Thames consular migration agents

[Guest Elizabeth]

My Husband and I have decided to take the plunge and start to process of migrating to Australia.

 

We have been in contact with a company in West London called Thames Consular and wonder if anyone has had experience with this company? We're planning on meeting them soon, one thing that does bother me, is that they charge a fair bit more than other migration agents and I wonder why this is!

 

I'd love to hear from anyone who is also going through the skilled visa process and let me know how long it's taken you so far!

[The Flinns]

Hi Elizabeth and welcome to PIA.

 

Unfortunately I can't offer any advice regarding this matter as I am not using an agent, but I'm sure that someone will come along soon who has had experience with these agents.

[Guest the4hopes]

We used The Emigration Group based in Chester, they have an office in Hammersmith where we went for our meeting, the rest was done by email and post. They charged £1900. Very good service, always quick to answer the phone and reply to emails.

Laura x

[Kimbo]

Hi,

 

Firstly, welcome to PIA.

 

We're using Visa-Go - they have offices in London, Edinburgh & Liverpool. Fees are £1500 + VAT - so far have been fantastic - everything done through email and post and any queries we've had etc have been answered straight away.

 

We're going through the 175 skilled visa - OH had to do his vetasses stuff first which took us about 5 months (time line is below) and our visa has only just gone in so now we're waiting.

 

Wish you all the best with everything.

 

Kim x:)

[Carole Jolly]

My Husband and I have decided to take the plunge and start to process of migrating to Australia.

 

We have been in contact with a company in West London called Thames Consular and wonder if anyone has had experience with this company? We're planning on meeting them soon, one thing that does bother me, is that they charge a fair bit more than other migration agents and I wonder why this is!

 

I'd love to hear from anyone who is also going through the skilled visa process and let me know how long it's taken you so far!

 

Hi Elizabeth

We used Thames Consular. We had another agent prior to them and chose them because they were the cheapest, this cost us valuable time and ended up sacking them. Thams consular picked up the pieces after we had got the TRA through.

they were much more proffessional and got us through the process seamlessly.

There were a couple of hiccups as we first had a guy called Glynn and he decided to go back to oz and then we had a lady called Miriam, she also decided to go back to oz, however, this did not affect the service they provided and I think the move that Miriam made in opening an office in Brisbane helped as she could contact DIAC during auzzie working hours.

If you need any other info give us a shout

 

Carole:)

[Guest Hannibal]

Hi Elizabeth,

 

My name is Hannibal and i represent Thames Migration in the London office. I have read the thread and would be willing to assist you in any way we can to make the process as smooth as possible.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns that have not been addressed.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Hannibal Khoury

Migration Agent Registration Number: 0426562

www.thamesmigration.com

[Alan Collett]

This thread is nearly 7 months old ...

 

Best regards.

[Gollywobbler]

My Husband and I have decided to take the plunge and start to process of migrating to Australia.

 

We have been in contact with a company in West London called Thames Consular and wonder if anyone has had experience with this company? We're planning on meeting them soon, one thing that does bother me, is that they charge a fair bit more than other migration agents and I wonder why this is!

 

I'd love to hear from anyone who is also going through the skilled visa process and let me know how long it's taken you so far!

 

 

Hi All

 

Despite the age of the thread, some of you may be interested to know that I had a chat with Miriam Barber about this firm's fees before Christmas.

 

I pointed out that the fees are well above those charged by Ian Harrop, Go Matilda etc.

It seems to me that when the agent is charging top dollar the service must be top dollar as well.

 

Miriam said that she felt their fees are too high. She said she feared that unless they charge a lot people won't think they are worth hiring.

 

I remarked that the more moderately priced agents do not seem to share the fear that Miriam described.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Alan Collett]

An interesting angle on fees ... each to their own, and if a firm can earn the same revenues by charging double the fees per client to half the total number of clients who am I to say they are wrong ...

 

Best regards.

