That's all you hear about these days. A Road I trod many moons ago.

Australia is again courting and seeks UK Migrants. I am now a Registered Migration Agent and am back in the UK.

Boy what's happened to my old country!

I'm here, on this site to offer a bit of advice here & there and answer any question you may have about life downunder. Mainly because it is so topical at the moment.

The biggest obstacle to all 'Tradies' is obtaining a 'Positive skills Assessment' for without that you cannot make an application for Migration.

Answering your questions helps to keep me sharp and you just may chuck one at me that's gonna need the books out!

Hope this posting will generate some discussion and debate about life in the New World.

A proper introduction might help....who may you be...?

Originally Posted by Dave

A proper introduction might help....who may you be...?

Hi Dave,

Yes you are quite right mate...but I do not want to be accused of advertising etc.


I am willing to answer questions etc if you want me to furnish more details about myself I can do that.

Jim

Jim will do...and yes do not advertise ....all input is welcome..

Originally Posted by Dave

Jim will do...and yes do not advertise ....all input is welcome..

Hi Dave,

Is the following ok in control panel/ signature.

Jim Gordon
pgcert.Aus.Imm.Law(vu)
Registered Migration Agent


That way the guys know they are getting qualified advice.

Already had imput for a posting in this Section.

Jim

All but the link.....thanks..

Originally Posted by migrate

That's all you hear about these days. A Road I trod many moons ago.

Australia is again courting and seeks UK Migrants. I am now a Registered Migration Agent and am back in the UK.

Boy what's happened to my old country!

I'm here, on this site to offer a bit of advice here & there and answer any question you may have about life downunder. Mainly because it is so topical at the moment.

The biggest obstacle to all 'Tradies' is obtaining a 'Positive skills Assessment' for without that you cannot make an application for Migration.

Answering your questions helps to keep me sharp and you just may chuck one at me that's gonna need the books out!

Hope this posting will generate some discussion and debate about life in the New World.

Please don't promote any of your services on here with this in mind. Though please do stick around and chat to the guys. We have a few Aussies on here, and an Aussie forum too www.tiletalkaustralia.com though that is very new.

Thanks for signing up either way.

p.s. which Uni did you go to to get your PgCert in Immigration Law?

Hi Dan,

Yes, I know Lisa, John, Anne & Carl in Perth. Not to forget Philip in UK

Silver Trowel do AQF 3 skills assessments, I send people to them too!

But they are not Registered Migration Agents mate!

I am signed up to them check it out with Lisa!

Originally Posted by Dan

We (as a group of websites, not just this forum) are backed by www.silvertrowel.com.au which are helping get anybody interested through the right processes to ensure they're graded right for the right area of Aus and Nz I believe too.

Please don't promote any of your services on here with this in mind. Though please do stick around and chat to the guys. We have a few Aussies on here, and an Aussie forum too www.tiletalkaustralia.com though that is very new.

Thanks for signing up either way.

Originally Posted by Dan

p.s. which Uni did you go to to get your PgCert in Immigration Law?

Hi Dan,

Victoria (vu)

hi Jim welcome :Pete

Originally Posted by pjc

hi Jim welcome :Pete

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the welcome mate!

Originally Posted by migrate

Hi Dan,

Yes, I know Lisa, John, Anne & Carl in Perth. Not to forget Philip in UK

Silver Trowel do AQF 3 skills assessments, I send people to them too!

But they are not Registered Migration Agents mate!

I am signed up to them check it out with Lisa!

I don't know any of the above other than Phil, who is our sponsor here.

Originally Posted by Dan

I don't know any of the above other than Phil, who is our sponsor here.

I will speak to him tomorrow.

So he can let you know who I am.

Regards

Jim

Hi I am hoping to emigrate to Oz but have no "official" tiling qualifications as I come from a family business and was shown the ropes from my dad this will obviously pose a problem what should I do??? Cheers Ross

wow looks like i've found the right place to be.

I'm not a tiler YET but hoping to get on the tools as soon as. my reasons for doing so are because I want to migrate to OZ in around four years time. At the moment i'm a self employed window cleaner which is a great paying job, you wouldnt belive! but unfortunately for me its not on the list of skills wanted in OZ and not likely to be either. such a shame because ive spoke (via email) to loads of window cleaners and they say there's loads of call for them and loads of work.

my plan is to re-train and hopefully apply once my tie on my fixed morgage is up(3 years). gutted coz i fixed it just before the recent rate drop!

problem is as i mentioned i'm earning well and as my trouble n strife has just (6months ago) given birth to our 1st child, cant afford to go back to apprentice pay full time. i'm hoping I'll find a local tiler/tile firm that will train me one day a week and put me on the payroll, wink wink nudge nudge for the next four years for the experience needed.

do you think i'm mad? the guy i asked to ask around today did. he owned a plumbing shop in a local village. when i told him i want to train as a tiler he said tilers are just men who are crap at everything else. I thought cheeky sod, IMO tiling involves much skill where as plumbing is like Lego for grown ups!

any way any help i can get is very well received!!

I should add I'm no tiler but I can tile if that makes sense. I've done 3 big kitchens and two bathrooms. the bathrooms were floor to ceiling. and i did a pucker job. they looked the nuts. had marble mosaic boarders the lot!

