Agents Vs doing it yourself? Please help?

[Guest Ste_n_Vic]

Hi there I'm new to this site, (which is brill by the way:D) My OH and I are really set on moving to Adelaide. We've just started out on the whole process. Today we had a meeting with The Emigration Group (really nice people) who have quoted us a fee of £2990 to complete the whole process or £795 to do a checking service.

 

I was just wondering, as money is a bit tight our end, how hard it would be to apply for the visa ourselves, and if anyone else managed well enough without an agent? Or is it worth having an agent to keep on top of things?

 

The agents seemed pretty positive about our application as my OH is a fully qualified electrician and were both under 30.

 

I'd really appreciate any advice anyone can offer as we're really keen to get over there!

 

Many thanks Vic x

[Guest Louise1]

Hi Vic

 

I was refused by an agency as they said that neither myself or OH would pass our skill assessments - So we started the process on our own. We both passes our skills assessments, we have just received our police clearance and passed our medicals so we are at the end stage. I haven't found any of it difficult - so long as you read and follow the instructions it is all very clear - I have filed everything very carefully in folders. I am glad that the agency turned us down as that is an extra £3000 in our pocket. If they are giving you the option of checking at the end I would try it without them and use one if you find it too difficult.

 

Louise

[Guest way]

I have been using an agent in manchester there fee was £1750 thats just for myself do not know if the price goes up if more people are going.But they have been worth every penny at the minute . Depends if you are good at paper work or not cause there is tree loads.

cheers wayne

[Guest way]

Hi wayne again just noticed that your other half is electrician , same as myself if he needs any advice on the skill test just ask me , passed mine in february.

Cheers wayne

[Guest Ste_n_Vic]

Hi guys thanks for your replies they are really helpful, I suppose we could give it a go doing it ourselves and see how far we get? I never thought of that! I'm just not very confident that we would get it right first time and its so important to us!

 

Thanks Wayne thats really kind of you - did you do it through Vetassess? Was it hard or straightforward? My OH is pretty up to date - he did the 17th regs last year - is it along those lines? Sorry to bombard you with loads of questions! .

 

Thanks for all your advice, it's really appreciated!

 

Vic x

[Guest sarahsmartiepants]

Personnally I would use an agent then you dont have to ask all the what does this mean Qs, but I wouldnt use the agent you said they seem to charge quite a lot.

[Guest lynne]

The questions that you are likely to ask are covered on the website that you download all your forms from.

 

The form filling is very straight forward but repetative as you have to repeat yourself over and over again.

 

We did our own visa application and it was more complicated than most as we have a disabled child and an elderly dependent. But we emailed any queries and than they emailed you back.

 

 

The visa application are just obtaining information to confirm the skills you are stating, if you are applying for a permanent visa.

 

We completed all our application without the help of anyone. We did not know anyone going through the process and we did not belong to a forum like this.

 

Try on your own and see how far you get.

 

Look on the website Australian House london and look on the visa. It explains the different types of visa, you can downloads all the forms and now you can apply on line. It saves on the postage.

[Guest Ste_n_Vic]

Thanks Lynne, I looked on that website, and now I've got a better idea of what I'm doing! I think we're going to give it a go ourselves and at least see how far we get. Thanks for all your help everyone!

 

Vic x

[The Flinns]

Hi Vic

 

We did ours ourselves and had no problems whatsoever. Like as already been mentioned all the info you need on filling in the forms is covered on the diac website and the links for external resources (state info, assessments, etc.)

 

Any time you come unstuck/unsure, there is always some info on here, as every possible question/senario has been covered on here a thousand times.

 

Good Luck.

Howard.

[Guest familygood]

Hi,

 

We did ours on our own as well and wouldn't have changed it. We got help from an agent at first who did an initial look at our skills etc and gave us advice on the type of visa to go for etc but then we were on our own. I found it all really simple (I say 'I' as other half didnt exactly get involved!!) just check and recheck everything you send/do. The online forms are really simple and you cant really go far wrong as long as you know what you are applying for. We found the state sponsorship the hardest part as it is so ambiguous.

I guess it also depends on how good you are at forms etc. I am a policy and contract manager so used to legal jargon etc and reading all small print. Just read and read and read and do loads of spreadhseets/diarise everything to keep on top of it all and you will be fine, It is time consuming but very much worth the effort - and all the money you save!

 

And if you look at my timeline it certainly doesnt seem to make any difference to allocation of case officers or anything as I cant believe you would get one quicker than 2 weeks after applying as we did.

 

Best of luck!!

