Are Registered Migration Agents Worth It?

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi All

 

Please forgive my rant, but....

 

I see a huge amount of howling on the forums, some of it by Registered Migration Agents, muttering that people need “professional advice” in order to manage a visa application. Usually it is a preamble to suggesting their own firm (of course and understandably) but it is RMAs themselves who insist that people should use themselves or one of their RMA colleagues.

 

In the last 24 hours, I have been involved with trying to assist a couple who are Poms in Oz Members (not marknhelen) to discover what has happened about their application for a skilled independent 136 visa. In good faith, this couple instructed a Registered Migration Agent in the UK, who and whose firm I am sorely tempted to name and shame on here, bluntly.

 

Suffice to say that this agent and this firm is/are based and located in an area of the UK that I (a Southerner) consider to be “Up North” somewhere in England & Wales, because anywhere north of roughly Birmingham is “Up North” as far as I am concerned. I can confirm that the Agent involved is not any of the Agents/firms that contribute to Poms in Oz, and is not Shirley & Sheila from Australian Migration Associates either. The culprit in question has never posted on Poms in Oz and has never been mentioned on Poms in Oz.

 

Nonetheless, this Registered Migration Agent (I have checked his MARA registration) was hired. The 136 application was lodged by him sometime in 2007. In November 2007 the Agent advised the couple to arrange their meds and police checks, which they duly did.

 

In January 2008, his clients contacted him to request news. He said there was no news because he was waiting to hear back from them. What about? He allegedly said that a CO from the ASPC had made contact with him early in December 2007 requesting further information about the main applicant’s work.

 

OMG, plainly. A month had elapsed during which these patient clients were unaware that anything was needed from them. The Agent told them not to worry. He would obtain an extension of time from the ASPC and all would be well. The clients leapt around, gathered the additional information, sent it to the Agent and hoped all would be well. This was all done by mid-January 2008.

 

By yesterday, when the couple made contact with me, they had been informed that the Agent and the ASPC required no further information, but that the reason for the resounding silence from the ASPC ever since was because DIAC has run out of skilled PR visas for the 2007/8 Program Year.

 

I said, “No they haven’t. Alan Collett of Go Matilda contacted them very recently. They confirmed to him that they still have visas available. Here is Alan’s recent news article about it and I am 99.9% sure that he would have updated that article if the situation has changed since it was published.”

 

I suggested that the couple should phone the ASPC themselves and find out what is going on – or not.

 

I learned today that they rang the ASPC and were told that a decision on their application had been made in early May 2008 and that their Agent had been notified of it, but that since they had ticked whichever box on the form requires all communication between the applicant and DIAC to go via the Agent, the ASPC chap could not say any more. He suggested that they should lodge Form 956 if they wanted to instruct DIAC to communicate direct with themselves instead of via their Agent. They found, completed and e-mailed Form 956 to the ASPC in the wee small hours of this morning and I am informed that the ASPC e-mail system has sent a receipt for it.

 

Early this morning, I said, “OK. Ring up Australia House next, confirm that Form 956 has seen sent, thump the table with them and demand that they tell you what this Decision of early May 2008 says.”

 

I learned this afternoon that Australia House were very helpful, confirmed that the Decision had been to grant the visas, and that the e-mail containing the Grant letter had been sent to the Agent on this same day early in May. Australia House rang up the Agent, I am told, to ask why he had not informed his clients of their good news?

 

The Agent claimed that he “did not receive” the e-mail from the CO. Hello? Why did the e-mail not bounce back to the CO with the usual “Delivery Failed” message then, if this bit is true? I can see a “delivery failed” message in my own inbox readily enough. I do not believe for an instant that the VITAL e-mail was not received.

 

So – here is an RMA whose e-mail arrangements are so inefficient that e-mails from DIAC fail to reach him, and seemingly ASPC Officers are so equally inefficient that when the message “does not reach” this Agent, the CO is unable to discover the fact and so does nothing about it? Why doesn’t my humble little PC let me down in the same way?

 

When every communication that I have ever had from DIAC has never failed to arrive like clockwork? When their computer is the envy of every other Government with an Immigration Policy because the thing works like a charm? When their website is so well managed that it hardly every breaks down? When the mainframe machine in Canberra never seems to give up the ghost either (and anyway probably has a clone in the same way that NASA have 2 machines for the Space Shuttle, so that if one of the machines packs up there will be an instant switch to the other)? I’d say that DIAC probably employ the very best IT wizards on the entire planet, working with the best possible type of hardware and software.