Hi Guys,

Not having formal qualifications is not the problem it used to be!

If you are serious about migration you should ;-

1. Get a free assessment of you visa options.

2. If it's a Trade (Skilled) visa....get advice on the best way to get your skills recognised.

I am a Registered Migration Agent and do free assessments.

For 'Skill Assessments' in UK and Australia I use Silver Trowel.

Hope this helps

Jim Gordon

silver trowel have been highly recommended on an expat site i went on.

do you think its worth my while getting an NVQ C&G now or just start getting experience tiling? its hard for me because i cant dedicate to it 100% as i have another job i cant give up(moneys to good ) so I'm looking for a tiler locally to give me a day a week or week end kinda thing. do you think this will work if i get evidence for the next 4 years of me tiling? what kind of evidence will i need?

Before you embark on a skills assessment you should make sure you would qualify (with the assessment) for a visa!

Yes you need experience but.....if you speak to Silver Trowel they will explain how to enroll in a one of their courses for AQF111.

They don't only do recognised previous learning!

You can get away with 900 hours !!

Hope this helps

cheers, yea i read about the 900hrs but i'd never pass a skills assessment yet. as for visa if i were a tiler i'd be classed as a skilled migrant, i'm only 28 as is Mrs. we both have clean record's apart from i have an almost out of date dr10 (drink-driving) and a caution for theath from the same night. lol i pinched the arresting officers cap badge. caught me on the way out the station. both have a clean bill of health as dose our 6 month girl.

so what advise would you give me?

You won't qualify for 900 hours with a skills assessment.

I was referring to 'Training' which short circuits the 'time' you would have to wait.

I wish it was as simple as you set out!!

You would have to identify which visa subclass you are applying for.

Get throug the TRA.

Then submit a 'valid' visa application and valid has a legal definition, which I could never explain here in brief.

But it is defined in the Migration Regulations and Migration Act, if you want to read up on it.

All criminal convictions should be explained away by way of a 'legal' submission.

It's as simple as me saying 'you just put the tiles on the wall' but when you start you realise it's not that easy!!

Because you have to account for so many other things which experience and knowledge allow you identify.

No two cases are the same and no one knows what the DIAC are going to request as additional information.

And while all this is going on...they keep changing the law, visa subclasses, SOL, MODL and introduce the Critical skills list.

And when the application fee (non refundable) is about £1000 it doesn't pay to get it wrong!

It's a maze with and mine field laying in wait.

If you know the law and what you are doing go for it!

That's the advice I would give!

I wish you well.

Hi

I am am a qualified NVQ 2 tiler, with 16 years experience. Myself & my wife and kids are seriously condisering emigrating, and have just started the initial enquiries etc. We have heard a couple of things about this skills assessment, and have been given what we feel is anm extremely high price to complete this. We dont really actually now anything about this or what it is for. Any advice or help you could give us on this matter would be great.

Cheers

GUY

Hi Guy,

Tilers are assessed by the TRA.

Now, if you have not completed an apprenticeship or cannot prove formal training...you will not get through the TRA assessment.

To cover this short fall, you can get your previous experience RPL'd.

In other words be assessed to Australian standards AQF111 level.

This gets you through the TRA.

Then with a positive skills assessment you can apply for a visa.

Does this help you?

Thanks for your reply

I have got my NVQ Level 2, - does this not count as formal qualifications?

Thanks

Guy

Hi Guy,

Your NVQ is a formal qualification..... but not does not count as formal training.

You must have done an 'Apprenticeship' or 'Traineeship'.

Even with that proof , you still must know how to present the application to the TRA.

Hope this helps

Hi all,

Thought i would jump in on the conversation. I'm Danny (Director of Training UK) for Silver Trowel.

What Jim is saying is absolutely correct.

The NVQ 2 will be handy to put into your portfolio of evidence but as well as this we need to be able to prove 4 years previous experience in order to assess the candidates skills and award the AQF III.

If you are a trades person of 16 yrs or even learnt your trade under a family business as mentioned you will have no problem undertaking the skills assessment. It does not need to be formal training i.e college or apprenticeship it just needs to be proven experience.

This system is designed for exactly that reason skilled people looking to migrate with no papers but who can prove their trade. As long as you can prove competency in all of the core / elective units and demonstrate these skills under assessment.

If anyone would like to talk to me direct then please call me at the centre on 01903 739 407, I will be more than happy to talk you through the process and put you at ease ha ha.

Regards

Hi Guys,

To add to Danny's comments .

'Silver Trowel' are at the forefront in this assessment proceedure.

They assess here and in OZ.

Check out their website.

I have no hesitation in putting my clients in their direction.

Originally Posted by INSTRUCTOR

Hi All. You could also make contact with ( removed again)
fOR SOME REASON THE NAME KEEPS BEING REMOVED BY THE MODERATORS!!!

Very sneaky.....

This is because that company is not registered or accredited to deliver these qualifications.

We are one of only 2 companies in the UK who hold the necessary registrations and accreditation to deliver the AQF III.

It is not easy to gain accreditation as I'm sure you can imagine, its hard enough to get into the country let alone be accredited to deliver the qualifications for people entering as skilled migrants.

I hope this clears things up.

Regards

Danny Evans
Director of Training UK
Silver Trowel Trade Training

CRICOS Training Provider 02898C