Hi everyone,

Does anyone know if it's ok to get the police to make certified copies of the various documents required for the skills assessment application, as i've heard that they can do them for free? Or is it best to pay a solicitors firm?
Would be gratefull if anyone can share their experiences of this with me.

Thanks
Jade x

Hi Lee & Jade,
Apparently you can get documents certified by your local courts for a fixed fee of around £8 if you enter 'certified courts' in the search on the tool bar there is a thread on this.
Can't do that thing of adding thread sorry!! I'm bobbins at all that
J x

The easiest way is to copy all your stuff x2 then using Word create a text box with the appropriate wording "I certify that this is a true copy of a sighted original"........., leave a space for a signature and make sure the box is at the bottom of the page. Run all copies through the printer and take them to a JP/magistrate, they certify for free as it's part of their public duties. The box will save you heaps of time as all that's required is a Sig.

Hey, I like it. Very clever! You should add that to the 'what to do list'.
J x

Thankyou very much, that's an excellent idea. Can I just confirm that the text box is printed over the document? or should I print it on the reverse?
Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question!!
Thanx
Jade x

preferably at the bottom of the document.

thanks everyone!!!

A certified copy needs to show the sigs name in full, job title, address, telephone no and date of signing..on every copy, which was a real pain when preparing my TRA APP with 65 copies!!!!!!!!

Mog

Just get all your documents copied, Phone your local court and book an appointment with a judge. Pay £8.00 fee and they will certify as many documents as you want. My solicitor wanted £8.00 per document,the court certified 150 documents for £8.00. Plus you can,t beat having the official court stamp on your documents.

No it doesn't it requires only the specific wording: "I certify that this is a true copy of a sighted original"
Followed by the date signature and title of the certifier.
Telephone number and address are not required.

From the QLD gov website:

"Endorse the copy in the following fashion:This is to certify that this is a true copy of the original,which I have sighted.
Date

Signed

Title

A stamp with this wording is available from the Justices of the Peace Branch for a nominal fee.Multiple-page documents. If the original document has multiple pages, each page must be certified as correct.Some documents, however, are many pages in length and it would not be possible to certify each page. In such cases, you must sign or initial each page and then amend the certification on the last page to read:This is to certify that this [number of pages]-page document (each page of which I have numbered and signed) is a true copy of the original [number of pages]-page document that I have sighted.Date Signed Title Each page of the copy should be numbered as page 1 of 40,2 of 40 and so on.You may be called upon to certify a copy of an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) or an Advance Health Directive (AHD) for use as aproof that someone holds power of attorney for someone else or to allow copies to be held by more than one person or at more than one place.Section 45 of the Powers of Attorney Act 1998 provides that aperson may prove the existence of an EPA or AHD by producing acopy of the original document, as long as it is properly certified. It further provides that, in a properly certified copy:each page of the document except the last page must be certified a true and complete copy of the corresponding page of the original, and the last page must show certification that the document is a true and complete copy of the original."

Here is an equally thick question (very new to this). OK I get all of my documents together and do I then:

Photocopy the originals and put the box at the bottom. That is the important part because the documentation states that photocopies are insufficient, however will a photocopy with official statement be fine.

I know it sounds like a no brainer but I am on a tight time schedule and cannot afford to get one part incorrect because I turn 30 in November and need to get my skills assessed and lodge before then so each item has to be tip-top (hence the paranoia)

Lets see if the Ex-Pat community can be quicker than Australia House

Thanks
Chris

Don't send originals of anything you will not get them back! [Where exactly does it say that photocopies are insuficient?]
Copy all your qualifications everything from your cycling proficiency to your City & Guilds or your NVQ, HNC, HND etc.. The only original document I sent was the reference my employer wrote specifically for the TRA.
When you fill in your application fill in 2 copies and keep one together with a complete set of certified copies. If you application goes astray you can get another set copied from your back ups.
If you use the certified copy box idea, most of your certificates etc have large spaces free from text, centre your box in the general area and set it to print in blue ink to make it stand out from the black photocopy. All that's required is for you to take them to a JP or pay the £8 at a magistrates court and they can sign and date the boxes for you simple.
It's easy to place the original together with the 2 copies in separate PVC sleeves in a ring binder that way you keep everything together and the JP can view the original and the 2 copies.

feel the love..... thanks and you slaughtered Australia House infinately :P

But how do they do the photos?

Just to say...not all of them do it though. They wouldn't do it in Ashton Under Lyne

Jackie