What do we reckon my chances of being sponsored are?
My employer wants to sponsor me - I've worked part-time / casual hours (between 17.5 and 32 hrs a week) for the last 4 months, going up to full-time this week.
I'm 25, have no dependants and I'm on my last 417 WHV Visa.
I'm from the UK, have an undergraduate degree in Law and Business (BA with Hons) from England. English is my second language but I speak it like a native.
Myself and my employer had a discussion with a migration lawyer this week about keeping me here and working for him - she did make a point of saying that there is a risk it could be denied because of my experience, but she also mentioned that she does not take lost-cause cases on as it reflects badly on her, so feeling mixed.
I really want to stay, this particular area has been my home for almost three years now. By the time my 417 is up (end of February 2027) I'll have 8 months of experience in sales - the migration lawyer is looking at a technical sales rep role or a sales and marketing manager role. Obviously, this doesn't satisfy the 1-year minimum with a relevant degree, but she's willing to take the risk and hope that the processing time on the bridging visa will allow for the experience to reach 1 year.
I'm worried the 'technical' part of the technical sales rep role won't apply to me - I do b2b sales for a smaller liqueur supplier. I'm also worried that if we go the sales and marketing route, there isn't enough evidence of my role fitting into it. I do have hospitality management/supervisory experience which has allowed me to excel in my current position compared to my colleagues as I have market/consumer knowledge, but I don't believe that experience would count as 'relevant' in the yees of the government.
My boss (and CEO and founder) is 100% prepared to do this and says he'll throw whatever he needs to towards it - he sees that this is my home now and is willing to do anything to keep me working for him (I've been performing very well, according to ym supervisors.)
I'm not too sure how confident I feel and I don't want to waste my employers' money and time. I really, really want to stay and I do love my current job. Any opinions? Anybody experienced anything similar?