Taking the Bull by the Horns

[Guest stu4668]

We have finally decided to take the plunge and start the visa application. I have been in contact with Global Visas and Go Matilda, to try and get a price comparison. Does anyone have any experience with either of the compainies I have mentioned. We intend applying for a 175 Skilled Independent Visa using my wifes credentials, she is a specialist nurse practioner.

[Guest kangomik]

go matilda gets good reports.

 

Do you need an agent is the question you have to ask yourself?

[Guest stu4668]

go matilda gets good reports.

 

Do you need an agent is the question you have to ask yourself?

 

a couple of people have said save your money and do it yourself, but where do you start? is there a step by step guide to take you through the whole process? any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Guest kangomik]

you use the forums mate.. ask ask ask.

 

We did it on our own..... on the advice of an agent!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they told us only 6% use an agent.

 

Saves you £2K

 

Look into it.

 

If your crap with paper work, or have a real blurry past, then use an agent..... if it's straight forward (ours wasn't) DIY

[Guest back clan]

We have finally decided to take the plunge and start the visa application. I have been in contact with Global Visas and Go Matilda, to try and get a price comparison. Does anyone have any experience with either of the compainies I have mentioned. We intend applying for a 175 Skilled Independent Visa using my wifes credentials, she is a specialist nurse practioner.

Hi we used go matilda they were fantastic worth every penny , we could not have done it with out them ,as long as you have got plenty of ink in youre printer & time to do it,then do it on youre own at least with a good agent they handle everything & you will not be asking other people what does this mean , how do i do that etc .

best of luck

[Guest familygood]

We did the whole thing by ourselves - well I say by ourselves but also with a million questions on this forum!! I even made friends with someone in my local area from this forum who was also really helpful (thanks Caroline!!). It can be done - its hard work and a lot of reading but saves you all that money and if the information you have is wrong you only have yourself to blame which seems preferable to me. I am a bit of a control freak though!! I wouldnt want my destiny in someone elses hands... Good luck!!!

[Guest Lisado]

Go Matilda are fantastic. Our agent managed to get us two extensions when we had problems with south african police checks - we reckon we wouldnt have had these without her

 

They ar eone of the cheapest too and you only pay when you need to

[Guest lynne]

We done the same visa by ourselves without the help of the forum. Did not find the forum until after we had our medicals. And our visa was straight forward but not as easy as the normal visa because we got an aged dependent added onto our visa. (Not that we knew that prior to starting)

 

All the questions, forms, costs etc are on the visa website.

 

The skills assessment is the most difficult part but because your partner is in the medical profession the evidence will be easy to gather. You pay £35 and get the information off the NMC also asked them to send a copy to Nursing Board of the state you are joining.

 

Some of the answers on this forum are inaccurate (so bear this in mind). But people do try to help each other.

 

If you are doing it yourself you can email to see how your papers are being processed. And if you have problems or if they have problems they email you.

 

All the stages are repeating basic information passport numbers, family details, income, profession and qualifications, references. So they are not asking difficult questions. Its just a step by step process and Aus need people with skills.

 

The other option you have is to start the process and see how you get on if you are finding it difficult than you could use an agent. Go Matilda is a good agent.

 

All forms can be downloaded and emailed back so no hastle with the post and lost documents. Police checks are scanned into the computer and the medical is sent off by the doctor,

 

Obtaining your visa is not a complicated process its just a methodical process and you have to go through each step.

 

So for the sake of saving £2.000 tilll £3,000 try it your self

[Guest stu4668]

We done the same visa by ourselves without the help of the forum. Did not find the forum until after we had our medicals. And our visa was straight forward but not as easy as the normal visa because we got an aged dependent added onto our visa. (Not that we knew that prior to starting)

 

All the questions, forms, costs etc are on the visa website.

 

The skills assessment is the most difficult part but because your partner is in the medical profession the evidence will be easy to gather. You pay £35 and get the information off the NMC also asked them to send a copy to Nursing Board of the state you are joining.

 

Some of the answers on this forum are inaccurate (so bear this in mind). But people do try to help each other.

 

 

If you are doing it yourself you can email to see how your papers are being processed. And if you have problems or if they have problems they email you.

 

All the stages are repeating basic information passport numbers, family details, income, profession and qualifications, references. So they are not asking difficult questions. Its just a step by step process and Aus need people with skills.

 

The other option you have is to start the process and see how you get on if you are finding it difficult than you could use an agent. Go Matilda is a good agent.

 

All forms can be downloaded and emailed back so no hastle with the post and lost documents. Police checks are scanned into the computer and the medical is sent off by the doctor,

 

Obtaining your visa is not a complicated process its just a methodical process and you have to go through each step.

