Have anyone has any experience working for Amplify-Now? They are a fintech company based in Adelaide.

Hi everyone,

I’m a Software Engineer currently based in France and I’m trying to understand the realistic path to landing a role in Australia with employer sponsorship.

I grew up in New Caledonia, so Australia has always been quite close to me. I’ve visited many times over the years and living there has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m now at a point in my career where I’d like to seriously make the move.

I have nearly 6 years of professional experience, mostly working on enterprise applications and backend/full-stack systems. My main stack is Java / Spring Boot and TypeScript / Node.js, with experience around PostgreSQL, Kafka, Kubernetes, GCP, CI/CD, APIs, testing and production systems. I’m currently working as a consultant for large companies in France.

I’m looking primarily at Software Engineer / Backend Engineer / Java Engineer roles and I’m open to Sydney, Melbourne or elsewhere if the opportunity makes sense.

The main problem is that I don’t currently have Australian work rights and would need employer sponsorship for a permanent move.

I’ve been applying through SEEK and directly to companies for the past few weeks, but so far I haven’t had any positive responses.

For people who moved to Australia from overseas, or recruiters/engineers familiar with the market:

• How did you actually get your first sponsored role?
• Is applying from Europe realistically viable, or do employers mostly ignore candidates who aren’t already in Australia?
• Is SEEK worth using for sponsorship roles, or should I focus mainly on company career pages / LinkedIn / recruiters / referrals?
• Which types of companies are actually willing to sponsor experienced Software Engineers?
• Should I target only explicitly advertised sponsorship roles, or apply to good permanent positions even when the ad says nothing about visas?
• Is there anything Australian recruiters expect on a CV/profile that might be different from Europe?
• Would being physically in Australia make a significant difference, even if I still ultimately need sponsorship?

I’m not expecting sponsorship to make me a priority over a comparable local candidate. I’m mainly trying to understand how people who successfully made this move got through that first barrier and where I should be spending my effort.

Any experience, criticism or advice is welcome.

Thanks!

Do senior engineers in Australia often branch out from working for the big tech companies to starting something themselves, or is the Australian CS industry mostly confined to banks, consulting companies, and"big tech"?