Home › Forums › Thinking About It › Visa Options & Pathways › Any help or insights for visa pathways would be greatly appreciated.

Tagged: , , , , , ,

  • Visa Options & Pathways

    Any help or insights for visa pathways would be greatly appreciated.

    Posted by Febrianus on June 11, 2025 at 3:07 pm

    Hi everyone,I’m an Indonesian mining professional with over 11 years of experience (multiple roles : Mine Engineer, Mine Geologist, and Mine Planning Engineer roles), currently exploring job and visa opportunities in Australia.

    Age: 39, married, 1 child

    Education: Bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering, Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering

    Planning to take PTE soon (target 65+)

    I’m looking for advice on:

    Chances of getting a mining job (e.g. in WA/QLD/SA/TAS/NT)

    Recommended visa pathways (482/DAMA, 190, 491?)

    Does age (39) limit skilled migration?

    Tips for first steps — skill assessment, job search, or agent?

    Any recommended recruiters or companies that sponsor overseas candidates?

    Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated. Happy to connect with anyone who’s been through a similar path.

    Thanks in advance!

    • This discussion was modified 1 day, 9 hours ago by  Mark. Reason: fixed formatting
    Mark replied 1 day, 6 hours ago 2 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies

  • Mark

    Administrator
    June 11, 2025 at 3:16 pm

    Hi Mangasi, I’m unsure what might have happened with your page formatting, but I’ve fixed it (I assume you may have copied and pasted before). 🤔

    Anyway, thanks for sharing your background. Your experience highly relevant to Australia’s current labour market needs, especially in regions like here in Western Australia (where I am), Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

    1. Occupation Classification and Skills Assessment

    Your role aligns with the ANZSCO code 233611 – Mining Engineer (excluding Petroleum), which is listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). This classification makes you eligible for several skilled migration visas including the 189, 190 and 491 visas.

    For migration purposes, you’ll need a positive skills assessment from Engineers Australia. Given your qualifications, you’ll likely need to submit a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR). Details: https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/migrants/migration-skills-assessment

    2. Visa Pathways

    • Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189): Points-tested permanent visa. No employer or state sponsorship required. Competitive – usually needs 90+ points.

    • Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190): Permanent visa with state nomination. States like WA, QLD and SA often nominate mining engineers, but conditions vary.

    • Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 491): Five-year regional visa with pathway to PR via subclass 191. Requires state nomination or family sponsorship.

    • Employer-Sponsored Visas:

      • Skills in Demand Visa (subclass 482): Temporary visa with employer sponsorship. Common route for mining engineers. Leads to PR via subclass 186.

      • Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186): Direct PR with employer nomination.

      • Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494): Five-year regional visa with employer sponsorship. Pathway to PR.

    • Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA): Regional labour agreements with concessions (e.g. age, English, salary). Goldfields WA and NT DAMAs include mining engineers. Details: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/nominating-a-position/labour-agreements/designated-area-migration-agreements

    3. Age Considerations

    At 39, you’re still eligible for most skilled visas (cut-off is 45). However, age impacts your points score:

    • 25–32 years: 30 points

    • 33–39 years: 25 points 👈🏻 You are here.

    • 40–44 years: 15 points

    So it’s best to apply soon to maximise your score.

    4. English Language Proficiency

    Targeting 65+ on each PTE band will earn you 10 points. Aiming for 79+ on each will earn 20 points – which can really help boost your points total.

    5. Job Search and Employer Sponsorship

    To find jobs that offer sponsorship:

    1. https://482jobs.com – This is one of our own websites and all jobs listed here offer Australia visa sponsorship. The Engineering category is likely to suit you: https://482jobs.com/job-category/engineering/

    2. https://seek.com.au – Large job board with many mining roles.

    3. https://indeed.com.au – Another excellent resource for mining job listings.

    Also upload your resume here to be visible to recruiters: https://482jobs.com/candidates/submit-resume/

    6. Recruiters and Companies

    Here are a few to consider:

    7. Next Steps

    I hope this gives you a clear and practical path forward. Let me know if you have other questions or want support with the skills assessment process.

    Warm regards,
    Mark

  • Febrianus

    Member
    June 11, 2025 at 4:44 pm

    Hi Mark,

    Thanks a lot for your detailed explanation. I really appreciate your time to share all that information. It helps me understand the visa options better, and realized I should start with the skills assessment and preparing the PTE test. I’ll begin working on both soon.

    Also, thank you for sharing the useful links for job search, recruiters, and resume tips. They’re very helpful as I’m just starting to explore the process.

    One quick question :

    With a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, would that add any value when applying for jobs or during the skills assessment? And could you please explain briefly how the assessment process usually works?

    Thanks again for your support.

    Best regards,

  • Mark

    Administrator
    June 11, 2025 at 5:02 pm

    You’re very welcome, and I’m glad the information helped clarify your path forward!

    To your question about your Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering:

    • For job applications, it may be seen as an additional strength, especially by employers involved in mineral processing or metallurgical operations. However, most mining roles will focus on your direct experience and qualifications in mining or geological engineering.

    • For the skills assessment, Engineers Australia will assess whether your academic qualifications and work experience align with the ANZSCO occupation you’re nominating—likely 233611 – Mining Engineer (excluding Petroleum).

    Since your Master’s is in a different field (Chemical Engineering), it won’t directly help the skills assessment unless you can clearly link it to mining engineering duties (e.g. process optimisation in mining, mineral extraction processes). Your Bachelor’s in Geological Engineering and your work experience in mining roles will be the primary focus.

    Skills Assessment Process (for CDR Pathway via Engineers Australia):

    1. Choose your ANZSCO code – In your case, 233611.

    2. Prepare three career episodes – These are detailed write-ups (1000–2500 words each) showcasing specific engineering work or projects you’ve done that align with mining engineering duties.

    3. Prepare a Summary Statement – This maps your career episodes to Engineers Australia’s competency standards.

    4. CPD (Continuing Professional Development) – A summary of activities you’ve done to keep your engineering knowledge up to date.

    5. Submit all documents online via the Engineers Australia portal, along with certified copies of your academic transcripts and employment references.

    Engineers Australia will then assess whether your qualifications and experience match Australian standards for a Mining Engineer. Processing typically takes 8–12 weeks.

    You can learn more here: https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/migrants/migration-skills-assessment

    Let me know if you’d like any further help. These are all good questions!

    Warm regards,
    Mark

  • Febrianus

    Member
    June 11, 2025 at 5:24 pm

    Hi Mark,

    Thanks again for your detailed explanation!

    Also, I appreciate the outlining step of the CDR process, which is very helpful. I will start soon to gather information for the 3 career episodes as you suggested.

    I might reach out again if I have questions along the way. Thanks again for all the guidance!

    Best regards,
    Febrianus

  • Mark

    Administrator
    June 11, 2025 at 5:47 pm

    You are very welcome Febrianus, happy to help point you in the right direction.

    All the best

    Mark

Similar Forum Discussions

Log in to reply.

Start of Discussion
0 of 0 replies June 2018
Now

Report

Harassment or bullying behavior
Contains mature or sensitive content
Contains misleading or false information
Contains abusive or derogatory content
A post that ads no value other than advertising the services or products of the poster
Contains spam, fake content or potential malware

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

  • See blocked member's posts
  • Mention this member in posts
  • Message this member
  • Add this member as a connection

Please note: This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

Report

You have already reported this .