UK - Singapore (for a year) - then Australia (on Working Holiday Visa)?

Hey, I'm 30 and turn 31 in mid-December.

My girlfriend and I are planning to apply for jobs in Singapore, for around one year, before spending two-three years in Australia, around Sydney, where I have many university friends.

In my favour, I have five (six by then) years in technology sales/account management, with extensive international business experience and strong knowledge of the UK academic market in particular.

Against me, I have a naughty little charge for having a few pills when I was 18, which still appears on my record when searches are conducted.

Game-plan is to apply for a Working Holiday Visa as close to my birthday as is sensible, then arriving in Australia close to the end, so I get as long in Singapore as possible, before activating my working holiday visa and hitting the ground looking for sponsorship. I have a friend whose girlfriend is in recruitment in Sydney, which should help.

I could apply for the WHV whilst still in the UK. However, I hear that if a criminal record is mentioned, it could take six weeks. Can I leave for Singapore in this time and have my visa sent to me via email? What is the visa, exactly? A sticker in my passport, meaning I have to wait to have it put inside?

Therefore, do I in fact need to allow enough time to get the visa and have my criminal record answered for (which takes how long?) before getting my passport stickered up and then arriving in Singapore and starting work?

Or, can I apply for my WH visa whilst in Singapore? This would be best, as I could be in Singapore by August, then apply for my visa in late November and end up staying in Singapore until October 2017, therefore one year and two months! I'd then be arriving in Australia when I'm nearly 32.

An agent for a travel company mentioned that, having spent three months in Singapore, I may also have to get a medical to be allowed into Australia? I kept trying to ascertain if this was before or after the visa, but they weren't very clear.

Any assistance on my game-plan would be appreciated. I need to get my timings right!

Thanks

I suggest because of your age, that you apply for and come and do the Aust WHV first.
If you do 3 months regional work in Aust, you get to stay a 2nd year.
Also, unless you are very well qualified, and the job skills you have cannot be met by a Singaporean, your chances of getting jobs there will be hard, as jobs have to be approved by the MOM.
Edit: Singapore seems to have a WHV program, but only for 6 months, according to Global Goose, for people who are undergraduates/graduates under 30.
Getting a visitors visa for a stay of up to 1/3 months is easy, but the thing about staying longer is that, you have to show work. Otherwise keep going in and out of Singapore every few months.
You don't have to get the Aust WHV sent by email, so long as you don't loose your passport, don't laugh, it happens.
Its now electronic, and linked to the passport you applied with, nothing sent by email except the notification, and then you can ask for a passport stamp on entry to Australia.
Your age is against you, so do Aust.
Visit Singapore.
Your decision.
I have been to Singapore many times, stayed a week on 2 occasions, nice hot weather and food loving place, but work will be harder to come by, Aust is better.
You will kick yourself spending less time here.

Being able to get a Singapore WHV might be easy/easier these days in the Singapore govt's eyes, but have you thought whether you have a job lined up already?
Accommodation is not really that cheap.
I don't think its s cheap place to be. Unless you are making $$$ from the start off, and not just bringing money in to spend.
Unlike Aust, where during the fruit picking season, you could be earning ASAP!

I'm with aussieguarddog 43 - don't know why you would go to Singapore for a year unless you have some great mega bucks job lined up? Yes its expenisve place to live and not that exciting I think, of course there is the advantage that its easy to get to other S.E. Asian countires for trips thats about all. -- ANyway as above yes you can apply for OZ visa while your in Singapore, I don't think you can apply now for a visa if you don't intend to come here for 14 months, there is alimit how far in advance you can apply (I think 6 months but not sure). The pills charge prob not big isue in oz but may be a show stopper in SIngapore; have you checked this out?

Once you get the Australian visa you have 12 months to arrive and activate it, so you should time that accordingly. The Australian leg of your plan is relatively straight-forward but, unless you have contacts in Singapore I'd suggest that is much more problematic. You need to do more research on that part.

I'd also advise doing Australia first.
I would NOT leave the visa til the last minute. While it is generally approved in a day or two, from time to time we've had reports here of it taking 3-6 weeks (especially towards the end of the year when all the poms are preparing to land)
At busy times it can take 3-6 weeks to process.
There is some confusion over whether you can get the 2nd year after you are 31 - most advice is yes, along as you tag it straight on the end and don't leave, but no if you leave and apply at some future date.
You can apply up to 12 months in advance, you then have 12 months from when you land.
The pill charge is not a problem. In the USA it bars you for life from getting the easy visas, Australia only cares about significant offences (defined as 12 months in prison). But don't lie about it. You WILL be barred for lying about the conviction, but not fort he conviction.
Everyone I know who went to work in Singapore did it for the money or career and hated it after a few weeks. Only go if the financial outcome really is that good.
But what do they think of the drug conviction? They're a lot tougher on this than Australia.

Also please don't be under the illusion that a WHV is designed for you to get professional work or that its designed for you to gain sponsorship. Its not and you will find many jobs you won't be considered because you can only do one job for 6 months. so only short term jobs are really possible on the WHV.

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