[Guest way]

it will cost him about a £1000 pound .£300 for his papers checking and about £700 for exam. I did it thro vetessess . Its a single skt wired via 20mm tube. 2 way light via 20mm tube . bit of a motor thing . safely isolate heater. thats about it. 18 questions on a multi choice exam. if he as all is college papers and can get reference letters he should pass the paper based application then book is practical. Nearest place for him would probably be blackburn.

[Guest sarahsmartiepants]

Just a question not a dig. To those who have done it themselves................

If it is so easy why are there heaps of Qs in the migration section asking "how do i do this and that?" or "when do I get a case officer" etc etc

As I say it is not a dig, it is a serious Q. As I dont know the answers to most of those Qs as my agent dealt with it all and I had no need to know much less stress all round really

sarah

[Guest UzinOz]

We did it ourselves and if you read all the instructions carefully it is pretty straight forward but very very repetative, but if money is tight I would definately give it a go. As Sarah says there will be questions you come across and think but that's the beauty of sites like this, there's always people willing to help out.

 

Good luck

 

Jackie

[Guest WoodMartin]

We used an agent, and their fees were approx £1500, In hindsight I guess we could have done it ourselves but for us we liked the security of knowing they were the experts! They gave us sample statements to amend to our own situation and (having seen the forms) did not have to do all the typing in of details over and over again on different forms.

[Guest stufi1997]

Just a question not a dig. To those who have done it themselves................

If it is so easy why are there heaps of Qs in the migration section asking "how do i do this and that?" or "when do I get a case officer" etc etc

As I say it is not a dig, it is a serious Q. As I dont know the answers to most of those Qs as my agent dealt with it all and I had no need to know much less stress all round really

sarah

Hi Sarah, when you start out on the process it can be daunting and some of the catch phrases that are used which become second nature to everyone who has their visa, simple things like the acronyms people use DIAC, SIR, TRA etc etc. :confused:I had no idea what the process involved, we initially got ripped off by an unscrupulous agency (none of the ones mentioned on here)and got shot of them quick smart, after that, I decided I'd try it myself. If you can navigate websites and are ok at filling in forms it's not too bad, the biggest thing is having the confidence to try it.

As you say Sarah it takes the emphasis and responsibility off you when you hire someone else to do it all for you, and for some people that will definately be the way to go, but we found that you still have to do all the running around finding the paperwork :skeptical:and it's not that big a leap when you get it all together. And the biggest thing is you don't have to wait on the agent to contact DIAC you're in control yourself....it's different for everyone, whichever way you decide, good luck:jiggy:

[Guest fiona C]

hi, i'm in a slightly different situation, as i got in on a spouses visa, but still lots of paperwork! i did it myself, and triple checked everything! and had spare copies of eveything for when i made mistakes!

[Guest familygood]

Just a question not a dig. To those who have done it themselves................

If it is so easy why are there heaps of Qs in the migration section asking "how do i do this and that?" or "when do I get a case officer" etc etc

As I say it is not a dig, it is a serious Q. As I dont know the answers to most of those Qs as my agent dealt with it all and I had no need to know much less stress all round really

sarah

 

 

Whats the harm in asking questions? I thought that was the point of these sites?? And just as I asked a lot of questions initially I can now answer a lot of questions and if that saves someone over £1k then I am glad about that.

[Guest sarahsmartiepants]

There is nothing wrong in asking Qs, that is what this website is for.

My point about agents is that if you use one you dont need to worry constantly about this and that as your agent does it all for you!!

Maybe my agent was really good, I paid 450GBP for the TRA aplication, it came back in 4 months then the visa was submitted that day for 450GBP and came back inside 4 months approved. I didnt even know what DIAC was let alone stood for as I had no need to know! For me it was 900GBP well spent, and in the grand scheme of things not that much money when ypou consider other costs you will have to pay for!

[Guest lynne]

The questions that are asked on this site are the same type of questions over and over again.

 

You are told when applying that once you papers are processed you will be given a case office. The problem is they do not say when that case office will be given. For some people it will be within a few weeks for others it can take longer.

 

 

Apply for my family visa was like applying for your passport. You provide all the information on the from and provide the evidence they request than post it off. For some people they are happy to do this. For other people they always get pay a fee and gets the form checked at the post office. It exactly the same for the visa. They do not ask difficult questions. They asked for evidence and details about family members, work experience, qualifications. I thought if I have to get this information together there is no way I am going to pay a third party to complete forms.

