where to start

scarlet mia · 29-01-2008, 04:52 PM

hello could anyone please give me some advice? We want to start the ball rolling and start the application for visa we just don,t know where to start. We have been doing some research and think subclass175 is what we need. We have been on several websites but haven,t got anywhere.We are also going to do the application ourselves to try and save some money. If anyone could point us in the right direction and advise us on personal experience that would be great thankyou.

jogrant3232 · 29-01-2008, 05:02 PM

Hi Guys
I think its great you are doing the application yourself. They seem to go through alot quicker. If you get intouch with an agent they will point you in the right direction. We had a meeting with ours and it cost £40 and then it was up to us wether we went on our own or used them.This way they at least tell you what visa you can go for and the procedure. You can even just use them for part of the application to make it cheaper. Good Luck Guys

scarlet mia · 29-01-2008, 05:16 PM

thanks for the reply and the advice.I just hope we do manage to do it ourselves.

Gollywobbler · 29-01-2008, 08:18 PM

Hi Scarlet mia

I gather from your earlier posts that your OH is a sheet metal engineer. Please start here:

A-Z Occupations List - Australian Skills Recognition Information

You might have to hunt around a bit for a job description that fits. The you need to check that he has the right qualifications etc to pass the relevant skills assessment and work out how to apply for that.

In addition, you will need to work out whether you score the right number of points for a s/c 175 visa if that is the one that interests you.

What is the points test? - Workers - Visas & Immigration

You will need to get the skills assessment before you can apply for the visa, so it is very much a two stage process.

Good luck

Cheers

Gill

scarlet mia · 29-01-2008, 08:50 PM

Thanks Gill thats very useful and just what i needed to know to get started. thanks again.

jenny4nails · 29-01-2008, 11:44 PM

Hi Scarlet Mia

We (me and my hubby) are in the early stages of applying for a 175 visa (hubby is a brickie). We are using an agent based in Brisbane Australia, so far, she has been FAB!! can't recommend her highly enough, she's really helpful, quick to reply to emails etc. She is half the price of using a UK agent too.

A couple of things to consider might be:-

1) An agent (ours does) may be able to offer relocation support once you land in Oz, I've heard some people say they felt 'dumped in Oz' once they got there - for us this is important, having someone riendly & knowledgeable to guide us when we 1st arrive eg: setting ourselves up with a home...all the necessaries to get started in our new life in Australia!

2) If you are confident to do the application yourself good on ya. But for example, we sent our paperwork through to our agent and she checked it before sending it on for being processed, and found that we had sent a couple of 'certified copies' of paperwork/certificate when we should have sent originals. We just like having someone there to guide us.

For us it's not just about getting the paperwork side of things sorted...it's the support and having a friendly response to ANY questions we have that's important too.

Hope this helps a little.

Jenny

scarlet mia · 30-01-2008, 12:39 PM

Thanks jenny thats very helpful could i have your agents details just in case we do get stuck and need help. thanks