Agent or no agent
 

:confused: Hi there just had a assessment with a visa agent, and had a positive out come to this. I now have to have my skills assessed and don`t know if i should use a emigration agent or not?. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Steve

Re: Agent or no agent
 

G'day Steve.

Tell us what you do and which type of visa you intend trying for mate.

Re: Agent or no agent
 

hi, as long as you think your app will be simple you will have a better chance of passing, however if there are complications in your app then advise to use agent!

i am a pastry chef, did everything myself and had no problems. i would point out that read all docs well with regards to what you need to do. also make sure you list what declarations you need for TRA & visa, for you and partner! you will probably need 2 or 3 copies of some docs for each declaration ( TRA, Visa, Partner - marriage cert etc). Also i found the local magistrates the cheapest at £8 per declaration, one dec had 25 plus pieces of paper.

good luck
simon :beer:

Re: Agent or no agent
 

G`day Bix Thanx for the reply my trade is as an Electro plater and i am applying on a skilled family sponsored visa. My main concern about the application is that as an electro plater which is not a recognised trade, i have to rely on record of my training in this trade. This trade is on the list of occupations.

Re: Agent or no agent
 

We decided to use an agent mainly for the piece of mind and that could answer all our questions.

Alot of people do it all themselves especially if it is a relatively straightforward application.

Re: Agent or no agent
 

We were just flabbergasted by the cost of an agent - the MIA stall at the Government Expo in Manchester last week said that we can expect to pay between £500 and £2000!!! Is this how much other people have paid? We will be going out on my partner's 136 visa and me as his wife (which by then I will be!!)

I know it gives you peace of mind and takes away the work for you - but if you've got to find all the documents you need anyway, it's not that much extra work to follow the form through and send off the forms yourself at the right times - or is it? Am iI deluding myself that my organised mind will save me money? (I do organise events for a living so I am organised, really!)

Re: Agent or no agent
 

Also, amazing forums like this have a fountain of information all free and at your fingertips! As long as you verify all the information first, then it 'should' all be okay. I think so anyway!

Re: Agent or no agent
 

Hi thanks for the reply. It really is a mine field, could you tell me weather you used an agent based in the uk or Oz

thanks

Re: Agent or no agent
 

I'd say UK but thats just my opinion, Ian Harrop is good and based in Oxford. www.ianharrop.co.uk Good Luck. C x :)

Re: Agent or no agent
 

hi there,

we did not use an agent for our TRA we did it with all the help from all the guys on here they are amazing, they passed me as a toolmaker.

We are not gonna use an agent for our VISA either we feel quite confident that it should all be pretty straight forward, but one thing is for sure if we do have any problems or questions the folk on here will do there upmost to assist us.

Good luck in whatever route you take to achieve your dream.

Re: Agent or no agent
 

As long as you are quite organised and prepared to invest some time in researching your visa then you should be fine on your own.
As others have said you will have to source all your own documents any way, and fill out forms any way - why pay through the nose for someone else to handle it every step of the way?
Even with an agent you will still be ringing them to chase things up and waiting while they research things for you - might as well do it yourself, I'd say!

(Did mine myself and was approved a few weeks ago!)

Re: Agent or no agent
 

and save yourself a small fortune , so there is more for celebrating when you get it !!!!! :beer: :beer: :beer:

Re: Agent or no agent
 

OK - here's the agent's perspective. You can prepare a visa application yourself. After all, it's only a matter of putting the right answers in the right boxes and collecting paperwork.

However, it is a legal process, much like buying a house or completing a Tax Return. You probably won't have handled such a process before, you want to get it right first time and to know you are providing information in a format and in sufficient detail that ensures you get the outcome you want.

I appreciate professional fees aren't cheap. I also appreciate some can do it themselves as they have the time to research the issues and don't have a problem with form filling, Government bureaucracy, etc - as witnessed by the comments above from those who have done it themselves.

However, for relative peace of mind in what is a life changing exercise I'd not simply write off engaging an agent - the good ones should be there to support and guide you through what is usually a very stressful time.

Best wishes to all!

Re: Agent or no agent
 

A good agent should be chasing you when you don't return documents in the required format, and shouldn't have to spend too much (if any) time researching "things" - many of us have seen most scenarios before, and if needs be have access to DIMA policy material online.

Don't think ill of all agents!

Best regards.

Re: Agent or no agent
 

I agree. I never once had to chase my agent for anything. She answered all e-mails within 12 hours (she was based in Australia) and called us from her home to tell us we had passed the TRA and got our Visa.

She also pointed out a few minor points on our TRA application that could have been the difference for us passing or failing the assessment.

We were charged 1900 GBP for their service, but I wouldn't hesitate to pay it again if I had to.

I am very organised and knew my way around the DIMA and TRA site, but it was so much easier to have an expert on board. :)