Teresa

Hi

Heard/read different stories re doing application yourself or via an agent, we are at beginning and are not sure which way to proceed.

Help, can you let us know your experiences, ease or stress!!!! quicker or slower...................

Thanks


GTO

philj6969

Hi,

I was going to try without an agent, but after having a look at the forms and overall procedure, plus the fact that you dont get a refund if you fail your application (never mind waiting many more months to apply again) I employed the services of an agent. Better safe than sorry :>)

Phil.

ps good luck with your application.

terryg

It really depends on what your personal/faily circumstances are and which type of visa you are going for.

Most people seem to use an agent. As long as you find a reputable one with fair charges it is worth it. The worse thing that can happen is that you wait a year to be told about a minor mistake which could mean that you have to start from scratch.

Regards

Terry

sally1968

Hi.

We aren't using an agent but then we are applying for a spouse visa which is much more straightfordward than skills related visas.

If you are going for a spouse visa and there aren't any complications in your circumstances then i wouldn't waste your money. If you are going for any other type of visa then most people seem to use the services of an agent.

Good luck with your application. Hope it all goes well.

Sally

Teresa

Should have put skilled independent...

Thanks for replies so far



GTO

andie

we used an agent, (skilled independant), mainly for piece of mind, (concept australia, in manchester), they were excellent. he wouldnt send our info off until he was happy it would be passed. they did all the form filling etc, we just sat back and let them deal with it all, well worth the £700 fees.

markjohnno

Hi

why not visit the nz immigration site and assess yourself under the general skills category or whatever category you're thinking to apply under.

If you have the relevant points, and are even luckier and have skills to match the nz equivalent and are on Priority occupation list,you are off the starting blocks.

Then download you application for specific category.

Then its a matter of corrolating all the bits.

Read carefully through the guide and application form requirements and basically do your homework.

If you do this you will not need to pay 'Big Bucks' to some agent to do exactly what i've just described.


We went DIY.

1.Did self assessment and scored 31 points (passmark 29 point)

2.Got the job offer FIRST and registered with NZ equivalent professional body (important this bit as it scores big points).
Get the offer in writing with all the terms and conditions etc

3.applied for police checks

4.went to nz registered medical practice

5.birth cert.marriage cert.passports etc.

sent the lot off and 10 days later was called to say my application was being approved.

As i say, its all there on the nz immigration site.Just take your time and fill it all in carefully.

Best of luck

PS: total cost for application,migrant levy and settlement fee for us (family of 3 ) was approx £550, £600 medicals,£30 police checks (get 'em in early as they take forever and will delay your application)

PADDAD

My husband is the main applicant and we applied skilled independent and our case was fairly straight forward.

I managed to kick off the process independently last Jan 2002 without any help. I did however read the migration booklet and aplications a couple of times to ensure I didn't overlook anything.

I found getting all the relevant paperwork together for the assessment a bit of a headache but it's really just a lot of running around and you'd probably have to do this even if you do have an agent.

We are now in the final stages having recently been requested the $100,000 bond.

I think that if you feel that your case is straight forward and you have the time, then do it yourself - it is very satisfying. Of course you won't be going it alone as there is always the forum. Unfortunately for me I only discovered this forum in March 2003 but it's been a winner ever since.

However if you are lucky enough to have the funds then I would definitely recommend a migration agent.

You will find there are some very helpful agents on this forum.

Good luck

TOB

Hi,

We decided not to use an agent after we went through the application form and concluded that it looked fairly straight forward.

Our case isn't at all complicated though, we are a family of 4 applying for skilled independant and have a total of 120 points. An agent may be useful if you have a complicated case.

Regards

TOB