The Druid

[QUOTE=KenJan333]You can make a complaint to MARA whether you are in Australia or not. I am presently compiling a letter of complaint as we speak. I am not sure whether we will get any money back though, so we at the moment have nothing to show 18 months after deciding to immigrate, a husband who turns 45 in 10 months time and a lot less money in our pocket.

There is a lot to be said for appointing a good agent with a proven track record and comes recommended. I only wish I had found this site before we appointed our first agent.

We havn't given up yet. At least our new guy is miles more pleasant and informative. Just waiting to hear what is the next step and still trying to keep that Australian Dream alive.

Good luck


I know exactly how you feel, I am 12 months down the line with nothing to show except being skint !!!

The agent has got his contract tied up so tight, If I say boo to a goose he will be the one suing me, and thats here in the UK !!!

Maybe when I go to OZ I will contact MARA ;-))

KenJan333

I know exactly how you feel, I am 12 months down the line with nothing to show except being skint !!!

The agent has got his contract tied up so tight, If I say boo to a goose he will be the one suing me, and thats here in the UK !!!

Maybe when I go to OZ I will contact MARA ;-))[/QUOTE]

All MARA registered agents have to comply with a code of conduct. We are hoping to 'get' our old agent on giving misleading advice/information to get us to part with our money in the first place. He is fly though, but I think I have a strong case for complaint. Even if nothing comes of it, he may think twice when dealing with other clients and I'm sure he won't be happy with someone lodging a complaint against him.

I think you should consider writing a letter to MARA re this 'fake' agent you dealt with. I'm sure they would be interested in receiving this information. None of the 'good' agents want someone like that operating either. It gives migration agents a bad name. It doesn't cost much to write a letter.

The money we have lost (AUD3800 for fees and AUD500 for skills assessment), although a big dent in our savings, is now 'water under the bridge'. If we get something back well and good. I have wasted enough time and energy on this guy and am going to use what energy reserves I have left on getting to Australia.

Hope you get things sorted and good luck

Jan

PINOYAU

All MARA registered agents have to comply with a code of conduct. We are hoping to 'get' our old agent on giving misleading advice/information to get us to part with our money in the first place. He is fly though, but I think I have a strong case for complaint. Even if nothing comes of it, he may think twice when dealing with other clients and I'm sure he won't be happy with someone lodging a complaint against him.

I think you should consider writing a letter to MARA re this 'fake' agent you dealt with. I'm sure they would be interested in receiving this information. None of the 'good' agents want someone like that operating either. It gives migration agents a bad name. It doesn't cost much to write a letter.

The money we have lost (AUD3800 for fees and AUD500 for skills assessment), although a big dent in our savings, is now 'water under the bridge'. If we get something back well and good. I have wasted enough time and energy on this guy and am going to use what energy reserves I have left on getting to Australia.

Hope you get things sorted and good luck

Jan[/QUOTE]

MARA can do nothing much about unregistered migration practitioners in Australia except report them to DIMIA who can then take action, although I don't know that they ever have.

MARA can do nothing at all about unregistered practitioners
overseas.

MARA can deal with registered migration agents no matter where they are.

If you have a legitimate complaint against a registered migration agent you should lodge the complaint as soon as you can. Don't hold your breath about getting your money back, but it is worth noting that if a registered migration agent failed to give you a statement of services BEFORE commencing work then you are entitled to have all your money refunded no matter how much work the agent did or how satisfactory the work was.

As a guide, it most cases it should not cost you more than £2500 in total to get a PR resident visas for a family. For some professions the skills assesment alone can cost more than this, but whatever the costs you should be given a close estimate of the total costs before any money changes hands. An exception is in cases where an agent charges a fee for a preliminary assessment.

You should expect an agent to assess your prospects and give you a written opinion before taking instructions, or money, from you. A good guide to whether the opinion is worth having is what information the agent sought before offering the opinion.