Baffled about e457 visa... Sender: dr_janHi everybody, how have you all been? I am coming back to this forum after a long time..Just to re-introduce myself, I am a doctor by profession and have been offered...
Hi Sharon,
I can't answer all of your questions, but I will try to help you out where I can!
Firstly, the visa application goes to DIMIA - Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, in Australia, rather than the Australian Embbutty in either Canada or the US.
I haven't heard of anyone having to have an interview for a send independent visa, but I would buttume that provided you were applying for an offshore visa (i.e. you sent the application from somewhere other than Australia) if DIMIA asked you to attend any sort of meeting with them it would be within the country that you were applying from.
You can apply for medicare as soon as you arrive in Australia as a permanent resident. My niece has recently come up against the issue of education, as she wants to go to university when she finishes school at the end of this year, however, as she has permanent residency and not citizenship she would be required to pay the course fees herself.
There have been rumours for a long time that the time you need to be permanent resident bfore you can apply for citizenship will change from 2 to 3, so far it hasn't happened, but it's just something to be aware of. I'm not sure how long the citizenship process takes, and I'm afraid I don't know an awful lot about New Zealand migration so I can't help you with that either.
As far as websites go, you will probably find a lot of your answers here on BE if you use the search function at the top of the page. I am also, of course, going to recommend the website in my signature line. I am buttuming you have already visited the DIMIA website as you knew that the visa you would apply for is send independent, but just in case you got that info from somewhere else their website is www.dimia.gov.au Regarding other sites, there are a whole plethora out there, far too many to name without some more specifics of what you are looking for, but if you are looking for something specific just try asking on here.
Good luck! Suzi
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