475 Migration Visa Query

[Boxertony]

We have just received our initial report from our Immigration representatives and they advised us to apply for the Skilled Regional (State) Sponsored (subclass 475) Visa under the Australia Standard Classification of Occupations: 2512-11 Welfare Worker. However they told us the only Northern and Victoria are only sponsoring Welfare Worker positions at this moment in time. I mentioned that I only want South Australia (Adelaide). This company mentioned they will try for this on our behalf and they are many loopholes so to speak. The full costing of this process is below. Does this seem reasonable compared to what other people have paid or been quoted?

 

 

All Processing Fees for Skills Assessment - State Sponsorship and a DIAC Application £4,383.93 if you pay all at once you get it for 10% cheaper £3945.53

 

For Professional with non-occupational specific qualifications. £163.75

 

For the Application fee paid to DIAC £963.77 .

 

Medical Per Person £200 * 4 Members of Family = £800

 

Police Clearances at £10 Per Person * 4 Members of Family = £40

 

Full Total Cost for Visa Only is £6351.45

 

We are meeting our representative here in Newcastle upon Tyne on the Saturday 17th May to discuss this in person with him. We are asking my father 'n' law to lend us the money till we sell our two homes. Whilst we are awaiting for our meeting and gaining our initial first payment, what relevant paperwork can we start gathering so it speeds up with our application process, for instance: Job references, proof that we are a De Facto relationship, birth certificates, and so on.... What can we start to get?

 

Much appreciated

 

Tony

[cormcvcr]

Hi Tony,

 

We have already gone through the process but on a different visa 496 skilled independent regional sponsored visa (family sponsored with skills)

 

Our total fees were working out around 1500 lower than yours, but I don't know if this is because of the varying visa types.

 

Hopefully, there will be someone else on here that is the same as yourself and can shed more light on it for you with regards to costings.

 

Also as far as I know, you have to prove your defacto relationship with documents supporting this. ie. photographs, bills, bank accounts etc.

 

It won't do you any harm to start collating information like birth certificates and make up a list of employers that you worked for and the dates to add to your cv. If you don't know all of these, you can contact your local inland revenue office in writing asking for a full breakdown via your national insurance number. Hope all this helps.

 

Good luck

[Guest Martin and Val]

Hi Tony,

We are also going (we hope!) on the 475 visa. I'm sorry to say this but just prior to our visa application going in, my trade was omitted from the South Australian wanted/sponsor list and I was informed that there was no way round it, we could not go to SA unless I passed another TRA assessment under a different trade (this may now have changed). Fortunately after a lot of e-mails and letter writing it was realised it was a mistake and the trade had been omitted by accident. It was then included on the list again and we could then apply for SA sponsorship.

Our total costs paid out are listed below, hope this helps you.

Agency £1,997.50

Photo's £7.00

Solicitor £16.00 (we did get this very cheap as we had a friend who was a solicitor)

TRA £149.10

Postage £35.18

Marriage cert £7.00

Visa application £911.64

Medicals £400.00 (for both of us)

Police Checks £20.00

Grand total £3,543.42

[Guest Leanne & Mark]

Tony, this seems really high!!

 

if you look on the DIAC website it will tell you visa costs etc. Also i don't know of any one being able to 'bend the rules' to get a state sponsorship. I think you'll find if the state doesn't sponsor that occupation, then they simply don't sponsor it!!

My Mum wants to come to Adelaide with us, she is a carer...So 'welfare worker', but she is looking at getting an employer sponsored visa.

 

We used GoMatilda they will tell exactly what you can and can't apply for, and they are a highly respected company. There first 15-30 mins phone consultation is free so would be worth giving them a call.

 

Those charges do seem excessive!!

'State Sponsorship and a DIAC Application £4,383.93 if you pay all at once you get it for 10% cheaper £3945.53'

 

What's that for? you can do state sponsor form on line, for nothing?? and isn't the £963.77 your DIAC application??? I'M CONFUSED??....again.

 

For Professional with non-occupational specific qualifications. £163.75.

 

???????????? Never heard of this before???????

[andi]

Hi Tony

 

We are currently waiting for our TRA results and are then going to apply for a 475 sponsored visa as OT job is on the list but as he has not worked in that trade in the last 12 months we have to go on this visa.

 

I was told at the time when we were considering Brisbane or Adelaide there are restrictions with some state visas regarding not being able to live too near the city, but Adelaide didnt have this restriction. I was also told that Tazmania accepted all on the list and that you only have to reside there for 2 years then you can move anywhere.

 

We tried Go Matalida and i was very impressed, and the only reason we didnt use them was the time factor with them being based in Australia.

 

We are using Visa Go and found them really good so far. The TRA, visa application, meds and police check fees are standard so the same for everyone but the agents fees are in stages and from memory are below:

 

Inital fee - £800

TRA submission - £587

Visa submission - £587

 

These include VAT and are cheaper if you dont need a regional sponsor. If you are willing to do your on TRA submission most agents will take you on for just the visa part or visa versa.

 

Also there is an age limit as to when you need to have medicals and police checks done so you may not need them doing for everyone.

 

Hope this helps but most agents will give you advice and prices for free. I received some recommendations from others using agents, talked to them and then chose the one that suited me.

