Steps to Residency: Interested in getting a permanent visa? Here’s how.
Cookery, the path to being job ready
Our first featured student came to Australia with a Student Visa (subclass 500) for Commercial Cookery where he took her classes in Melbourne in March 2020 and graduated in 2022. Having a student visa means you are able to not only study, but you can also, live, work, and eventually migrate to the country.
After his school experience, he applied for a Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) which then propelled him into the Job Ready Program. This meant he was able to gather more learnings to hone and master his skills in cooking.
The Job Ready Program (JRP) is a skills assessment course study that allows international student graduates to get opportunities and seek means of getting permanent residency in Australia. This is open to those who are unable to meet the requirements for the General Skilled Migration visa.
This employment-based program involves a 4-step process:
- Provisional Skills Assessment
- Employment
- Workplace Assessment
- Final Assessment
Join in and be Job Ready: See detailed information about how to enrol here!
Moving for more opportunities
Once concluded, he had to move to Western Australia to become a chef because the place where was based didn’t have openings for the hospitality industry at the time. So, he decided to go to a city where he could have more offerings for occupation.
From commercial cookery to residential permanency
As things progressed in his career and in his life, he decided to lodge his expression of interest which we were happy to help him with. Fortunately, we were able to acquire an invite for a Skilled Nominated Visa otherwise known as the General Migration Visa (subclass 190). With this, he can have access to a permanent work visa without being linked to only one employer.
One thing we want to highlight about the General Skilled Migration visa (GSM) is the possibility of migration to Australia without having an employer to sponsor the applicant’s visa. It’s also the most popular way to achieve permanent residency (PR). What’s great about the GSM is that invitations to apply are given out based on factors like: occupation, work experience, education, and English ability. This means that your knowledge and experience are the things that take you forward in the pathway to PR.
Learn more: Migrate without a sponsor employer through the General Skilled Migration Visa.
Our featured student got his GSM visa which enabled him to migrate to Australia without an employer to sponsor him. Through his hard work and determination, skilled craftsmanship, and gained knowledge, he was granted the Skilled Nominated Visa. With sheer perseverance, the taste of well-earned success felt deliciously fulfilling!
Migration on the Menu
Our second featured student took on Commercial Cookery in 2019. Coming to Australia with high hopes, he worked hard to get his degree during his time in school, and successfully graduated in January 2021. His desire to progress his life gave him a pathway to more success in the future — a pathway to Aus.
By 2022, he secured himself a Graduate Work Visa (subclass 485) that he applied for with our help. The Subclass 485 grants international students to live in Australia for 2-6 years after their schooling. Most applicants choose to use this time to master their craft and add more work experience so that they can apply for Permanent Residency (PR).
There are 2 different streams that lead to getting the GWV. There’s a Post Study Work Stream and the Graduate Stream. To qualify, he had to nominate for an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSS) and hold a degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to that occupation.
A deeper dive: Want to know more about the occupations on the MLTSS list? Check it here!
The Will and the Skill
With his level of ability and absolute will, within a 12-month period, he worked steadily and took his skills assessment through the Job Ready program.
Some quick facts about getting a Certificate III & IV in Commercial Cookery:
- The course duration is 24 months with a monthly intake.
- It’s offered in these areas — Adelaide, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Tasmania, Toowoomba, Townsville, and Whitsundays.
- Fees can cost you around AUD 10,000 to AUD 15,000 per year.
The employment within the commercial cookery space is seen at an all-time high over the past 5 years and is expected to grow even stronger. 72% of chefs work full-time and their usual working hours in Australia is 46 hours a week. Gathering on average, they get paid around AUD 1,130 weekly.
Paving the way: Think your path to permanent residency is Cookery? Learn more here.
Earning for eligibility
Learning that his visa was already expiring, the company he was working for was gracious enough to offer him a sponsorship through the Subclass 482 visa. At the time, he was living and working in the Gold Coast as a chef already. We were glad to give him a hand and create ways for him to achieve his goal of getting a Skills in Demand Visa (subclass 482). By Aug of 2024, we helped him lodge his Skills in Demand Visa.
This visa has been proven beneficial because it opened up more room for occupational fields like accounting and auditing, hospitality management, engineering, life sciences, biotechnology, special medical roles, cyber security, ICT support and other various trades.
From international student to permanent resident
Upon getting more information, he knew that his Subclass 482 visa wasn’t enough to get him to migrate to Australia. He needed 3 years of full-time work experience after his Certificate IV in order to be eligible for Permanent Visa (subclass 186) also known as the Employer Sponsored Visa. The main difference between this visa and the Skills in Demand visa is one word — permanency.
The Employer Sponsored Visa would allow applicants to live and work in the country, have accessibility to medicare, bring family members with them, and give them the possibility of citizenship.
Finally, after years of trying to achieve his long-time goal, he got approved for a Permanent Visa earlier this year. Getting to migrate to Australia has given him the sweetest kind of success!
Get cooking!
Here are some final thoughts we’d like to share to our readers to spark some hope into their aspirations. It’s very possible to study, live, work, and eventually migrate to Australia. Our featured students are a testament to potential permanent residency and migration success.
If commercial cookery is something you’re interested in or are passionate about, and you’re willing to put in the hours and effort, we’d love to work with you and guide you to your pathway to Aus!
Book a consultation and whip up your own recipe for residency with one of our migration agents today!
