Well done

Good luck

HK

Thanks

HI People
Here's a little story to help you decide... are we sitting comfortably?... good!...then I'll begin...


As we mentioned before we used OE Visas. This was our third attempt at getting that elusive PR visa. In 1990 we applied SAS and failed because we were too naive and the www did not exist. In 1995 we applied Distinguished Talent and failed..political reasons really. So we were NOT going to take any chances again.
We researched and assessed our situation...and Yes...even with a degree and some work experience we still had 'complications'!
We also knew we had a better chance using an agent than going it alone. Every situation is different and you have to fully evaluate your options.
OE Visas believed in us when every other agent said we had no chance and we saw them all. We're not knocking the others they were very good but our case wasn't that simple!
We decided rightly or wrongly, that an agent is like an 'endorsement' of your application which may help DIMIA see it as a worthy case, and went ahead with them.
In the end OE Visas got my qualification recognised and my nominated occupation. They also helped me obtain the 'right' reference that I needed to prove my experience in an occupation on the SOL. I got my 60 points!! and we passed with flying colours...115 points! Only needed 110 SAS.
They have helped and are still helping advise us through the next tricky steps.
We have got out PCCs and now completed our meds..though we are waiting on some results still bu hopefully thats just a formality.
Only need to prove our sponsors income and pay the bond and ....
BINGO!

The moral of this story is that what ever you decide and who ever you decide to go with, consider your own situation on its own merits and decide for yourself...how much do you want this.....really, really want this????

Then you have your decision!

Good luck & hope this little saga helps...

Well there's certainly a lot of cynicism out there about the competency of agents. My thoughts:

- The quality of the work delivered by agents varies from the very good through to the downright questionable. This is a challenge that faces the DIMIA and the regulator of the profession, and as JAJ knows I feel strongly about better efforts being required to improve standards and fleshing out the incompetent.

- Agents are there to add value, to improve the prospects of the intending migrant, and maybe simply to give comfort to the migrant. Some intending migrants will be able to research all they need to know through their own efforts. Others would have no chance unless they engaged a competent agent. And others simply have to get it right first time because their application is time critical. Each intending migrant has to assess their own abilities in this regard - personally for a life changing decision I wouldn't want to take any chances, but that's my personal view, albeit one that is open to the charge of bias.

- Agents should also give structure to the paperwork that is lodged with a visa application and (more importantly) skills assessment applications for those who are applying for a skilled visa, particularly for those with trade skills or who are lodging applications to the ACS or the IEA under the RPL pathway. These applications are not for the faint hearted, and although much information has to be prepared/provided by the applicant it is the assimilation of this information in a coherent manner that is more likely to generate the desired outcome.

- Can an agent reduce the time taken to obtain visa grant? Once the visa application is lodged there are some time efficiencies that I like to think we as a firm can bring to bear. For example, in today's post I might receive requests for medicals, or the lodgement of Bonds for 138 or 139-applicants. As I am in Melbourne I will receive these letters a day or two after they are sent from Adelaide; they would probably take a week reach the UK. On receipt of such correspondence I send an email straightaway to our client. He or she can then take the necessary action (eg arranging the medical examination, liaising with their assurer, etc). My colleagues in the UK can also liaise with the client as required if they have any questions. For some clients this might mean lopping a couple of weeks off the overall processing time, which isn't a lot in the overall scheme of things, but as most want visa grant ASAP this can be an important element.

Best regards.

Also ... we complete the forms for our clients to sign using form filling software. Clearly not all agents approach applications in the same manner ...

Best regards.

I don't think that's quite right. It's more like doubt about the agents' ability to "add value" in all cases. I don't recall seeing any postings accusing any agent of actually cocking anything up, at least not on this thread.

From above:

"many of us have had very negative experiences with agents ...."

Best regards.

Well that was a general statement, not backed up by any instances of what went wrong. Maybe people are just trying to avoid accusations of libel, but I would like to see hard evidence of which agents have done what wrong. I'm sure you would too!

The same agruement could be put about any sort of agents...
estate agents, employment agents, etc... as to value for money.

I still stick by what I said earlier that each case is individual and you have to weigh up how much you really want your application to succeed, or can afford for it to fail!

Our hearts are certainly set on settling in OZ and we just cannot face the prospect of failing..again! So we wanted to be as certain as we could be. Nearly all Migrant Agents claim a near perfect success rate so there must be something in that.

If it was that simple to do for everybody then everybody would be doing it themselves and the agents would go out of business. They are there to help you and it also gives you a sense that you're not in it on your own.....much like this forum really.

We're not here to discredit the good work of many migration agents, especially those often mentioned and praised in this forum.

The problem is, as Alan Collett says, there are good and bad agents out there. Some of us who weren't fortunate to have come across this forum and read recommendations before approaching any agents.

In our case, we spoke to an agent in Scotland and an agent in Melbourne. Neither of them was able to tell us how they could actually help us. And neither of them had the honesty to say to us that our application was straight-forward enough to be lodged by ourselves. We even paid the Melbourne agent a small sum for an initial on-line assessment and a half-hour consultation, only to find out that our "best chance" was to apply under the "Skill-Independent" subclass. That we had already figured out by going through guidelines on the DIMIA site.

I am sure both agencies we spoke to were competent in their work, but they weren't adding any value in our application because it was so straight-forward.

Question for any migration agent: Have you ever told a prospective customer, when you knew that he/she had a very straight-forward background for immigration, that he/she could possibly lodge the application himself/herself without agent? If you have, you have all my respect and admiration.

Cheers,
Mrs JTL

Um, I'm not sure I implied that we were. I just thought it would be helpful to be more specific about the ways in which bad agents have actually "subtracted value", i.e. genuine examples for people to be aware of. Naming the agents would be helpful too although I can see why people might be less likely to do that.

Well that's just too bloody cheeky for words! The first half-hour (or whatever) should always be free. That's like an estate agent charging you to tell you how much your house is worth!

I remember a regular poster on here actually posting a yes to this question-the agent that they approached actually pointed them to this site and saidthat they could save themselves the money if they desired as the info they needed for their visa type was all here and it was astraight forward case.

Nobody will name their agent while still "in the system" if they feel that the agent is perhaps not being as helpful as they could be or providing the service that is being paid for.However again some have posted post-grant about the experiences.

Well i reckon Agents are bloody wonderful....!!!!!!!!!!Do i mention we have our visa???

Cheers

We have our visas and did not use an agent.

I would not want to knock agents but everyone's case is different. Our visas were a doddle (Parent Contributory) and to employ an agent would have been a waste of money.
For others, though, Agents may be essential.

They are earning a crust and if people are satisfied then everyone is happy. I would not give my skills away cheaply (never did) so money should not be a consideration.There is a rate for the job so don't begrudge it if you choose to pay.

Don't see many plumbers,chippies,electricians etc. offering their services for free so why should agents (including estate agents) be expected to.

G

I think that our application may not be that straight forward, but i will consult with a few agents and get a feel for what they can do for us. I feel confident that there are some good agents out there, glad i started the thread.

Thanks again all.