Last weekend, le copain was back in London. It was lovely to see him back in the city where we met, there is something very romantic and nostalgic about it all. But the trip wasn't entirely for pleasure, with 'operation Australia' weighing heavily on Cyril's mind, we forked out £30 for two entry tickets to a 'Work in Australia' expo, located in the Novotel, Hammersmith, W6.
Ultimately, the experience was good. Cyril is a chemical engineer and most of the stalls were civil engineering or health/nursing or hospitality related, but by luck there was one Environmental company there. We struck up conversation, they were lovely, enthusiastic, and asked for his CV, which is always a good sign. As we walked away I turned back to watch them scribbling excitedly all over his CV. Cross your fingers for us!
One of the less rewarding moments was lining up for 45 minutes to chat to the 'Visas & Immigration' stall. We had two things to talk about 1) being that Cyril doesn't have an IELTS qualification, would a TOEIC (1) count? 2) Cyril studied for 1 year at a recognised institution (2) but the rest wasn't - would there still be any chance of him getting a Recognised Graduate - (subclass 476) visa?
The answer from the woman? (and I quote)
I don't know.
Thanks, honey.
She then proceeded to say that she would answer these sorts of questions if we paid £95 for a consultation. But then she gave up the game, Cyril mentioned he was a graduating chemical engineer and was met with replies of 'wow! fantastic!' and so we left feeling fairly confident that a £95 consultation is pretty useless when we know we're eligible for more than one visa, and an official is calling our case 'fantastic'.
Ultimately, the day was entirely worth the £30. Cyril warmed up to the idea of alternative visas and grew more confident in the fact that he would find something (which in itself is priceless). We also got to hear fabulous (cringeworthy) Australian accents and (however selfish this is) feel somewhat superior to the people who had no idea of their way in to the sunburnt land.
The rest of the weekend went by in a blur, I had made infinite promises to bring Cyril out with my friends and in the end we watched a film (Lars and the real girl - super cute!) and slept in. I can't complain, sometimes it's nice to relax and forget the world a bit. Only 10 sleeps until he comes back, it's painful already!
Before I leave, can I just say, I really do not see the draw of Hammersmith, Cyril and I wandered around looking for something to catch our fancy and just could not do it. Am I missing something? Has my passion for the East End clouded my vision of the West? What on Earth are my fellow antipodeans thinking? (If you'd like to contest this, please do, I'm curious to know what I'm missing out on!)
(1) - TOEIC: A French test on the particpants' English language skill. Seemingly only any use in France.
(2) - A list of the institutions that Australia idolises and which are therefore an easy step into the country. The list can be found here.
Showing posts with label Visas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visas. Show all posts
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
More ups and downs
Ah, hello, hello again. I don't know where to begin on this one, my mind is a muddled mess unsure of whether to feel elation, worry, sickness or stress. A mixture of the four is almost a worse fate. The most important part is that, in three sleeps, I get to be back in my boyfriends' arms again. Oh yes - 16.55 Friday sees me on a Eurostar voyage to lovely Paris, to be with my lovely boyfriend for the weekend. It's only been two weeks but I tell you, it's high time. I'm becoming a complete emotional mess (which ususally, I pride myself on being the exact opposite of), in the past two days I've cried at...
Anyway - back on track, my journey is something to be very excited about. I also have the right to be slightly worried (because I had to fib to worm my way out of work an hour early, love will do these things!) and also because, well, I'm not on the train yet. Which is going to keep me awake on Thursday night, I just know it.
The sickness and the stress regard work (which has been so busy I haven't been able to have a single thought to myself between 7.45 and 4.45), there is a winter sniffle going around I am desperately trying to avoid and, the fact that my boyfriend is now worrying about what visa to apply for, and when to do it.
I'm not going to bore myself (or yourselves) with the details but this is the decision my boyfriend and I have made. He's going to apply for a Skilled - Recognised Graduate - temporary (subclass 476) visa which allows young (under 31 years old) Engineers who have recently finished uni at a recognized institution to come to Australia without a sponsor and work freely for 18 months. At the end of those 18 months, well, another visa (at the moment the options are for him to get an employment visa and a sponsor, or for us to get one on the basis of our relationship). However, one of the options is that I go to join him in France for my final year of university - which would make applying for another visa futile. Oh well, lets see. Progress on the Australia front, hurrah! He's also managed to secure an interview with Veolia already too. Words cannot describe how excited I am!
Ultimately, I feel optimistic and strong, like I'm going to be able to get myself (and possibly, if the lover has another freakout, us both) through these challenges, and like if it's meant to be, it will be. Wish me luck =) I'll write to you from Paris, and it will be even more swoony than I am now, be prepared ;)
Please note that my views/opinions/choices of Visa are not professional, and while I could offer my personal advice, this is only relevant to my particular situation.
- Adverts for Eurostar
- Adverts for Google (in my defence, this was charming, I will be sure to post the link at some point)
- People speaking French (at work no less, I crawled into the bathroom in shame)
- A woman walking her child to the bus stop
Anyway - back on track, my journey is something to be very excited about. I also have the right to be slightly worried (because I had to fib to worm my way out of work an hour early, love will do these things!) and also because, well, I'm not on the train yet. Which is going to keep me awake on Thursday night, I just know it.
The sickness and the stress regard work (which has been so busy I haven't been able to have a single thought to myself between 7.45 and 4.45), there is a winter sniffle going around I am desperately trying to avoid and, the fact that my boyfriend is now worrying about what visa to apply for, and when to do it.
I'm not going to bore myself (or yourselves) with the details but this is the decision my boyfriend and I have made. He's going to apply for a Skilled - Recognised Graduate - temporary (subclass 476) visa which allows young (under 31 years old) Engineers who have recently finished uni at a recognized institution to come to Australia without a sponsor and work freely for 18 months. At the end of those 18 months, well, another visa (at the moment the options are for him to get an employment visa and a sponsor, or for us to get one on the basis of our relationship). However, one of the options is that I go to join him in France for my final year of university - which would make applying for another visa futile. Oh well, lets see. Progress on the Australia front, hurrah! He's also managed to secure an interview with Veolia already too. Words cannot describe how excited I am!
Ultimately, I feel optimistic and strong, like I'm going to be able to get myself (and possibly, if the lover has another freakout, us both) through these challenges, and like if it's meant to be, it will be. Wish me luck =) I'll write to you from Paris, and it will be even more swoony than I am now, be prepared ;)
Please note that my views/opinions/choices of Visa are not professional, and while I could offer my personal advice, this is only relevant to my particular situation.
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