 

This sort of nonsense – and sheer dishonesty – brings the entire Registered Migration Agency profession and its governing body the Migration Institute of Australia into the most abject possible disrepute in my firm opinion.

 

It is up to this ‘profession’ to do something about it and the best way that I can help to see to it that that damned well HAPPENS is by posting the information on here. The lot of them can remain under suspicion until the MIA/MARA gets up off its bone-idle butt and DEALS with some of its own renegades instead of shrugging this sort of thing off as an ‘isolated incident’ and letting it go.

 

Registered Migration Agents and MIA Affiliate Members (anyone whose credentials I can check via the MIA & MARA websites) are welcome to contact me in confidence and I will tell you the name of your Registered Culprit. The very least that any of you can do on behalf of the British public whom you seek to serve is to join me in making a FUSS to your own governing body instead of quietly turning a blind eye. I have seen this happen too often now, and this one is getting very close to being the final straw with my patience.

 

Grrrrrrr.

 

Gill

[CharmedP3]

I am gob smacked at the ineptness of this agent....but very pleased for the POI member who now know they DO have their visa....

 

I'd be tempted to name and shame if only to warn off any other future potential clients of this agent/company

[Guest Mel.R]

The PIO member who is indeed the victim in all of this should surely be entitled to at least a full refund from this cowboy!!!!

 

An an excellent and well worded thread Gill.

 

Mx

[Guest Karen K]

Well said Gill your worth your weight in gold. Name and shame sounds like a good idea to me XX

[Guest cantwait]

They should be named and shamed to stop others wasting their time and money on them. Agents should genuinly care about their clients, and if they don't, they shouldn't be practising. It's peoples lives and futures that they are messing with.

 

Karen

[Guest diesellisle]

I'm grrring along with you, Gill. This kind of thing makes my blood boil. It is sad that someone who is meant to facilitate people's hopes and dreams could let them down like this. Congratulations to the couple in question on getting the good news on their visa (albeit somewhat belated) - I hope that they do put in a complaint about this individual and hopefully MARA/MIA will be able to put a stop to his antics.

 

Lisa X

[debbie2302]

Hi Gill

 

I also think that the Migration Agent should be named and shamed. I too have a reason for this, as I live "Up North" and have recently paid our 1st instalment with an agent. He does not contribute to PIO and you now have me worrying if it is our agent. Is there anyway that you could give us a clue to the Agents name or bit more of a clue to which area up north.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Debbie

xx

[Guest Pinhead]

In response to your question and in my experience I would say that unless you have a complication situation the use of an agent is unnecessary. An application for a skilled independant visa is not difficult assuming that you obviously meet the points, health & police check criteria.

I have no doubt that where a persons situation is more complex or if they are unsure as to what visa they should apply for then agents provide a very useful and necessary service.

 

The agent involved in the case mentioned should be reported and hopefully they will be stripped of their registration.

[Guest tony and sheena]

Hi

Before we found the guy we're with now, I phoned at least eight agents from the MARA list, they all told me we were too late to lodge an application because it was so close to Tony's 45th. None of them would entertain us because there was an extra bit of work involved.

One of them told us we could get PR for Oz if we flew to NZ and applied from there! Surely that's not right.

Another assured us that only Tony had to arrive in Oz to validate the visa!

I definitely think 'word of mouth' is best, but then unless you use a forum like this, you won't hear.

I am so thankful that we found our agent when we did.

 

Sheena

[Guest JoanneHattersley]

Name and shame em I say!

 

Good on ya GIll for your hard work and dedication to the cause!

 

Well written piece too!

[Guest Jamie Smith]

Great work Gill. Some people are too disorganised to be in business.

 

I note that it's a service failure rather than a knowledge failure. This agent doesn't appear to recognise the importance this news has to the client. Terrible really.

 

To be fair RMAs are generally more knowledgeable than unregistered agents in that they have to keep up Continuous Professional Development in legal issues etc. That doesn't make them experts in service delivery though. But difficult techncial issues are usually their forte.

 

That said, this agent should get a complaint direct from the client and request for refund, ethically a 100% refund should be made regardless of the outcome.

 

I also note 60 or so RMAs with UK operations of one form or another, you might be creating a panic with a lot of their clients ?????:huh:

 

Maybe invite the agent directly to post his/her explanation on the forum. There can sometime be a second side to the story but inlikely to be a credible one in this case. If they're any good they will respond to the forum and the client. Otherwise MARA might be interested...

