Urgent: Looking to live in Cairns for best 3 months of scuba season ..i am an advanced diver ....need to work and find a place to live ...have only 24 more hours to rebook flight to Australia....so any and all advice is greatly appreciated !! i have done many different types of work over the years....i am versatile,experienced in marketing and 'people' oriented businesses, but in the end just need work to stay solvent while im there for a few months ...would love to work at a dive operation if someone knows of an opportunity ....Thanks !!

The main question is if you QUALIFY for a work visa!

No kidding. It takes time to get a work visa, you don't just turn up and ask for one. We're in the process of extending our Australian work visas and nothing is happening in a hurry, believe me. There are forms to complete, photos to take, medical clearances to get, etc. It's a process.

gotcha --so a work visa is an exceptionally difficult thing to obtain i take it ? are there other non-diving jobs around where people just pay cash ? Ballzy question but when you are a good worker ...ive found things have a way of working out ...

thanks Meinq and Storm for replies ...Mein im from Salt Lake City ....want me to send you some pics to cure your Colo homesickness ? Anyway ...all i know ive got to book this trip and just get lucky as to timing /circumstance....ive got no time to properly plan this thing so im praying ....

You'll work it out when you get there Blue.

I assumed we were talking about working in Australia legally...

http://www.immi.gov.au/managing-aust...rking-legally/

If you don't have the correct visa to work here, you won't get past airport immigration!

If you come on a holiday visa and work illegally then I hope you and your employer go to gaol. [How come this spell checker does not accept this spelling of a place of imprisonment?]

On second thoughts I don't want to be paying for your accommodation so I wish you deportation.

I am very much in favour of working holiday visas for young people but have no tolerance for those who rip off travelers as far as wages and the travelers who willingly support the practice and undermine the wages of our most lowly paid.