A Venezuelan wacky guy living his Australian dream

When you start the migration process, the first thing the agent will tell you is that one (and only one) of the family members must be the main applicant, which is the one who fulfill more expectations established by the Australian government such as better English skills, demanded profession, enough working experience and so on.

In our case, I was choose to be the main applicant and as for my wife... well... the second.

At first, her reaction was some sort of rejection because of her role; mostly because of the way the communication between the agent and the family occurs.

The agent will send all the information, news, updates, doubts and stuff to the main applicant.
Also the responsible for signing every paper is the main applicant.

Who's asked for the career documentation and personal papers? You surely know at this point which the answer is.

There are very little requisites demanded for those other that aren't the main applicant. So, it is kind of understandable why my wife disliked her new role at the moment. But I didn't know her feelings at that time and was starting to feel her frustration and I didn't pimp out why it was happening.

Later, confessed that she didn't feel the connection with the migration process because didn't feel part of it at all... comments such as "not important enough" or "my presence in the process isn't going to make any difference" or "I’m just a weight on this load"...

Freaked out, I couldn't understand at the moment, how could she felt that way? Did not notice we were doing it because of a better tomorrow for every one of us? But a couple of her perceptions made me realize the entire picture and enable a communication path for me to explain her several reasons why she is important.

1. We are opting for the General Skilled migration programme because of her, which means, she open a chance for a better visa for both of us... Other way, I would have asked to fulfill more requisites and the visa would become merely a dream.
2. The main applicant is going to be researched as deep as the migration department wants to. So, it is understandable why I am being asked to provide such diverse type of documentation.
3. The number of families doing the same process is huge and that’s the reason why the agent communicates just with the main applicant. (I guess they do not know how to make a distribution list nor an e-mail contact group).
4. She will eventually know what is happening with the process because can asks it to me anytime.

If you want to migrate to Oz, first thing to do is get your career recognized by an Australian society, institution or department.

Why???

Cheez, I don’t know exactly why, but a logical reason should be related to the fact that the migration department will be ensured you want to go to Oz and your profession is required in its territory.

In my case, I had to register my university degree on the Australian Computer Society as a IT Professional.

• Full Curriculum Vitae. As detailed as possible, including description of your work through very single project you had been. You also have to provide to these descriptions used tools such as: Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Eclipse IDE with Perl, etc. In a further post I will publish more information related to the construction of the curriculum vitae.
• Employment letters of every single job of the last 4 years. These letters most match exactly with the information included in the curriculum vitae. Double check your information with the employment letters to ensure dates and some details. The letter will be used to probe your knowledge and experience on the area you are up to.
• Some passport sized pictures. (By the way, those aren't my pictures...)
• Your university degree. My case was the bachelor degree in Computer Science.
• Some forms… But I don’t remember the number because I choose to make the process with the assistance of an agent. I did sign and read a couple of papers but I rather give you the link to the ACS membership web page.

And that’s it.

Once you got all the paper, you send your information to the ACS and wait till your experience and knowledge get recognition and approbation as comparable with an Australian degree.

Yes, sad thing, I had to take twice the IELTS.

Which was the reason?

Well, to begin with, the IELTS was taken by 200 people at once, in the very same hall at the Caracas place hotel. The idea of a huge room where everyone could make weird sounds avoiding you listen the tape in some modules or someone getting you out of focus in the huge room wasn’t a pleasure. The British Council wasn't prepared at all to handle this kind of situations. The test started at 1 PM and everything was done at 6 PM.

Isn’t necessary to remark, a 5 hour test is not a good test. I only enjoyed the first module (speaking module) where I stood open minded, speaking about everything I wanted to… When I got the results back I notice this module was the only one I was great.

This doesn’t means that I fail the test, I just got the pass mark in 1 module (5.5) and just a bit better in everything else (6.5 to 7.5). It wasn’t good enough for the Australian migration process.

If you think the IELTS is a hard and tricky test, don’t worry anymore. I think is a practice matter. Those who take the test without the concern of not practicing at all, must have a great confidence and concentration.

Believe it or not, the IELTS is one hell popular exam. The day before the reservation, my wife and I planned to wake up as early as possible to get to the British Council (Caracas) before the exam runs out of vacancy. We woke up at 4am almost dressed, got a light breakfast and jump out the apartment searching for a cab or maybe the nearest bus in the streets. We were hoping to get to the British Council one quarter to 6am.

Several minutes after we arrived the building just to hear an unpleasant “oh, you too are going to the BC? Boy the hall is full of people and I think there aren’t room left for you two, want to wait somewhere around here?”… My wife and I exchanged looks a little shrieked and worried, is not possible that at 5:45am the British Council were fully crowed…

Then the elevator doors come to a full opening…

As the security guard told us, there were people everywhere. Nearly 150 persons asking who was in charge and how could they made it to take the test. It was essential to take it quick in order to advance with their processes for migration, study, career, etc.

Then, among the crowd a woman spoke at loud leaving a couple of whispers between every now and then… “Please, pay attention… there are not more spots for the upcoming exam, if you are gentle can all of you leave the institute?”

Wrong phrase… little light in up a match in the gunpowder room. The people were yelling, some others were expressing a mixture of hate, dislike and chilling sensation. The manager popped out from the woman’s back trying to find a way to deal with the massive request. It was the very first time in Venezuela that more than 100 people wanted to take the test at the same time. The solution was asking for more exams and rent a place big enough to fit in 250 people.
As you may read, our situation wasn’t normal; the massive request was product of a modification of migration’s policies and those with a very low level of English wanted to remove this obstacle as fast as possible.

My advices are,

• Call the institute where you want to take the test to get as much information as you can about reservation and exams demand.
• Find out if there are online procedures to reserve a place or if you have to make it the hard way.
• Remember, the institute is always going to request enough exams to cover the normal case of use. If you think you’re in a not common situation better take actions before the day.

1. Valid passport of both applicants (simple copy would be fine, all they need is the passport number and info to check your status).
2. Document ID (certified copy) of both applicants.
3. Some passport size pictures (white background – watch out the nasty looks. Hehe)
4. Birth Certificates of both applicants (originals or certified copies).
5. Wedding certificate (in my case, but aren’t necessary, if you are living with your couple since a couple of years you can ask for a certificate to prove you are a couple).
6. Main Applicant’s curriculum vitae. This document is required as detailed as possible, in my case the document was asked as the Australia Computer Society specifies which includes everything you have done to contain much grained detail. Here in Venezuela de curriculum is a very resumed and short paper where you remark the most important things you have done. I had to remember everything in a range of 4 years to the present and write it all down.
7. Main applicant’s bachelor degree (computer science bachelor degree in my case, certified by my alma mater “Universidad Simón Bolívar”).
8. Degree’s certified grades (again, signed by the institution).
9. MIA contact signed (Migration Institute of Australia).
10. Some forms which may change from year to year but you must signed it.
11. Some other contracts (the “Viva en Australia” contract).

• Viva en Australia
• Live in Australia
• Migration Expert
• Southern Cross Alliance
• Universidad Simón Bolívar
• Department of Immigration And Citizenship of Australia (DIAC).