I can't begin to describe my feelings right now. I've just received my grant this morning, but I don't feel relief or happy. It hasn't hit me- maybe I'm in shock!
Details as follows:
Home Country: Indonesia
Dependants: 1 defacto partner
Occupation according to ANZSCO: Chemical Engineer (skill assessment verified through EA)
Company: non-accredited, small with only <10 employees, all engineers
Years of Experience: 3 years on-shore
Timeline (MM/YYYY):
- 07/2018 - Came to Australia to study in UNSW under Bachelor of ChemEng Honours with Visa 500
- 09/2022 - Applied and offered a role as Chemical Engineer in a consulting firm based in Sydney
- 12/2022 - Applied and received Visa 485 with an expiry date of 12/2026
- Applied and received EA Skill Assessment
- Received PTE Superior marks
- Done medicals via Bupa
- 09/2025 - Me and non-accredited company applied for 186 DE
- Booked medical assessment and sent results a week after receiving instructions (which came automatically with the application)
- Received police clearance check both from home country and here.
- Used PTE results from 12/2022 as still valid for 3 years.
- Sent complete payslips ever since I started in the company on 09/2022 till 09/2025
- Sent signed employment contract
- 04/2026 - Company received RFI from DHA on mid April
- Wanted three things: 1. Evidence of market salary rate pay 2. Genuine need for employment 3. Financial capacity to employ for at least 2 years.
- 04/2026 - Company sent letter response with all required evidence on last week of April.
- 05/2026 - Company received nomination approval and I received the 186 grant at the same time this morning (2nd of May).
An 8 year journey overall and 7.5 months from application to grant. Still, I am quite saddened that a majority of my friends did not have the opportunity to get PR. Most of them have gone back to IDN while I remain here with my partner.
I don't know what's worse: to finally achieve your dream but to not have the people you've dreamt it with in the first place anymore, or to still be with them and not have achieved your dream at all?
Anyways, life goes on. Happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability.