Do pipe welders / structural welders make a decent living in Sydney or Melbourne?

I'm from the U.S.A. and thought of moving to Australia...I'm currently enrolled in obtaining a welding certificate, I have one more semester left after this one.

Is there a demand for welders there? And do they make good money? Would I be able to get a visa with that skill? I think it would be a good lifestyle change to live over there.

Thank You,

Jonathan

Reply

Hi Jonathan,

Thank you for your question. You are right, Australia offers an excellent lifestyle if you have the right skills and experience and a profession that is highly sought after.

To get a quick overview about moving to Australia you can visit the emigrate to Australia page. Specifically if you would like to apply as a skilled migrant check the work visa page.

For all the details and latest changes you must visit and read the information published by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website - immi.gov.au

You will see that there are several options to apply for a visa to move to Australia. These include applying as an independent skilled migrant or as a sponsored one.

As a skilled migrant you must be able to prove that you meet some basic requirements, among which: age (the younger the better) and evidence that you have the right qualifications and experience in an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL).

The SOL shows the skills that are in demand in this country.

Check the latest information by accessing the Annual Update of Skilled Occupation List document published by the Department of Immigration.

The fitter-welder is one of the 13 new jobs added to the SOL this year, which means that there is a demand for this line of work. All the 13 new occupations reflect the demand for skills needed in Australia.

You will see that there are several other similar jobs included in the SOL such as: pressure welder, welder (first class), fitter.

Choose the one that applies to you and get it assessed by the relevant authorities. To see which are those authorities download the SOL - schedule 1 (immi.gov.au/skilled/_pdf/sol-schedule1-2.pdf) and browse the table. The third column in the table indicates the assessing authority.

For example the qualifications of a welder need to be assessed by TRA (Trades Recognition Australia - deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/SkillsAssess/TRA/Pages/default.aspx.) Visit the website of this organisation to check their requirements.

For more information about migrating to Australia, including the points test, the current application pass and pool marks, how to get an assessment of your overseas qualifications, skills or experience, which are the assessing authorities, plus the estimated processing times of visas for moving to Australia as a skilled person, visit immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/more-information-gsm.htm

As to whether welders make good money, browse career websites such as mycareer.com.au, seek.com.au, jobs.com.au, jobsearch.com.au, careerone.com.au, enter the job you want, industry and location and check what's on offer.

Good luck with your endeavours and hope all works out for you.

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