Help for American trying to emigrate to Australia?

Question

I am a 25 year old college graduate who is looking to emigrate to Australia. Couple of factors:
Have lived in Australia before as a child. Have had a student visa to Italy recently. Have a degree in International Business. Have worked in construction (sub contracts management, 2 yrs) and industrial sales (account rep, 2 yrs). No criminal record. Have girlfriend come with me is a must. She might have sponsorship with a company. She has a degree in Marketing and has worked in that industry for 3 years now. No criminal record for her either.
My question is, in a number of scenarios what are our chances of being allowed to emigrate? If she has a job lined up and I do not? If neither of us have a job lined up is it possible to emigrate and then find work? Any tips on finding work in Australia for a U.S. national? Basically how do I get to live and work in Australia and what steps do I need to take to acheive that?

Also how does sponsorship work? I have friends in Australia but no relatives, could my friends sponsor me? How would I get in touch with companies looking to hire someone with my qualities?

Answer 1

Your friends can't sponsor you end of story,

Your best chance of getting into Australia, if you do not have significant assets or a business, or an Australian partner is to apply under the HSMP program, which is slow (generally 2-3 years). Your chances of success are determined by how many points you have on the scale.

The other option would be to obtain a job offer from a firm which is able to sponsor you. This is generally only possible where you have skills in short supply in Australia.

Your US citizenship is not an advantage or disadvantage to your application. Your skills are what matter.

Regarding your girlfriend, she might possibly be able to gain entry as a dependent on a sponsored visa. The employer will confirm this.

On the HSMP program, you would apply separately.

As a rule of thumb, if you have a visa, you can support dependents but if you are not a citizen then you cannot help them gain residency or citizenship as their status is contigent upon your own.

Re finding jobs - check out some of the agencies in sources.

Answer 2

Your friends could sponsor you in Australia as long as they could post the required bond. You will likely be given an Australian visa being an American and studied in the past in Italy.