 

My visa was not straight forward as I have a disabled child and in addition we were applying for an aged dependent. But we just completed the forms and emailed DIAC if I had any questions. Also DIAC requested an additional report for my child, I questioned the need for this as the report would only contain the information that had already been sent and DIAC reviewed the request and granted our visa the next day. Agents would not of had the ability to question what DIAC were asking as the agents like to proceed the easy visa and on reflection they probably would of refused to take on my case.

 

Would you use an agent for a holiday visa to Australia????

[burgermeister]

We are on a temp 3 year student visa at the moment but hoping to make the move permanent when I finish Uni studies. We went through an agent more for advice on financial stuff such as if or when we should transfer company or private pensions. We knew there could be issues about pensions and tax etc and that it could cost us if we did it at the wrong time or the wrong way. For us that bit was worth paying for advice.

They also checked our student visa application, which is pretty straightforward, as we didn't want to slip up and only had a short time to get it sorted out.

If we get the chance to apply for PR in 18 months time we may well do the application ourselves as we know a lot more now, but will probably go back to the agent re the pensions stuff.

[Guest Ste_n_Vic]

it will cost him about a £1000 pound .£300 for his papers checking and about £700 for exam. I did it thro vetessess . Its a single skt wired via 20mm tube. 2 way light via 20mm tube . bit of a motor thing . safely isolate heater. thats about it. 18 questions on a multi choice exam. if he as all is college papers and can get reference letters he should pass the paper based application then book is practical. Nearest place for him would probably be blackburn.

 

 

Hi Wayne, ste here.

Thanks for the info on the vetassess. It seems easy enough, is that really all thats on the practical? If you don't mind me asking, what was the motor thingy about? Not done motors for a few years. Thanks for your help, good luck with your visa!

 

Ste:goofy:

[Guest Ste_n_Vic]

Hi everyone, just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who has offered us their advice! We have started the Vetassess process ourselves and so far so good! we're going to get quotes from other agents for the visa application itself,as I agree with some of your comments that what we were quoted seemed quite high! So wish us luck, hopefully we'll get a good result in the end!

 

Thanks for all your help it is really appreciated!

 

Vic, Ste & Isabelle (9 months)

[Guest way]

Ste, the motor thing is straight forward i had not done them since tech. It,s stop start button with over load controll via a contactor let me know when you have got exam and i will talk you thro it if you want.

Cheers wayne

[Guest sjs]

If you or anyone else decides to use an agent just make sure they are reputable. There is a thread going on pomsinoz at the minute about a very dodgy agent and to me it APPEARS to be the same agent who gave the op that near £3000 quote! There are many agents that get recommended - particularly on pomsinoz and I would really do my homework before employing them.

 

I didnt use an agent initially and failed the tra first time and sweated the whole way through the appeal - though passed. After that we just felt safer using an agent so for peace of mind employed visalogic to process our visa application and paid them £1190 for their services.

 

There is also a website I think it is MARA where you can check the name of an agent to make sure they are registered.

 

Good luck

[Guest brandyslad]

If you or anyone else decides to use an agent just make sure they are reputable. There is a thread going on pomsinoz at the minute about a very dodgy agent and to me it APPEARS to be the same agent who gave the op that near £3000 quote! There are many agents that get recommended - particularly on pomsinoz and I would really do my homework before employing them.

 

I didnt use an agent initially and failed the tra first time and sweated the whole way through the appeal - though passed. After that we just felt safer using an agent so for peace of mind employed visalogic to process our visa application and paid them £1190 for their services.

 

There is also a website I think it is MARA where you can check the name of an agent to make sure they are registered.

 

Good luck

 

 

I just saw that thread on Poms in Oz, what an absolute nightmare. They are one of the biggest advertisers in the national papers for immigration services. What a handling, as we say over here, for everyone involved in it, I really hope it sorts out for them.

 

Anyway, we didn't use an agent, we had to prove de facto staus as we weren't married, which was the biggest paperwork hassle. If you are good with paperwork, you can do it, you just need to be very organised. I liked the way I could email any of the depts direct and did not have to go thro an agent. When I emailed our CO they were back to us within hours to let me I know I had forgotten a form 80 and once it was rec'd they would finalise the application. I emailed about our meds too and they were back really quickly. You are paying for a service at the end of the day. Anyone I encountered was helpful and pleasant every in this was via cyberspace!

 

At the start it seems so daunting, all the abbreviations and different types of visa, skills assessments, meds, police checks - AAARRGGGHHHH. It took me a few weeks to get everything straight in my head to apply but once I did I am really glad I saved all that cash. This forum is great, you can ask a question and everyone will help you out.