Cooeydingers289

Hi all,

My wife and I are interested in moving to Australia from Northern Ireland, early doors mind you! I'm a network engineer at 26 and the wife 24 medical secretary, as well as our child of 1.

I've been looking around at how to go about getting visas etc and it seems a minefield...albeit nothing worth doings easy and all that!

I'm just wondering if anyone has filled these visas out themselves to cuts costs, or is it better to simply go through a firm to put it together for you? Also, any advice on what areas/states might be best to look at for someone who works in It would be great?

Cheers

Bermudashorts

Some people do it by themselves, others prefer to do it through an agent. Personal choice, if you do it by yourself, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time reading.

Working in IT, my guess would be Sydney and Melbourne will have most opportunities, but it is too soon for you to be thinking about that. If you do decide to do this yourself, then focus on one thing at a time and the first thing to focus on is visa.

First three things to do are to: see if you can pass the points test, see if your occupation is on the SOL or CSOL and see what the skills assessment requires. You can find more details on www.immi.gov.au. Take a look and then come back and tell us what you find. Read about 189 and 190 visas too whilst you are at it.

Cooeydingers289

Thanks bermudashorts,

I looked up the site along with the 2 visa types. Interesting reading , my profession is on the SOL list so I would go for that the 189 visa, which estimate cost was just shy of £4000. Not as bad as I thought it would be, mind you I would probably go through an agent to save the headache, so will look into potential cost of that. Also, the OH has second cousins living outside melbourne so there wouldn't be a bad shout, as long as I could get a job lined up there.

Do many find it hard to get a job lined up before actually moving out?

old.sparkles

Have you checked that you can pass both the skills assessment and points requirements for the visa?

Cooeydingers289

Yeah, I got 70 points so hopefully there shouldn't be a problem right? No criminal convictions or any of that gear.

old.sparkles

As long as you are accurate in your points you would be okay on 70.

Both you and your partner have to do police checks when requested, and all of you would have to do medicals. Did you look at the skills assessment yet?

Cooeydingers289

Yeah both ok in regard to the convictions/medical parts. Had a look at the skills assessments this morning, haven't applied for it yet though. Is this the first thing needing done before proceeding to start the visa process?

old.sparkles

For some people, they need to do IELTS first as the skills assessment requires a certain score. If your assessment doesn't need IELTS, then have a read through and check that you have the documents that they require. If you want to claim points for English, then you can also start looking at the IELTS test too.

Ryan the wizard of the Oz

When selecting an agent for a visa application to Australia it's incredibly important that the person **processing** your application is a MARA agent. That's the (Migration Agents Registration Authority) https://www.mara.gov.au/search-the-r...ration-agents/ (you can search by typing in business names and you'll be able to see their agent. Still, even if an agents name comes up, make sure when you speak to the company that whoever the agent is, is the person you'll be working with.

Kind regards

Siouxie

What is your MARA number?

Ryan the wizard of the Oz

You can try and follow the process I put above and you'll see our MARA details. I'm just responsible for our blogging and general advice not visa processing. I'm sure MARA agents would probably be requested to provide their MARN in the signature right!? You're down as a moderator so I'm sure u know.

Siouxie

In your signature you state that you are an Australia Visa Consultant. Are you now saying that you are not a MARA registered Immigration Consultant, but instead are responsible only for blogging and general advice?

old.sparkles

When I check out the MARA site - it does link a consultant to your current company - but that agent is also linked to a number of other companies.

A google search of your name, however, also links you to another visa company

That company has a number of complaints against it form what I can find

Always wise advice to go with a registered MARA agent

Ryan the wizard of the Oz

A visa consultant is not the same as MARA agent, we're quite a big company so we have consultants who respond to enquiries and a MARA agent who processes the visa applications.

I used to work for a company called Global Visas, now IXP visas who I stopped working for many years ago. When I check out the MARA site - it does link a consultant to your current company please be sure not call MARA agents consultants, they're not referred to as that EVER. If you start calling them consultants which they never are then it creates confusion, sort of works towards the other guys suggestion that I'm trying to make myself look like a MARA agent (which I clearly haven't.)

Ryan the wizard of the Oz

Is it possible, (just a suggestion) that we don't focus on me and focus on the person who's requiring advice? I think my suggestion was quite practical and beneficial, whether someone uses us or anyone else they should be MARA registered...that's the point I'm putting out there.