Australian Permanent Residency: The Leon’s journey

Oct 18, 2022Graduate Visa, Skilled Visa

Know Leon’s success story, a Colombian who came to Australia to study English and decided to stay permanently, while applying for the Permanent Residency.

Back in his native Colombia, Leon had completed a Bachelor in Mechatronics, but he did not have sufficient work experience to migrate directly utilising that degree. Therefore, he consulted Questra Immigration and we were able to provide him with a individualised migration plan.

How we helped Leon?

The key was understanding his existing skills and matching them to jobs that are in demand in Australia. Following the plan provided, he studied Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology at Ashton College in Melbourne’s West. As such, he was able to build up his skills in an in-demand occupation which appears on MLTSSL – Diesel Motor Mechanic.

Related content: Study a Trade and reach the PR in Australia

Whilst undertaking the course, Leon was also fortunate enough to find paid work experience at a local automotive workshop. This allowed him to earn to support himself whilst he studied. Having said that, he was allowed to undertake 40 hours per fortnight of paid work and unlimited hours in school holidays.

Upon graduating, Questra assisted Leon to apply for the Temporary Graduate Work Visa (Subclass 485). This is an open work visa that allowed him to remain in Australia and live and work for 18 months with full-work rights.

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Living, exploring and working in Regional Australia: A key way to get the PR

When on the Graduate Work Visa, Leon continued to work as a Heavy Vehicle Mechanic. Upon following Questra’s advice, Leon also adjusted his situation and was able to land a job in Regional NSW.

Questra assisted him to register himself and his employer with Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) & the Job Ready Program. After 6 months working as a Heavy Diesel Mechanic (or approximately 873 hours), an assessor from TRA came to visit Leon at his workplace and assessed him as competent to work in the industry.

Find out how to get the PR through a Job Ready Program, here.

After approximately 1 year or 1725 hours working as a Diesel Motor Mechanic, Leon achieved his final skills assessment for migration purposes by the TRA. This allowed him to look at applying for different General Skilled Migration Visas.

The importance of an Expression of Interest (EOI), when applying for a Visa

The next step was to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), through Skill Select and apply for a General Skilled Migration Visa. Leon did not have sufficient points to apply for the Skilled Independent. However, as the occupation of Diesel Motor Mechanic was considered a critical occupation in Regional NSW, Leon was invited to apply for NSW State Nomination.

As a result, Questra lodged an Expression of Interest, also a RDA application requesting NSW State Nomination for the 491 visa. Leon was fortunate enough to receive the invite and apply for the Skilled Work Regional Visa – Subclass 491.

Leo’s transition to the PR

Upon receiving the invitation to apply, Questra lodged his Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) on the 7th May 2021. On the 2nd of August 2021 he was granted the 491 visa. This is an open 5 year work visa that allows Leon to transition to PR if he continues to live and work in a regional area for 3 years and earn above $53,900.

In the future, he hopes to remain living and working on the Regional NSW, and set up his own Diesel Mechanical workshop.

If your dream is to stay in Australia, we can make it happen!

Our website is jam packed with useful information about various visa options and common questions that answer most of our visitors’ doubts, but if you’re still not sure and would like a personalised migration plan with a step by step road map, then schedule a consultation with one of our Registered Migration Agent.

Relevant links

Useful links to get the ball rolling

Study Diesel Motor Mechanic
The Ultimate Trade – Study Pathways
Graduate Visa (485 visa)
Skilled Work Regional (491 visa)

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Vignesh M

April 24, 2024.

Bill Questra is nothing short of exceptional. His assistance was instrumental in helping my wife and me navigate the complexities of the visa process, ultimately leading to our successful visa grant. What sets Bill apart is not just his expertise, but his approachability and willingness to go the extra mile for his clients. He patiently guided us through each step, answering our questions, addressing our concerns, and ensuring that we felt confident and supported throughout the process. His professionalism, coupled with his warmth and empathy, made all the difference during what could have been a stressful ordeal. Thanks to Bill's tireless efforts and unwavering commitment, my wife and I can now embark on this new chapter of our lives with peace of mind and excitement for the future. He is truly an amazing person and a consummate professional.

vanessa prieto

April 15, 2024.

My and my family have done 2 different visas with Questra and both were granted. The team supported me in each step giving me all the information and advice I needed to understand the best options we had based on my profile. Thank you Bill and Dahiana. I definitely recommend Questar for any Visa process.

Alice Sharma

February 16, 2024.

Bill and his whole team have been so excellent throughout my partner visa application. Lina and Bill truly helped me understand the process better and were impressively thorough with their visa preparation. They really took everything into consideration,cross-checked multiple times to ensure my application was decision ready and now I have my permanent partner visa application approved and I can’t thank the team enough.I would recommend Questra Immigration to anyone and everyonelooking for quality and trustworthy visa services.

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June 30, 2023.

We engaged with Questra through my classmate. After initially consultation with lawyer- Bill, we decided to see how it goes. Basically, you would be assisted by Questra team with your application. Lots of people might think you engage with law firm and paid them nothing is needed to be worried. I have to slightly correct those idea from people who wish engaging with Questra. First of all, it’s your responsibility to provide legitimate information to them. The team of Questra is playing a role like a coach to assist with your application to become more smoothly and persuasively way but remain all legitimate information for your application. Hence, you have to write all information that you wish to include into your application by yourself first. During our preparation phase before offical lodgement of our application, we have been assisted by all Questra team and ensured all supportive information have been provided and if we missed anything, the team will let us know ASAP. We got our 820 very soon after lodging our application within 6 months during Covid, which we were very grateful for the result and after two years of waiting, we continued with Questra to lodge our 801 as they have all information of ours. We received our 801 within 11 months of waiting time. However, this timeframe is just for your reference as each case have different requirements and conditions that might be required more time to process. In the conclusion, we are very grateful to engage with Questra, they made the whole process was so smooth and less hassle for us. We highly recommended to engage with them if your need some assistance with your visa application.

ana vaca

June 5, 2023.

Highly recommend

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May 25, 2023.

Very friendly staff who know what they are doing. They have helped me with my VISAs since I landed on Australia and they have been very professional and attentative to detail. They triple check everything before it gets lodged which makes me feel safe and confident that I can rely on them.

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May 23, 2023.

Simply amazing!! I have applied for 186 DE with Bill and his work has been perfect. Great communication, always ready when I had a question or a doubt and great promptness. Absolutely recommended!

Namita Devi

May 6, 2023.

I have recently received notice that my 485 visa has been granted, after over three years of being separated from my family. I am extremely grateful for the excellent service provided by Bill and Dahiana from Questra Immigration. Their exceptional service, guidance, and expertise played a vital role in the successful outcome of my application, and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts. They were always available to answer my questions, offer advice, support and provide reassurance, even during my frustrating and emotional moments. This made a significant difference to my experience. I am truly grateful for their professionalism, dedication, and attention to detail, which ensured that my application was submitted accurately and efficiently. Their extensive knowledge of the visa application process and regulations gave me the confidence that my application was in the best hands possible. Their service and work was outstanding , and I would not hesitate to recommend their services to anyone in need of an immigration agent.

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April 24, 2023.

A+++ experience with Bill and his team as their support trough our 186 application was above and beyond at all times. Our Visa was granted within just a month of lodging and it wouldn’t have been possible without their extensive knowledge and top notch customer service. Thank You Questra! Highly recommend

Liliana Gracio