aviarymark

hey thanks for your words. we are new to this and yes looking to or thinking of moving to oz. we are in surrey uk, and are really unsure about areas to move too. and all this about visas is such a head ache is it too expensive to have someone do it all for you?

Sherlock Holmes

Australia, as you know, is a huge place. Climate is fairly unpredictable at times over the whole continent. If you like the heat, whilst still not guaranteed, the further north you are, the warmer and more humid it will be. Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Sydney can get VERY cold at night.

Using an agent is a very personal decision I think. Lots of reasons for and against - for instance, if you are limited with the time you can spend on the application, or if you have complicated circumstances such as child custody, medical or police conviction issues, previous refusals......all that kind of thing, then definitely an agent can help put things forward in the right way. An agent can also help to ensure that you are applying for the right visa in the first place. However they cannot get you a visa if you don't meet the criteria, nor - contrary to popular opinion - can they speed up the process!

I reckon this forum is about 50/50 these days with using agents - but remember most agents will also do a partial service, they will check an application before submission, or just help with a skills assessment, much cheaper than the full price, if you are just unsure on a few things.

Main thing to ensure is that whoever you use is registered with MARA, and if you search the forum for MARA agents you will find several of them post on here - including (in a totally random order!)

Alan Collett, George Lombard, and Stephen Dickson.

There are also many others though, Ian Harrop is a company often recommended, and Peter Bollard is acknowledged as a specialist in medical issues.

I used an agent and I am glad that I did. Some posters here have done it all alone and found it very easy. As you mention that the process seems to be a bit of a headache, you might want to use an agent. It does not have to be expensive. The agents who post here are known to be very good at their jobs.

Start here http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=54 and have a good, long read through all the sub-fora.

Jerseygirl

Hi and welcome to BE. I have moved your post to a thread of it's own.

We have a great bunch of people who post in our Australia Forums...they will give you tips and advice on life Down Under. The link I have given you will take you to the main index page of the Australia Forum...at the top of the page you will see a list of sub forums. The top forum is the Immigration Forum...the Main forum is for topics relating to Australia and The Barbie is for general chit chat. Also take a look in the BE Wiki...you'll find loads of useful info in there.

Before you begin posting please take time to read through the Site Rules and any stickied threads or announcements that may be posted at the top of each forum's index page.

Kelli28 is the concierge for the Australia forums...so if you have any problems finding your way around our many forums please contact Kelli.

For all other concerns or problems please contact a moderator or admin. Every BE forum has at least one moderator dedicated to that forum...Australia has 4...Cresta57, Monneypenny20,, Sonlymewalter and Alistairboyle.

I hope you enjoy your time with us and don't forget to shout out should you require any help.