mrsgreenstar76

I'd say really try & get 20 points for IELTS, and look at state sponsorship.

Bermudashorts

+1

chapkenv

i think the "assessing body" only can help assess the bulk of your points = experience years+educational qualifications; you would need to get that assessed first and foremost to determine your stance; from your conversation it is apparent that you are an IT professional so "ACS" is the relevant organisation to approach and since they don't require IELTS to go forward with an assessment, you could apply to them first while shooting for Superior Level English BAND 8 in each of the areas tested ie. L R W S before you apply for State or Regional Territory Sponsorship and then D.I.A.C

Age (15) + Prof Eng (10) or Sup Eng (20) + Overseas ie. non-AU work exp (15) + Bachelor (15) or Offshore recognised apprentice (10) + State Sponsored (5) or Regional Territory Sponsored (10) = should equal 65

It is the elimination of points for half-bands and 5 point differences as well as widening/narrowing the age groups since July 1st that has made it quite a few notches tougher now than for previous applications...but seems like you meet 65 points requirement for the 176 visa if you got Superior English

(Spouse Points have not been considered - if she meets threshold requirements, you could get an additional 5 points)


this is just an opinion and should not be construed as professional advice

Grayman

Thanks all, really appreciate the help. Chapkenv, It's certainly an involved process, but Ill use the advise and get in touch with the ACS and start trying to get the process moving at least.

chapkenv

i have applied to CA a long time ago and fessl short of the required pool mark, because i claimed waiver for English Proficiency Testing based on subjective aspects ie. schooling, professional work in an English environment, plus some language scholarships and intensive language training, but still I got only 12/16 points ie. 75%max possible and they sent me advice to write the IELTS via regular post which never reached me so that I could write the objective test in time!

later, i knew some contemporaries who even took French courses and that test as well in order to make their application fool-proof for CA as the additional second language can add another max possible 8 points to the tally, even 50% proficiency (ie 4 points) can prove to be very valuable for applying to C.I.C

- so the more involved & pro-active you can get, the better off you will be -

there's a friend who recently wrote IELTS a third time in the same year to achieve a required 7 in ALL BANDS in the Academic Module he needed to get a foot in the Doctoral candidacy door at a University in Australia,

they say even for a Queen's English Native Speaker, it takes 90 days of preparation to achieve desired BAND-level, and multiple attempts are statistically proven to help improve ur score! by-the-way, General Training Moduleis much easier, if you search in this forum you may find tips on how to optimise your effort and time to achieve 100% ie BAND 8 on ALL sections..

for another extra 5 points toward your application, your mrs could get her skills assessed (if her occupation of 4 yrs ago is on the current SOL) and go back to the industry for 12 months full-time relevant or closely related work, at the end of which she will meet the threshold requirements (she has to achieve a competent english level BAND 6.. or higher on the IELTS) if she is younger by 2 to 3 years, she could even be the primary applicant and fetch 10 additional younger-than-39 points..

if you read through the forum you may find comprehensive answers on each of the criteria mentioned n best of luck for applying to D.I.A.C

pompeychimes

I've consulted a few migration agents and also had a meeting with Darrell todd a while back. He was a no nonsense guy who gave me all the facts and answered my all my questions.

Has anyone used Thinking Australia or had any experience of them?

Tuxtrip

You will get a mixed bag of comments on this company. Darrell Todd is not a Registered Migration Agent. He can talk the talk though. I would speak to some RMA's before committing to TA. And speak to the actual Registered Agent, not just a salesperson like Darrell. It is always best to get at least three quotes and contracts before making a decision. (And do read the fine print, as boring as it may seem.)

Dorothy

What he said ^^

alipally

We went and met with Darrell and, as our application was straightforward, we decided to do it on our own, with a little help from the guys on this forum. (ACE place for help and advice!)

The worst part was the skills assessment, after that it was easy. We were one of the first to apply online when it started and our PR was granted in just 4 months.

If you're not afraid of forms and you have patience it's not a difficult process. Have a look at the forms before you decide if you really need an agent at all....(the money you save will probably cover the first few months rent!)

Pennines49

We used T/A....top guy...did the job, got us over the finishing line.
Took lots of calls from us agonizing over the final bit of moving.
Videos on you tube too

cshowell

Has anybody got any experiences, good or bad, of migration agents? We are considering using one as my husband will be out of the country a lot over the next couple of months and we think it may make it slightly easier on me to have one person to deal with (as I have 2 toddlers).

Thanks

Carolyn

Penny45

WE used http://www.ianharrop.co.uk/, so did my school friend who is in Adelaide and found them great.

Tuxtrip

Ian Harrop & Associates is now owned and operated by Overseas Emigration.

moneypenny20

Looks like they've merged to me, and still running Ian Harrop & Assoc. independently whilst joining forces on other products.

cshowell

Thanks for the advice. We called Ian Harrop and were very impressed so we will be using them.