[Guest Hannibal]

Hi All

 

Despite the age of the thread, some of you may be interested to know that I had a chat with Miriam Barber about this firm's fees before Christmas.

 

I pointed out that the fees are well above those charged by Ian Harrop, Go Matilda etc.

It seems to me that when the agent is charging top dollar the service must be top dollar as well.

 

Miriam said that she felt their fees are too high. She said she feared that unless they charge a lot people won't think they are worth hiring.

 

I remarked that the more moderately priced agents do not seem to share the fear that Miriam described.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

 

Yes, despite the age of the thread, I can reassure all, Thames Migration is in fact in line with what is considered market rates/ industry standards when it comes to fees and are by no means 'top dollar'. To be compared to Ian Harrop, Go Matilda is alluding to the notion that all other RMA's should be measured against this. Simply not the fact. All cases are assessed accordingly and on a case by case basis.

I trust that you will cease your comments with regards to attacking our Agent fees, when Miriam has clearly never discussed this issue in the said terms you inappropriately express.

[Gollywobbler]

Yes, despite the age of the thread, I can reassure all, Thames Migration is in fact in line with what is considered market rates/ industry standards when it comes to fees and are by no means 'top dollar'. To be compared to Ian Harrop, Go Matilda is alluding to the notion that all other RMA's should be measured against this. Simply not the fact. All cases are assessed accordingly and on a case by case basis.

I trust that you will cease your comments with regards to attacking our Agent fees, when Miriam has clearly never discussed this issue in the said terms you inappropriately express.

 

Hi Hannibal

 

Are you saying that Miriam does not remember the discussion that she and I had in the Chat room on Poms in Oz towards the end of 2008 or early in 2009? I remember the exchange very clearly indeed because I took a screen-grab of the entire !conversation" - which I still have.

 

She literally did tell me that she thought that your firm was charging too much but she was frightened of setting the fees at too low a level and making people think that your firm was not worth it, as a result of charging fees that were too low.

 

I didn't think it was particularly "appropriate" for an RMA to have been telling me this but I can prove what was said, all the same.

 

The fact is that Thames Consular went through an extremely bad patch during the period between Mriam's depature for Oz and your own arrival in the UK. Unsupervised, inexperienced clerks in the UK were trying to work as unregistered migration agents and were making a terrible hash of some of the applications, frankly. Which upset your firm's clients, who complained to me, so I had a go at Miriam about it. That was how she and I wound up in the Chat room in the first place.

 

In fairness to Miriam, she then redeemed her own reputation completely in my own eyes, because she acted pro bono in sorting out the couple at the centre of the thread below. She was absolutely fantastic with that couple and I admire her completely for having offered to deal with the whole thing pro bono:

 

sponsorer ruining our lives - PomsInOz Forum

 

Then you arrived in the UK and I have heard nothing but excellent reports about you. First rate reports and I have not heard any further complaints about the fees or the service since your own arrival.

 

However to try to deny that your firm did make mistakes and that it went through a very bad patch as a direct result is just plain naive, hon.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest NickG]

Hi we are using go miltida and are great no problems at all

fantastic in fact email payments communication is great .

 

Nick Gostling

[janice1uk]

Yes, despite the age of the thread, I can reassure all, Thames Migration is in fact in line with what is considered market rates/ industry standards when it comes to fees and are by no means 'top dollar'. To be compared to Ian Harrop, Go Matilda is alluding to the notion that all other RMA's should be measured against this. Simply not the fact. All cases are assessed accordingly and on a case by case basis.

I trust that you will cease your comments with regards to attacking our Agent fees, when Miriam has clearly never discussed this issue in the said terms you inappropriately express.

WE have gone with thames and did look at comparison fees.We felt that there fees were not much difference and felt confident using Thames. We still have no visa but this is not the fault of Thames, This is the Diac messing everyone about. Overall i would and have recommend Thames as we have been dealt with professionaly.