Depression… mental health… Australia requires you to report if you ever saw a shrink. I think it was 10 years of medical records. What really sucks too, is that you tend to apply through your company, so you’re sending your company’s lawyer all these documents to submit on your behalf. And you know full well the company is probably getting a summary report. I found it so cruel that they make it harder to get a visa if you have a history of depression. Like plenty of people get depressed but don’t have a ton of visible symptoms… soldier on. But it’s fine if you just drink, but if you tried to get help they penalize you for speaking with a therapist.
Yeah, good luck getting a work visa in Australia... Even if you get it, it costs a fortune and takes ages. It's just not worth even trying, unless you have a _very_ specific reason to do so.
Can you describe the problems you've seen? Wife and I were over 30 when we moved to AU from the US. Certainly quite a bit of paperwork, but wasn't all that tough in reality.
I think “tough hurdles” is a perception more than anything. I left recently to live and work in Europe and they approved the application in 2 days and didn’t ask any questions. All I provided was some proof of my new employment.
The stupidest part was I had to sign something to say I wouldn’t return within 3 months or I would get fined and go to jail.
I’ve lived in Aus most of my life and it still boggles my mind how much they treat their own citizens like criminals.
Sorry that my home country is doing this kind of thing too. I'm familiar with the US Visa system because i've gone through the process a few times. But it makes me sad that Australia is playing silly games too.
You keep claiming the system is “at capacity” with no evidence, and the psychological trauma it inflicts as inevitable. How does it strain the system differently to process an Indian applicant than an Australian one?
It's true that house prices in Australia, especially Sydney, are so high right now they are on par with the Bay Area. Other financial details are harder to calculate: Your lifetime medical costs, for example. And also a lack of bonuses or pay raises. A number of times my US-citizen colleagues were offered money to stay in jobs when I, as a visa worker, was offered none. Companies believe that visa workers are unable to quit, and abuse it (regardless of who you are). (Disclaimer: not Netflix, they truly treat their visa workers well.)
How hard is it getting a work visa. I had a recruiter out of Ireland reach out to me recently. I have many stories about the American health Care system which I simply don't share, but I don't think a dystopian novelist from the 1950s could imagine what the hell we have today.
What's the best way to get a CS job in Australian or New Zealand
My sister got the boot from Australia for 9 months even though she was young, had a master's degree in a needed occupation, was attending unimelb, and was about to be married to an Australian. Australia likes to tout its fair and transparent points based immigration scheme, but at the end of the day the decision is arbitrarily decided by an official who might not like your home country or may simply be having a bad day.
For a business in Australia to sponsor a visa for an international hire, they have to prove that they were more qualified than a local applicant and pay them more. I'm not sure if that's always followed, but it certainly made it very hard for myself to get a job.
Now I'm a permanent resident after being with my Australian partner for over a decade, self employed and running my own company.
Here's my experience with the Australian Computer Society.
Having studied abroad (Ireland), I was required to send in all of my exam results for my B.Sc, H.Dip & M.Sc. as well as a reference from each employer that I worked with in my field (Software Engineering).
For the visa I was applying for at the time it required that I was certified by the ACS, have a minimum of 5 years experience.
The process took 6 months for a single sheet of paper saying I was qualified for my profession! Due to this, my visa was submitted quite a while later than I initially planned and that took a further 12 months. 18 months all up waiting for my residency.
They took $600 for what was an open and shut case. They never contacted any of my references or colleges enquiring about my past experience or grades. The whole thing is a complete sham and is just another way of grabbing money off those who need visas.
The entire visa system in Australia is in bad need of restructuring and left a very sour taste in my mouth.
Typically included in your benefits package as part of the job. You don't have to give up Australian citizenship to get an E3, so if necessary you can fly back to Australia for treatment.
The US has a very similar requirement for their visa (I'm specifically referring to E3, which is the H1B for Australians) which only lets in 'skilled' people, defined by a university degree (or 3 years of work experience for every 1 year of degree, so a total of 9-12 years).
It was pretty disheartening to get a job offer from a big tech firm in New York only to have any chances shot down because of visa...
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