The best way to get PR = Decisiveness

21 Mar The best way to get PR = Decisiveness

How do I get PR in Australia? Decisiveness. Yes, it’s a big word, but how do these 12 letters help me get permanent residency in such a competitive system? Well, if you conduct yourself in a way which is more competitive than the average PR seeker, then you are setting yourself up for a more deserving outcome.

Typical pathways that experts will suggest to gain to more points in the Skills Select system include higher English level, applying for Professional Year if possible as well as NAATI where applicable. However, if you start with a decisive mindset before you even start your journey, you will be able to squeeze more points along the way and not be caught short on your visa deadline.

It is a highly competitive ranking system, in which you are ranked for points in some aspects you cannot change such as your age. The system is about to get even more competitive than ever, with the Coalition Government announcing they want to cap permanent visas from 190,000 to 160,000.

So what is decisiveness and how can it help me? The Oxford Dictionary defines decisiveness as ‘the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.’ By starting your pathway to PR quickly and effectively, you are doing everything possible to lead in front of your peers and include yourself into the mix ahead of them.  

For some reading this article, time is against you and it is too late to be decisive. However for others, here are two major areas of the Points Test you can introduce your decisive mindset into:

ENGLISH LEVEL: Often I talk to temporary residents who have great points already based on age, overseas experience, and other areas blessing them with high points, with improved English capability being enough to lock them in to get an invitation. Unfortunately, they procrastinate spending the money on a PTE or IELTS coach, do not put the emphasis on learning, and underestimate the turnover time between booking in for the test and actually having enough time to get the invitation in time before their visa expiry.

Those who are decisive will be working on their English all throughout their journey in Australia, especially between semesters of study, with the best applicants I’ve seen having done coaching and testing during their studies. Yes, their results may expire, but they do this so that towards the end they just have to do a refresher and another test knowing they are competent to get their desired score and not having to worry about the result. Think of it like doing a practice run. Put the hard work in early, given you will be practicing your English skills every day naturally anyway.

WORK EXPERIENCE: One of the most heartbreaking consultations I can have are the ones where the temporary resident has the maximum points achieved throughout all possible areas except Australian work experience, coming to me asking for help to get “12 months of experience” when their visa “expires in 11 months”. I feel for these applicants, because they have 11 months in which there is nothing they can do to achieve 12 months experience.

While you are studying, ensure you gain some practical work experience, often called an ‘Internship’ or ‘Industry Placement’. I originally worked in this field helping international students gain their dream job (hence my career progression into migration law), and if you get in contact I would be more than happy to refer you on to the best providers in the industry suitable to your needs. Not only is work experience a natural progression to your studies, but most universities are now making work experience a compulsory unit of their courses, meaning that you are already less competitive to the thousands of graduates unless you act early as I suggest. The best way to gain post-qualification work experience is having done an awesome job as a student in a local Australian business.

So what do you think? Do you need to rush out and lock in a session with an English language coach ASAP? Or perhaps you want to email me a copy of your CV asking if I know of any work experience roles for you? Regardless your next steps, I hope this blog reaches you in time as you strive to maximise your points for your pathway to permanent residency.

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