 

Good luck

 

Andi

[Guest Lulujim]

Hi there,

 

We are going on a 475 visa too. We've used 1st Contact and have found them to be ok - we did have a slight hitch and got £250 refunded as good will gesture, but from there things seem to have been running smoothly.

 

We've been charged standard fees by Vetassess and DIAC - our agent's fees were £2000 and include postage etc.. Your medical fees said £800 - are two of these for children under 11? - if so should be cheaper then adults as they don't require X-Rays. It's worth shopping around for medicals. We live in Grimsby and I expected Hull to be cheapest, but Cambridge beat it by £200 in total, and you can have all x-rays and medical done in the same buiilding at the same time.

 

Does your agent fee include certifying all your documentation? Ours didn't and luckily I used to work for a barrister so had them done for free.. but the costs for this can mount up with the amount of paperwork that needs a signature.

 

Hope this is of some help,

 

My only other thing would be to say do you need an agent? We didn't actually know we could do it without one - and so far it's been pretty straight forward so wonder whether we could have said ourselves £2000!!!

 

Alexis

[Guest bev_stef]

Hi

 

This seems really high to us. We are going on the 475, and are using Go Matilda. We have just had our visa submitted, but these are our fees we have paid to our agent:

 

Skills assessment £382(inc vat)

Vetasses fee £160 appx

Visa app fee £916(inc vat)

state sponsorship fee £282(inc vat)

 

Sub total £1740

 

Visa app fee to DIAC £950 appx

medicals & police checks- yet to be booked

 

These are the total of our fees, nothing more to be paid.

 

Hope this helps

 

Bev & Stef

[Guest Martin and Val]

Forgot to say-

We are using 1st Contact and this is on a No Visa-No Fee term, although we really don't want to see if they would honor that agreement!!

[Guest paul_smart]

I'm looking at more like Andi's 2K than 6K!!!

Though I'm not using an agent, not too bad so far, but i'm sure the worst is still to come, or should that be the worst is still to come??

 

Also Bev_Stef why did you pay money for BOTH vetassess and TRA? that doesn't seem right, you only need one or the other..

[Boxertony]

Hi there,

 

We are going on a 475 visa too. We've used 1st Contact and have found them to be ok - we did have a slight hitch and got £250 refunded as good will gesture, but from there things seem to have been running smoothly.

 

We've been charged standard fees by Vetassess and DIAC - our agent's fees were £2000 and include postage etc.. Your medical fees said £800 - are two of these for children under 11? - if so should be cheaper then adults as they don't require X-Rays. It's worth shopping around for medicals. We live in Grimsby and I expected Hull to be cheapest, but Cambridge beat it by £200 in total, and you can have all x-rays and medical done in the same buiilding at the same time.

 

Does your agent fee include certifying all your documentation? Ours didn't and luckily I used to work for a barrister so had them done for free.. but the costs for this can mount up with the amount of paperwork that needs a signature.

 

Hope this is of some help,

 

My only other thing would be to say do you need an agent? We didn't actually know we could do it without one - and so far it's been pretty straight forward so wonder whether we could have said ourselves £2000!!!

 

Alexis

Yes I am thinking the same about not using the agency now. The main reason for using our agent was the fact they are experts and send you the relevant and correct paperwork but most of all its nice to talk an immigration expert who can calm you down when you are worried about certain things regarding the application process and what is required and what is not. At this moment in time I am 100% sure what is required to apply for my Visa and what relevant paperwork is required. Its just the amount of money for their charges, is our £4000 charges worth the piece of mind a. They told us to get my qualifications certified its will cost an additional £99.

[Guest skimbles]

Hi all,

 

I am coming over (hopefully) on a 457 visa with my hubby and 3 children. I have a job and sponsorship by Royal Adelaide hospital. We are doing through O'Grady Peyton and I only have to pay $190 for the visa and approx £1000 for the medicals and approx $200 for my Nurse registration as the sponsors are paying O'Grady Peytons fee's.

 

Luckily RAH are paying my airfare will find us rental accommodation in the area and budget we want, give us $800 when we get there and provide us with a meet & greet at the airport. Also will sponsor PR application when we arrive:notworthy:

 

 

 

Has anyone else done it or doing it in a similar way?

[Rachiegarlo]

sounds like you are getting a good deal from the RAH, it's a good place to work.

[Guest makaspippa7987]

Hi Tony

I am a social worker but don't have the relevant qualifications in oz to migrate. However, i do qualify as a welfare worker and have been told the same as you, 475 visa government sponsor only in the western and victoria areas. I am very surprised to hear what your agent is saying regarding seeing what they can do about sponsorship in adelaide, as my husband and i family etc also want to go to adelaide and it is quite clear on the immigration sa website that sa are not sponsoring. There is a list of occupations showing sa sponsorships and welfare workers on not there. I have contacted a few agents and they have told me the same thing. If i were you i would get further advice before paying out any money, we have also been down that path. Don't rush into things ask around and do your own homework. The immi.gov.au is useful, put in 475 visa in the search box for info.

 

Anyway, sorry to ramble

 

Let us know how you get on. You could always look into the 457 sponsor route

Diane