Blueboy

Hi all,

Having decided to take plunge we`re about to begin our Visa application which seems far from an easy/quick process. I was considering using one of these Internet Immigrtaion services, although they do seem quite costly. What do people really think of them? Are they value for money? Do they really make the process easier and speed things up? and which one should i choose, can you provide any first hand recomendations?

We would really appreciate as much advice as poss.

cheers.

Go Banana's !!

We did DIY on a Skilled Oz Sponsored 138 class visa.

We felt it was better to go that route as you have your own interests at heart, wereas an Agent has everyone elses applications to deal with aswell as yours.

It depends on how complicated your actual application is. There are alot of people on here who have used agents and in most instances have found them invaluable.

It does look intially very complicated, but if you approach it like a project, methodically, it's not that bad. A good indication is if you are comfortably over the points you need, have an uncomplicated employment history and not much personal baggage, such as ex's to deal with (there are alot on here believe me!) I would do it yourself.

Good luck

Jill and Warren

Visa granted 8th April Perth here we come

Alan Collett

For such an important life changing process I would want to give myself the best chance of a positive visa decision, and so for many I would say their prospects for a successful outcome are likely to be enhanced by engaging a registered agent (see http://www.themara.com.au for a list of registered agents).

But I'm a tad biased of course ... :-))

Best regards.

Dilly's

Hi there,

Congratulations on deciding to take the plunge.

When I first looked at applying I thought the whole process looked confusing etc. I decided to subscribe to Australian Outlook and Australian News papers and picked an agent called Grahame Igglesdon of Concept Australia 020 84678521 after seeing that he writes articles for the newspapers above which are aimed at those looking to move to Oz.

I had several quotes from other sources and like you, found them expensive. Concept was a little more acceptable and he had worked in Immigration for many years before. Also my case was going to be slightly more complicated by medical conditions and I really wanted to get it all right first time.

I think many on this site have applied themselves and I know this forum can be of great assistance if you need it. There is always someone that can help. I personally just wanted to hand it over to someone who would be experienced enough to tell me just what to do next (I like the easy route). I do here of stories on here from people who have had bad dealings with an agent, but I had no problems with mine.

We are all of to Brisbane in 2 1/2 weeks on a sponsored, skilled visa and cant wait.

I hope the above helps, and GOOD LUCK!!

rudo1ph

We are on a skilled sponsored visa. We took the DIY route and had no problems. If you follow the instructions and send exactly what they are asking for then it should go through without a problem (providing you meet all the necessary criteria). In our case we had the complication of a daughter we adopted after we had submitted our application, but even that did not cause us any problems.

Good luck

andy thomas

hello neighbour, well almost anyway

I used an agent (registered) and they did a great job for us, visa via stni in 18 weeks, it all depends on whether it would be money well spent, my fees were £1850 plus TRA, Visa fee and Meds.
the Visa Unit in London are now offering workshops where by you can spend the day with them filling out all the necessary forms for your application, they make sure that you have all the correct info included before submitting them. Thought I'd mention it as its alot cheaper than normal agent fees this way but at least you know the paperwork is correct.

www.visa-unit.com

or tel 0845 061 6600 and ask for john McLennan or john Mumford

I used their full service but this is now a cheaper option with some piece of mind, obviously DIY is the cheapest.

cheers Andy

Olive101

You've done the hard bit - deciding to take the plunge - now it's simply your chance to prove to Australia that their country would be a better place with you and your family in it!

I applied DIY style under Skilled Independent class 136. I have had no problems so far - medicals and police certificates were requested this week - which means we are (almost) in.

As to whether or not you need an agent - it depends upon

(a) how straightforward your sitaution is (i.e. do you clear the passmark easily, are your skills easy to get assessed)
(b) how good you are at collating and organsing information and documents
(c) if you can spare the fee for an agent!

You do have to pretty organised and feel fairly relaxed at filling in strange and, at times, confusing forms. If you take your time and work through the help given on the DIMIA website you may well be able to save yourself £££££.

(If you are anything like us, you'll need every penny you can find to fund the move!)

Either way - the effort (or ££ spent) are well worth it when thay yellow envelope drops on your mat!

GOOD LUCK.

olive

Go Banana's !!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Olive101


Either way - the effort (or ££ spent) are well worth it when thay yellow envelope drops on your mat!

GOOD LUCK.


And so say all of us


:PARTY: :PARTY: :PARTY: :PARTY:

Jill

woody1974

like yourself i have also just started the whole process of applying but i opted to use an agent.
started looking at the info they supplied me for the tra trades application and it has helped me with what info and the best layout was required.
anyway about concept australia, i am using them as they are based in manchester and more easily to get hold of, seem good at the moment and answer all my e mails quickly.
as you said the cost of an agent is high but it is a lot of work undertaking the whole process yourself.
goodluck :scared: :scared:

Alan Collett

I'd also say that if you are looking at a skilled visa application it is often the case that the skills assessment application can be more demanding than the subsequent visa application. This might be another factor in deciding whether to engage an agent, as some (most?) would be happy to assist with one aspect of the application and not the other ...

Best regards.

ptlabs

http://ptlabs.topcities.com/faq0.html#basic004

Peter

Blueboy

Thanks for all the advise. We probably do have very little complications in our lives as far as our application is concerned. The minefield to me seems to be choosing the right type of Visa. My wife and I have no relatives in Aus so it looks like the Skilled Visa route for us. I have been looking at potential agents and found what seems to be a good one in www.liveinaustralia.com/home/default.asp. They have a particular package for $250 which could be a good kick start. I think that i might use them initially so that they can help us select the best Visa for us and then potentially do the rest via DIY. Has anyone used these agents, any good/bad experiences?

Thanks again for the advise.

steve-n-jo

If you spend more time on this forum before you decide which agent to use you will have a more objective view on which to use as they are all mentioned at some point...good and bad.

Different fees charged are not always a guide of which agent to use and which is the best.....but it goes without saying you "pay peanuts get monkeys"....and what is a new start worth??

We used Alan Collett (Go Matilda) and they have been great..
George Lombard is also giving advice on here and has had numerous good posts....but I feel we were first time lucky with who we chose.

:lecture: