I was always meant to live in Australia

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For some people, the desire to live in another country starts at a very young age. Katie recently sought our help to secure a sponsored visa so she could live and work in Australia. She’s wanted to move here since she was in primary school, when she was tasked with a project on this country.

Katie is now a successful nutrition coach and trainer in Perth with nearly 17,000 followers on her Instagram page K8tbeee.

She left Canada more than ten years ago and went travelling. Katie eventually arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa. But it wasn’t until 2021 that she secured a Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Subclass 494 visa to give her a pathway to permanency here.

We wanted to share Katie’s story because it illustrates her determination and resilience, and with our support, a great outcome.

“In trying to stay longer [in Australia], I looked at sponsored work visa options. Eventually, I found an employer who was willing to sponsor me. Unfortunately, to cut a long story short, it didn’t work out.”

Leaving cold Canada for sunny Australia

Katie felt that although she was born in Canada, she was better-suited to living in a sunnier climate.

“I hate the cold. I grew up in North Bay, Ontario, where the winters are brutal with icy sub-zero temperatures and more snow than you can imagine. I have seasonal depression that means I don’t like the short days, grey skies, and cold weather.”

Katie told us that she had always been fascinated by Australia’s wildlife, the beaches, and the sunshine. She completed a degree in marketing and advertising and secured a role with a real estate developer in marketing, but she had itchy feet. Aged 25, she left Canada to travel with her brother and secured a working holiday visa, so she could travel throughout Australia for two years.

Eighteen months into her travels, Katie arrived in Perth, enrolled in a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and transitioned onto a student visa. After she graduated, Katie looked for work opportunities as a nutritionist. She also began exploring longer term visa options.

“At that time, the occupation of Nutritionist offered limited options for permanent residency. In trying to stay longer, I looked at sponsored work visa options. Eventually, I found an employer who was willing to sponsor me. Unfortunately, to cut a long story short, it didn’t work out.”

Administrative Review Tribunal

Around this time, Katie had contacted us through recommendations from a friend. As it was an ongoing application with another visa agent, there was very little we could do. So, we simply kept in touch with Katie and occasionally checked in with how she was faring.

The Administrative Review Tribunal eventually intervened when the previous sponsor failed to comply with requests for further information. In November 2020, Katie received an official letter ordering her out of Australia within 21 days.

“So that was it – my time in Australia was over. I was naturally devastated and very tearful, and I went on one last weekend break down south with my girlfriends. While away, I had some unexpected news.”

That news was the offer of sponsorship as a nutritionist at a new gym in Wangara called Team Ecto.

Strategic immigration support from Home of Visas

The man who owned it, Daniel England, had heard about her plight through a mutual friend and he also knew of Katie’s high-profile work. He thought Katie had plenty to offer in the Australian health and nutrition industry. So he promptly offered Katie a job. She contacted us to tell us the news.

“By this stage, I knew Zahirah and Fizah quite well because they’d been checking in on me. They wanted to know my most recent situation to see if they could help, so when they learned of this potential new employer, they were naturally delighted.”

To manage a Section 48 bar, as Katie has had a visa refused since arriving in Australia, our Registered Migration Agent, Fizah, advised Katie to leave the country while we worked on the necessary applications for her and Team Ecto.

“Yes, there was a niggling doubt that it would not come to fruition. I had faith in Daniel and his business, Team Ecto, but the COVID pandemic had struck. Home of Visas reassured me and worked diligently with Daniel and myself to ensure the Subclass 494 visa was a success.”

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Securing business sponsorship, RCB, nomination and a 494 visa

Six months after she’d left Australia, she was back – this time on a sponsored visa to work for Team Ecto.

“Zahirah and Fizah messaged me to say the visa had been approved. I jumped out of my hot tub in Canada in minus 30 degrees weather and wrapped myself up in a towel. It was a moment of complete relief and joy.”

However, the journey back to Australia was long-winded because of coronavirus travel restrictions. That was May 2021 but not too much have changed even now.

“It took 52 hours to get back to Perth and involved a fortnight’s quarantine in Brisbane. But I was prepared to do anything to return back to Perth.”

“I’ve never had or experienced a level of support and service that Home of Visas offered me. They invested so much time and a lot of it with no financial reward. They kept in touch with me because they had a genuine desire to help.”

Exceptional immigration service

Katie is thankful for our services that she claims surpassed her expectations.

“I’ve never had or experienced a level of support and service that Home of Visas offered me. They invested so much time and a lot of it with no financial reward. They kept in touch with me because they had a genuine desire to help. I am so grateful – words aren’t enough to express my gratitude.”

Employer sponsored visas allow Australian employers to sponsor highly-skilled, non-Australian workers to fill chronic vacancies where they haven’t been able to find a suitable Australian citizen or permanent resident to do the job.

If you are a business facing crippling staff shortages, we urge you to learn more about standard business sponsorship and work-sponsored visas. The rules and requirements surrounding these applications are highly complex. But if approached with a clear and honest strategy, it could make positive impacts on your business operation.

Get informed and find out if your business is eligible to become a sponsor. We will get to know your business, the vacancies you’re trying to fill, whether the salary on offer meets market rate requirements and assess any potential candidates (whether they are in Australia or overseas).

Call Home of Visas at +61 8 6117 4004 or send us an email to visas@homeofvisas.com.au

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EMAIL: visas@homeofvisas.com.au
PHONE: +61 (0)8 6117 4004

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