shona_sara_ure

Guess what?.......i've got a few questions that maybe someone can help with?

my boyfriend and I are about to begin the whole emigration process to Australia, we are both 30 years old, he has been a qualified carpenter for 7 years and I am Level 3 qualified in Childcare and working toward an Open University degree, we are hoping to get an independent skilled visa, every time we have chatted to an agent so far we are getting the hard sell but no clear help and advice about their services, so far we have been quoted around the 5000 pound mark, does that seem reasonable? Also... in all honesty is it that hard to do it yourself?we have no complicated circumstances that we can see would make it difficult but obviously we don't mind paying the cash if it's to a reputable agent who will work with us to complete the whole application process as stress free as possible.....

Does anyone know if a level 3 in childcare, learning and development and years of working as a nursery nurse equates to the early years teacher which is on the skilled occupations list?? Thank you!

4500 Times

Hi..

The only thing i would say is do the visa stuff yourself....we did and it was pretty painless.

You'll get plenty of help on here...

Good Luck

Centurion

May I suggest that you consult with some of the regular migration agents who post onto this site who are, not only knowledgeable, but have a reputation for the work they do as well as charging reasonably.

You should know that there are a LOT of companies out there who charge ridiculous amounts to act for you with questionable service and practices. Also many people quite successfully apply themselves and do not need an agent.

A couple of the recommended agents that spring to mind :

http://www.austimmigration.com.au/site/
http://www.gomatilda.com/home.cfm
http://www.ianharrop.co.uk/

By no means and exhaustive list. I'll more this into the immigration forum so you get some better responses.

goldchoccycoin

Also, if your partner can pass the skill assessment as a carpenter you will not need to be on the list as an early years teacher - you just add yourself to his application.

It's not a painful process as previously mentioned - read the booklet at www.immi.gov.au, find out about skill assessments for carpenters then ask more questions here. If you get stuck then it may be time for an agent to help you out but it's certainly not necessary if you can collate info and fill forms.

shona_sara_ure

Thanks everyone so far for your replies, we can already see that this site will be a great help x

erco

i paid £1800 to an agent and had no regrets with the service. Of course med's and PC's come on top of that and TRA fees etc. oops and the visa fee

shona_sara_ure

Thanks ERCO,

Do you mind me asking which agent did you use, and how much was the grand total?

we are just trying to get as much useful info as possible before the big plunge!!!!

Thanks again, shona and rich

Saracen

Have a read through the forum and ask questions, then see if you feel like you can handle applying on your own. Then decide if you want to use an agent or not.

busa13r

Hi Shona,

I'm a Carpenter and the OH is doing a degree, so very similar.

Your OH will have to get his skills assessed by Vetassess, firstly by proving his work history, ie wage slips, qualifications etc.

He will then be invited to take a practical skills assessment.
As has been said the Visa application is straight forward, just supplying the required documents and paying the fees - it really isn't too difficult and will cut out the middleman, who you will have to supply all your documentation to anyway

Just be aware of the changes coming next year!