out the latest list of SHORT TERM SKILLED OCCUPATION LIST (STSOL) and MID AND LONG TERM STRATEGIC SKILLS LIST (MLTSSL) from here.

Write down the most applicable skill or job you have held or is currently handling and browse the list and search whichever applies to you. It is important that you get two important data. The ANZSCO CODE (a six digit code) and the Assessing Authority.

If you are lucky enough to see your skill in this list, then you are half way there! All you have to do is to go to the website of the Assessing Authority and click the button that says "Immigration Assessment" or something like that.

You would have to fill out the application forms and pay an assessment fee. Here, assessment rates varies, depending on the skill you want to be assessed on. From Php30,000.00 up to Php80,000.00.

All you have to do is to sign up, fill out the forms, submit all pertinent information required (you may want to prepare your Photo ID, updated CV, Diploma, Transcript of Records, Certificate of Employment, Organizational Charts, Payslips, ITR, etc.).

After Assessment, make sure to secure the Certification as you will need to submit this in the next process.

QUICK TIP! Before you sign up and pay up, I recommend for you to think hard and consider which skill you want to have yourself assessed on. The least you would want is to have a negative assessment as this will not only limit your points, you are likewise spending a huge amount of money for nothing! I also recommend that you read the requirements that you need to submit, secure those documentary requirements (avoid falsifying documents!) before your finalize your submission. That way, you won't waste time and you won't risk the cancellation of your assessment. Remember, once you pay, you can't get a refund!


3.) CHECK YOUR POINTS 
Visit this link to know if you are eligible. You may now be able to tick the correct box for the English Proficiency and the Skills Assessment portion of this assessment. Good luck and I hope you too, would get not less than 65 points!

QUICK TIP! If you are married or have a common law partner, you can use his/her English Proficiency and Skills Assessment certification for added points!


4.) SUBMIT YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)
You must create an account at SkillSelect. Fill out the online application form with correct facts and submit all necessary and required documents. Once you have submitted your EOI, you can now wait for their INVITATION.

Getting an invitation to apply doesn't necessarily mean that you are guaranteed with a PR Visa. You need to apply and pay the necessary application fees for this. That will be discussed on the next step.

QUICK TIP! Scan or photograph all documents in COLOR and in good resolution. Make sure that you abide by the required spec to avoid document rejection.


5.) SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION ONLINE
Create an account at ImmiAccount. Here you need to carefully browse and understand all the information they are requesting for. Remember to put in only valid and legitimate information as falsification of information may lead to disqualification and cancellation of your invitation.

Click on NEW APPLICATION and fill in from there. You may have to pay $4,045.00 AUD (as of December 2019) to process your visa application, an additional fee may be collected for your dependents and your partner.

VIOLA! Everything will be a waiting game from here on. Remember that Australian Government may refuse to provide you with a Visa and that the fees you have paid to process your application will not be subject to refund.

Therefore, it is highly recommended to really scrutinize all the requirements needed and prepare for it. Spending almost Php200,000.00 is no joke, but the steps I have provided above will definitely be 50% cheaper than having an agency process this application for you.

As long as you put your mind and heart to it, you won't have any problem with your application.

Now, arriving in Australia is entirely a different story. I would have to update you once we set foot on the Australian soil as Permanent Residents! (Keeping our fingers crossed!)