My name is Harman and I’m a Chef living and working in the Northern Territory. I was recently granted permanent residency, along with my family, under the employer sponsored Subclass 186 pathway.
My permanent residence was granted 11 years to the day when I was first granted my initial Australian student visa. It’s been a long journey for me to get to this point.
I arrived in Melbourne, Australia in 2014 from India, on a student visa to study a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery followed by a Diploma in Hospitality Management. I then went onto a Graduate 485 visa still living in Victoria however I moved out to regional Victoria in the hope of securing more stable employment and increasing my chances of obtaining sponsorship through either the state of Victoria or an employer. There was no such luck for me.
In between my 485 Graduate Visa and my 482 Temporary Skilled Visa, I had applied and was refused a student visa that I lodged an appeal through what was then the Migration Review Tribunal. I thought I had no hope until I met my current employer and Migration Downunder who turned my life around for the better.
I arrived in the Northern Territory in March 2022 and started working with my current employer in April 2022. I live in Alice Springs, Northern Territory (the centre of Australia) with my husband and daughter. I met my husband whilst living in Melbourne and we got married and welcomed our daughter in August 2024.
I work as a Head Chef in an Aged Care home in Alice Springs; my husband is a Heavy Vehicle driver although he’s been the main carer for our daughter for the past 12 months. Words cannot express my happiness now that my family and I have permanent residence – I am beyond happy!
Working with Alice from Migration Downunder was a dream; she helped me through the entire process including securing a visa for my husband. Next step is Australian citizenship!