CatLady1234

Hi there
I am in the uk and looking to come out to NZ to live and work for a while with a view to a permanent move. Can anyone recommend a good migration agent?
Thanks a lot! :-)

escapedtonz

If you feel your process would be straightforward then it would pay to do it all yourself. Everything you need to know is on the Immigration website and Customer Services is always open to questions albeit via a premium rate phone number. You also have the benefit of our experience via this forum.
Authorized Immigration agents are expensive and don't really do much. You still have to complete all the documentation and gather all the evidence. All you are paying them for is to babysit you through the process and deal with any irregularities as they appear.

We used WorkingIn based in Auckland. They were at a Migration Expo back in the UK so after a free consultation we signed up with them due to them having a 50% deal. We only agreed to sign up with an agent since we knew our process wouldn't be straightforward as my wife has a medical condition that we knew would cause her medical report to be sent for medical assessment.
If it wasn't for the work the agent did associated with the medical assessment using them would have been a compete waste of money.
It was only towards the end of our process did the agent actually earn their fee in our opinion.
Don't have any complaints or issues for that agent and would recommend them to anyone needing their services.

MrsFychan

do it yourself, as stated they really don't add to the process unless there us an problem. all they do really is prolong the process and leave you with no direct contact with your case officer and for that they charge thousands
You have to get all your information together so why use a third party to stick it in an envelope. As long as you read the guide sent with the forms and follow it you will have no problems, having direct contact with your case officer will also help as you will create a relationship and they will be able to help. before you send in your application NZ immigration staff are on the end of the phone and again very helpful and of course there is the internet and forums where people have and are doing it to bounce ideas off of.
save your money you will need it if you need a specialist immigration advisor of some kind which most immigration advisor are not hence the need for specialists. but if its all straight forward you will be glad to save the money

chc4me

By escapedtonz

If your case is straight forward, you may wish to complete the process yourself, but if you think your situation might be unusual, then an agent could be the best route to take. We regularly recommend Borey at Migration Associates as they have offices and agents in both the UK and NZ. Borey can be contacted at: [email protected]

Neils45

I did my initial work visa, residency visa and permanent residency application all without an agent and found it a pretty simple process.

As mentioned above, unless your aware of something that could be an issue, I'd recommend doing it yourselves and saving a small fortune

kingacat

I managed to do the whole process myself including the nurse registration. My advice would be save your money as you will need it for the move and do the paperwork yourself.

MrsFychan

ChCh we went and saw him and he was the one that misinformed us about MrF qualification, meaning we would have less points than we actually could gain. Luckily we felt the information he gave us was not correct as he also mislead MrF on a job expo we contacted Immigration directly and low and behold extra points were gained by the qualification.

My point is, its all about paperwork, you have to get the paperwork no agent can do that for you so in the end they are just a middle man shuffling paperwork and the contact with CO, which leaves you with no relationship with CO. All you need to do is make sure you read the information brochure on how to fill the forms in and you are well ahead of some others that don't.
Obviously if you have a complicated case, medical problem etc then a specialist would be the way to go not the day to day agents.
If we had listened to Borey it would of meant us not getting a visa, if a friend of ours had possibly done their own visa application on a business visa they may not of been refused as the agent was not keeping them up to date with time lines and requirements, the personal contact with the CO I feel is the best piece of advise to give.