 

So for the sake of saving £2.000 tilll £3,000 try it your self

 

thanks everyone, any tips / adviice is greatly appreciated. I must admit saving £2/3K does sound appealing and would come in use elsewhere.

[Guest Django]

Ok Register as a nurse with the NBSA (Nursing Board of South Australia) to do this go to http://www.nursesboard.sa.gov.au/ where you will find what info you need to send them.

Once you are registered you then only need to do the modified skill assessment not the full monty. Send your skill assessment off to ANMC (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council) http://www.anmc.org.au/docs/Internat...20original.pdf

 

You can just do the skill assessment without first registering but would then have to do the full assessment http://www.anmc.org.au/docs/Internat...07original.pdf

 

This is the process http://www.anmc.org.au/docs/Internat...20Purposes.pdf

 

You don't need to be registered to be skill assessed or to apply for the visa but it does save money and time on the skill assessment front. Hope this makes sense and helps. Any probs let me know.

 

Pete

[Guest kangomik]

do you have the points required?

 

thats my first stop

[jim and adel]

Like quite a few others we did it ourselves.

 

I became very familiar with agents' websites gleaning the free info on various visa types and self-assessing to see how many points were available to us. Equally, I got to know very well the DIAC site (although it wasn't called that then) and downloaded all the forms and guidelines from there. The most time-consuming part was the skills assessment, but you face that regardless of whether or not you use an agent.

 

Everything you need to know is online, and although it's daunting at first, you soon narrow things down and pinpoint the appropriate visa route for you based on your circumstances.

 

Some people would only use an agent, and good luck to them. In our case we spoke to two agents early on in the process and got very different but equally incorrect info from them both and that's why we decided to go it alone. I also felt more in control of the situation and at a time when we were full of doubts - were we doing the right thing giving up jobs and our lovely house to move to the other side of the world etc - this bit of control helped. Also, it meant I had to learn the requirements/limitations of our visa, and you'd be surprised how many people don't know what the terms of their own visa are.

 

Good luck, whatever route you choose.

 

Jim

[Guest stu4668]

do you have the points required?

 

thats my first stop

 

I think with my wifes credentials, we score the points needed for a 175 independent visa. One agent has said my wife will need the IELTS test and im sure I have read somewhere if you have done your nurse training in the UK you dont really need this. They have also suggested going for a state sponsorship 176 visa as these have priority processing times.

 

Does anyone know what the visa cost is, I have found the costs listed on the DIAC website that makes reference to a 1st payment of Aus$2000 and then a 2nd payment of nearly the same amount, is this correct approx Aus$4000 for a 175 visa?

 

Thanks for everyone that has offered advice, it really is appreciated.

[Guest Django]

Ignore the second payment. Thats for non english speaking people.

 

Pete

[Guest brookesy]

good luck mate we have just submitted our 175 visa recieved confrmation it was at diac 2weeks ago.

 

We filled out the application ourselves found it quite easy....but this is our second appication used an agent first time they were useful in regards to covering letter outlining what points you are claiming and why.

 

downside it cost us 1k 4years ago.

[Alan Collett]

I think with my wifes credentials, we score the points needed for a 175 independent visa. One agent has said my wife will need the IELTS test and im sure I have read somewhere if you have done your nurse training in the UK you dont really need this. They have also suggested going for a state sponsorship 176 visa as these have priority processing times.

 

Does anyone know what the visa cost is, I have found the costs listed on the DIAC website that makes reference to a 1st payment of Aus$2000 and then a 2nd payment of nearly the same amount, is this correct approx Aus$4000 for a 175 visa?

 

Thanks for everyone that has offered advice, it really is appreciated.

 

Likely to be of interest:

http://www.gomatilda.com/news/article.cfm?articleid=522

 

Best regards.

[Guest brookesy]

To be honest about the cost on visa 175 when we were told that we had been granted visa last time we did not get asked for the second payment.........

 

As regards to the ielts test you do not need to sit this as you own a professional qulaification from the uk i would check your wifes nursing quals you could even claim more points on the english proficency part of the porm.

 

Hope this helps mate good luck.

[Guest mack]

Hi im about to book my IELTS test

 

It says to have the photos signed, bt i'm not sure whether they mean by an authorised person or simply myself to sign the back of them

 

Thank so much if you reply sooon!

 

We did the whole thing by ourselves - well I say by ourselves but also with a million questions on this forum!! I even made friends with someone in my local area from this forum who was also really helpful (thanks Caroline!!). It can be done - its hard work and a lot of reading but saves you all that money and if the information you have is wrong you only have yourself to blame which seems preferable to me. I am a bit of a control freak though!! I wouldnt want my destiny in someone elses hands... Good luck!!!