Wanderlust

Hi all, have any of you used an agent to migrate from the UK to Australia? If so - got any feedback on what it's like? Do you think it's worth the extra fees? Who would you recommend?

ptlabs

There was this thread that I started about agents a while ago:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ghlight=agents

pommie bastard

Look if a thick bastard like me could fill in the form and get in why waste more dosh , you should be able to work out your points on your own, its black and white read the information given no agent can alter the rules .

Wanderlust

Thanks for that ptlabs. Great thread, and very informative. I think I have to agree with those folks who said they didn't mind paying the money for the piece of mind. I'd be absolutely gutted to do it all on my own, only to find out a year later that I had made a mistake and have to start all over again. If I don't get it right this time round, I lose 5 points simply by getting older! I think the main reason I'm considering it is that I've contacted various people at immi.gov.au, Australian embassy, etc. to ask questions, and had different answers from each one. Just need one source I can trust.

Wanderlust

LOL!!! PB - I was chuffed to have you reply to one of my posts. You really are a character on here, aren't you!
If my applicationi was simple, I'd do it myself. But - it does promise to be a bit more complicated. Thanks for your advice though. It was nice to see a post from you where you weren't slagging someone off. LOL!!

ptlabs

Trust what you read from the relevant Migration Booklet (1119 if you are applying under skilled categories). Verbal or casual advice from DIMIA or AHC staff should be taken with a pinch of salt. Some migration agents get things wrong as well - they're not perfect, and no two migration agents are equal. Some agents are more reliable than the others - you'll have to fish a good one out from the sea before you part with your money.

Good luck.


Peter

tinaj

If your case is not straightforward then I would suggest using an agent. I have gone with Go Matilda mainly because I have had many recommendations for them. They are also fairly cheap- $1400.

My case is not straightforward so we chose to use an agent, just in case. If you feel that the immigration may need to contact you regarding certain aspects of your application it would give you peace of mind.

Also it is very easy to leave out or not get some of the documents signed etc. This will delay your application as well. Hopefully a decent agent will pick up on this.
I enclosed a reference from work ,which was 5 months old thinking it was o.k, my agent asked me to get a bang up to date one, I wouldn't have spotted this.

Best of luck

Tinaj

sunny_samantha

This is exactly what we are going through at the moment. Do we use an agent? Do we not? We're not stupid but mistakes can be made easily. We've spoken to a few agents and the most difficult bit seems to be getting an idea of fees out of them...one we spoke to said it would cost us £800, by the time I'd finished the conversation, we established it would be more likely to be more like £2500!! We'd be interested in any reccomandations as spending a lot of money and more importantly a year, or more, hoping seems to be a serious investment and not just a case of picking a name randomly of the internet!
Rod and Susan

ptlabs

This question has surfaced quite a few times, and I would think the couple of registered (and actively practising) migration agents who are regulars on this forum are good picks.

Here are their names and websites:
Alan Collett, http://www.gomatilda.com/home.cfm
George Lombard, http://www.austimmigration.com.au/main.htm


HTH

Peter

P.S. I'm not affiliated to, related to, employed by, paid by or bribed by either of them

Alan Collett

It can be arranged ...!! :-))

ptlabs

Do you have a sister who's single (and Australian!)? Thankfully, my girlfriend doesn't visit this forum!


Peter

doub

We have just lodged our application last week. We used Ian Harrop & Associates and they have been fantastic; Ian Harrop used to work for Australia House and guided us as to the best way to word or phrase things. Maybe you can do it yourself as PB suggested, but we didn't feel it was worth the risk as you only really get one shot at it!

Cheers doub

poggle

Hi There!

Unless you have a complicated case, I would suggest you do it all yourself. A lot of agents are useless and just a total waste of a great deal of money!! [check on the many previous posts that confirm this!]

You are more likely to get any help you need from the people on this forum, including many agents who generously give their time and knowledge for free!!! If you feel you do need an agent then go for one of these! they all seem to know what they're talking about!!

I dont know which type of application your going for, but Ive applied on the Skilled Independent catagory in May this year and although the forms seemed a 'bit of a nightmare!' to start with, they were'nt too bad once we got stuck in!

Hope this helps!

Cheers! and Good Luck!

teresa.c

I have just submitted my application and used an agent from day one, I have to say he was fantastic. I have read the last thread on this and it seems people have been stung left, right and centre. It is a matter of luck more than judgement it seems. I have just been lucky I s'pose. He is based in Australia and all correspondence has been done via email and fax, (except the obvious of posting the forms etc). I found it very handy as I could mail at any time with any question however stupid it seemed, and he would mail right back the next morning. All forms went in via him, I faxed the completed forms over, he checked 'em out, I made any changes he suggested and then sent them over to him. He posted them on. It worked well for me. Like most people I could only afford one shot at this, so better safe than sorry was my thoughts. The fees he charged were not too bad, but worth it for the piece of mind. The fees were paid in installments, after each stage was completed, so I didnt have a big initial layout, with the fear that he might do a bunk!
Anyway, it was right for me, but everyone has different experiences. My advice is shop around and see what you come up with.

Teresa

Alan Collett

I'm just going to chip in my tuppence worth here to say that in almost all cases I would have to recommend getting a firm fee proposal at the very outset before you commit to any costs. Otherwise you are looking at an open-ended cheque. I know some Agents won't commit to a fee in the way that we do - to me that's a financial risk on the part of the intending migrant.

Re the issue of an agent's competency: this is a difficult one to call. I have seen some questions asked by agents on our Agent's Forum that I have had to read twice - it's surprising to me that they are being asked at all. That said, I don't pretend to know all procedural or technical aspects of all types of application - but I do have colleagues and know where to look to get the answer.

By the same token I will pass the enquiry on if I'm not comfortable handling it - that applies to visa and tax issues.

So on the question of competency I guess I would ask your prospective agent for a reference or two and hit him or her with a technical or procedural question or two - maybe having asked the question on this Forum already so you know the answer!

Hopefully this helps ...??