Originally Posted by number_6
So your employer is neither helping nor hurting your long term relocation to Australia. Could they do more? Of course! Will they? Almost certainly not....this is the customary and usual arrangement, and from their standpoint all the drawbacks are advantages.
I first came to Aus on an employee sponsored 457 and after having been in the country for two years (and making myself invaluable
) my employee then sponsored my for permanent residency. If you can demonstrate that you are the only person who can do the job (a good migration agency should be able to show you how), you should be able to make some good progress. Good Migration lawyers arent that cheap though - my application cost over AU$6,000 but was well worth it.