Traveller1981

Hi, I'm looking to move to Australia and looking to get advice on emigration agencies. I am a single male, and looking to work as a fitter. Has anyone had any good experiences with uk companies? I have had a quote from Overseas Emigration in Edinburgh which seems reasonable at £5,500.
Also, could I save money by completing the application by myself? Does anyone know of any step by step guides? Any help will be much appreciated. Many thanks.

goldchoccycoin

You can definitely do it yourself - the basic order is;

1. Have a look at border.gov.au and check to see if you have enough points for a skilled visa (you get points for age, language, skills/job and other things)

2. Ensure your skill/profession is on the 'wanted' list/s (Lists of eligible skilled occupations) known as the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL). [I can see 'Fitter' there]

3. Work out who the 'Assessing Authority' is - they will determine that your training/qualifications are suitable to be 'skilled' - for a fitter the assessing authority is TRA (http://www.tradesrecognitionaustrali...s/default.aspx)

4. Work through the Skill Assessment - once you have a skill assessment in hand, determine what else you need to successfully submit an Expression of Interest

5. This may include doing an English test, collecting evidence of work experience etc.

6. Once you have submitted an EOI you will be invited to apply for a visa (assuming you have sufficient points and fulfil the criteria) - you will then have to do Police checks and a medical test

This is a VERY brief overview - but many people do the whole process themselves. If you are not confident with understanding processes and you dont like lots of details and form filling, then a registered MARA agent can take the pressure off.

If you do decide to try yourself, you can ask lots of questions here and possibly also get a registered agent to check just parts of the process (like the skill assessment)

Have a good read of the border.gov.au and TRA websites - best of luck.

verystormy

Is will just say, I am a big fan of using agents. It is very easy to make a mistake resulting in a refusal. A refusal means loss of the fee and potentially even a ban from reapplying.

Traveller1981

Thanks for the info goldchoccycoin and verystormy. Can any of you recimmend an agent/company in the uk. The company I was quoted by said I had enough more than enough points, but still insisted I did an english test. Is £5,500 a reasonable amount for using an agent? How much money could I potentially save by doing it myself? Many thanks

moneypenny20

Just make sure they are MARA registered. There are a few who post on here but generally speaking as long as they're MARA you'll be fine.

Pollyana

Most of the work is done by email, therefore the agent doesn't have to be in the UK.
I can personallly recommend George Lombard and Alan Collett (he does have a Southampton office), but there are many other good ones out there

goldchoccycoin

The English test can gain you extra points so it's an easy way of boosting your numbers. More points usually means a quicker invitation to apply for a visa.