RCMia

Sorry if this is a repeat of other threads but we are about to launch into applying for our visas and have had a quote from both an agent in Perth and one in the UK.

The Uk agent is £300 more expensive. Does anyone think there is a greater advantage in using an Oz agent or not and are there any extra costs either way (ie. posting relevant documents to Oz rather than England).

We are looking at using either ISCAH in Perth or 'OE: Overseas Emigration', based in Edinburgh, both of which have been helpful so far. We did go and see ISCAH last month whilst over in Perth but have also spoken in depth with 'OE'.

A general concensus from what we've seen suggests Oz Agents are preferred. Just wondered why this is?

Any help would be great.

Cheers

RCMia

Sorry.

Forgot to mention that ISCAH don't appear to charge their full fee unless the visa is granted (only a third of the full price) whereas OE seemed to charge the full fee whatever (from the small print I can see)

Cheers

ittakesages

Our Oz agent has been fantastic. Very efficient and even seems to be working both time zones?!! One great thing about having our agent in Oz was that we found out our ACS result much quicker because a letter was sent to him in Oz and one to us here. Our agent told us we had been succesful last Friday when he received his letter and to date we still haven't received ours over here. Needless to say, I would just go with the one you feel most comfortable with. Not sure if I am allowed to post the name of our agent so if a moderator is watching can you let me know if I can?
Regards
Linda

olauf

Makes no difference whether your agent is in Oz or elsewhere. However you may want to choose only registered ones.

n

Dorothy

I can't seem to find anything about ISCAH. Are they MARA registered? Is the agent of note in good standing with MARA?

LIANA J ALLAN

Hello RCmia
Which type of visa are you applying for? Is your agent registered with the MARA www.themara.com.au? Or the MIA www.mia.org.au?
If not, then it is best to choose a registered agent.
The choice of agent will depend on which visa application you are planning to submit. If you are lodging a skilled or 457 visa for example, these are processed INSIDE Australia. That way, if you choose an agent in Australia they will be in the same time zone as the DIAC case officer assessing your matter and can communicate with them with ease.
Perhaps have a visit to the MARA and MIA websites and look for a good agent. Get a couple of quotes and find out which agent is going to work best for you. The one you feel comfortable with is the one to go for.
Liana

Nick

Indeed, the question is weighing the pros and cons as you would with any spend:

Look around lots of agents and get a feel for:

- who offers the best, quickest and friendliest free initial advice / service
- what post-arrival services do they offer?
- What's their reputation life?

It goes without saying that they should have MARA registered agents. Then if one is a bit more expensive you might think it's worth it - or maybe not.

Good luck!

Alan Collett

Dorothy,

ISCAH is Steve O'Neil's company.

Best regards.

Alan Collett

Agents in Australia can charge for their services to non-Aussie resident clients in a free of GST basis. If your agent is in the UK and you are in the EU your costs become 17.5% more expensive immediately because of the VAT being added to the agent's fee.

This said, cost shouldn't be the sole factor in your decision as to who to engage. If you are more comfortable with the agent in the UK, engage him/her - £300 in the grand scheme of the migration process is not a material amount (in my view).

Good luck!

RCMia

Thanks for all the advice. Will be making a decision very soon on Agents.

Do have to say again that both we've spoken to have been very helpful. We were originally going to go with the UK company as we were set to start the application before going to Oz for a holiday in November. That didn't happen so we thought we'd see a company whilst in Perth. Now back in the UK and trying to gauge the practicality pros and cons (if any) of using a UK or Oz company. We did hear about the Perth Agent through this forum and it all seems pretty positive.

If we're making all this fuss just choosing an agent, there's going to be a whole lot of stupid questions coming your way over the coming months!!!

Thanks again.

markandgill

Hi,

We are using an Australian agent . . . . .We thought that he would be better to deal with DIAC , if the need arose, than someone in the uk simply because of the time differences.

I'm not sure wether or not this would actually be the case but our agent has been fantastic to date and we are glad we picked him.

As everyone else has already said - make sure that whoever you go with are properly registered migration agents.......Just in case