Jaj

Restrictions on a 457 visa vs permanent residence

1. You can only work for your sponsoring employer. You are forbidden to
have any secondary employment. If you are laid off, you have 28 days to
find a new employer (plus sponsor) or leave Australia.
2. School fees in NSW (and possibly some other states - you need to
check) - AUD4.5k per child per year
3. The time does not count for Australian citizenship.
4. Children born to you in Australia will not be Australian
citizens by birth.
5. Your spouse will have unrestricted work rights but will find it hard
to get career-orientated jobs as employers usually prefer
citizens/PRs
6. Your children will be treated as "overseas students" if they go to
university in Australia. If you are from the UK they may be treated
as 'overseas students' back in the UK too unless they meet a 3 year
residence requirement, even if British citizens. You need to check
this in detail.
7. As your children get older (especially once they turn 18), it may
be harder to include them in a permanent visa application. They
could end up having to go home once deemed "independent" even if the
rest of the family gets permanent residence
7. You will face FIRB restrictions on buying property.
8. No eligibility for Medicare, other than limited reciprocal
healthcare schemes for some nationalities. Health insurance will be
more expensive.
Once you apply for a PR visa you are normally eligible for Medicare.
9. No entitlement to social security or welfare benefits. This includes
benefits paid to mothers of new babies, and things like the first
home buyers grant.
10. No automatic entitlement to permanent residence (PR). Bear in mind
the usual problem is that the employer won't sponsor for PR. Not
can't - won't.
You must also bear in mind that a death, illness or
divorce/separation before PR is granted could leave some or all
family members in a very difficult visa situation.
12. Some professions and occupations (eg migration agent) are closed
to those without permanent residence.
11. You cannot sponsor relatives for permanent residence or sign an
Assurance of Support for migration purposes.
14. There is no legal bar on obtaining credit (eg loans, credit
cards) but you will likely find it harder to get one without
permanent status.

Benefits of the 457:

15. Although in general 457 holders pay the same taxes as Australians
(for little or no benefit) there are a few tax breaks available to
temporary residents. The most notable one is Living Away from Home
Allowance (LAFHA). However this must be negotiated as part of your
salary package and is under threat as soon as you apply for a permanent
visa. The same goes for the other temporary resident tax exemptions.
Most 457 holders (other than those who are expatriates employed by
multinationals, who are in a different situation to most) believe that
the tax concessions do not compensate for the limited rights they have
compared to permanent residents.
Note: Under Government proposals from 1 July 2006, most 457 visa
holders will not be assessed for tax on non-Australian source
income. However this will only benefit those with significant
investments overseas.

16. 457 visa holders are eligible to recover their superannuation (less
tax) when they leave Australia.

JohnnyQTwentyNine

Hi!
My name's John and I'm new to this forum, hope we get along well.