[Alan Collett]

Gill,

 

Even though I am on holiday presently please feel able to send information to me by email or PM. As you say, the tale smacks of incompetence, and a failure to empathise with one's clients.

 

I think it best that the visa applicants initiate the complaint - though I can bring the matter to the attention of senior persons at the MARA.

 

Best regards.

[Guest itskaren]

You are such a mindful of information Gill. Great thread. I say all go with Alan Collett of Go Matilda! If he's good enough for Gill he's good enough for everyone else!!

[Guest Pinhead]

Hi

Before we found the guy we're with now, I phoned at least eight agents from the MARA list, they all told me we were too late to lodge an application because it was so close to Tony's 45th. None of them would entertain us because there was an extra bit of work involved.

One of them told us we could get PR for Oz if we flew to NZ and applied from there! Surely that's not right.

Another assured us that only Tony had to arrive in Oz to validate the visa!

I definitely think 'word of mouth' is best, but then unless you use a forum like this, you won't hear.

I am so thankful that we found our agent when we did.

 

Sheena

 

As long as you lodge your application before your 45 you qualify don't you? (assuming you meet all the other criteria).

[Guest OldiesRUs]

Gill, as always a really informative and helpful post.

 

The agent we initially had contact with was rubbish and we actually lost 6 months waiting for him to do something. If it hadn't been for him, we would probably have our visa by now.

 

I say name and shame - or give the town he operates from.

 

Jean:wubclub:

[ali]

Disappointing that you can't name and shame Gill (although I fully understand why). Hopefully the PIO members will make a full complaint and be entitled to some compensation.

 

Ali

[Guest tony and sheena]

As long as you lodge your application before your 45 you qualify don't you? (assuming you meet all the other criteria).

 

 

Hi Pinhead,

Yes, the problem was that we only decided to apply in Jan, but because Tony was 45 in April we didn't have enough points. We hadn't left enough time to pass the TRA, then get State Sponsorship and get lodged in time. We couldn't get points from IELTS because the next sitting here was May!

Our agent said there was no prob, (I guess that's the Aussie attitude folks keep referring to), where there's a will there's a way. He pulled out all stops and contacted DIAC and explained our situation and met with a guy from the Qld Immi Dept and we had SS and application lodged by March.

I think it was sheer luck that we got him and I know we couldn't have managed it without him, so for us, it was money very well spent!

 

Sheena

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hello Again, All

 

Grim news, I am sorry to say. The visa in question was actually REFUSED, it turns out.

 

Querying the facts with the couple this morning, it emerged that Oz House had refused to divulge anything yesterday when the couple themselves rang Oz House yesterday, but Oz House promised to contact the Agent. The Agent was the one who then contacted his clients, assuring them that the visa had been granted in early May. He knew this only because Oz House had told him so when they had phoned him. The actual e-mail from the CO confirming the grant of the visa had never reached the Agent, so said the Agent.

 

Meanwhile, the couple had already sent Form 956 to the ASPC as instructed when they had phoned there. The ASPC guy had said that they should send Form 956 straightaway, ad he would then ask the CO to contact the couple direct.

 

He was as good as his word because when the happy couple opened their e-mails this morning, they included one from the original CO at the ASPC. I have now seen that e-mail and its attachments. The ASPC had chased the Agent about the need for the further information, but when he did not send it and he also ignored the Final Reminder from the ASPC, they gave it another 3-4 weeks but ultimately, they refused the visa.

 

I find it very difficult to believe that somebody from Oz House told this Agent guy “granted” yesterday when the DIAC person evidently meant “refused.” This Agent wants stringing up in my view. How much longer was he planning to spend pretending that nothing is wrong?

 

I agree with Jamie Smith. Sometimes lack of technical knowledge is not the problem. Failing to run the business properly is the problem.

 

I understand this afternoon that the ruddy Agent has not answered the phone to his clients so far today either. But he managed to take the initiative in phoning them yesterday, it seems. Is he spending today on the beach instead of worrying about where the promised “grant letter” might be?

 

The only way to solve this now will be for the clients to make a whole new visa application from scratch. The MARA can fine the Agent, and they can even suspend his registration, but they do not have the power to insist that he pays all the costs for a new application himself (including new meds and police checks if need be) and that he doesn’t even dream of trying to get any more money off his unfortunate clients. The MARA cannot insist that he pays his clients a 100% refund either.

 

If they go to another Agent, they will have to pay the whole lot themselves including the new Agent’s fees because a new Agent is not responsible for the fiasco that his colleague in the rival firm has contrived to create.

 

The bottom line is that the client’s only real hope of financial redress is to sue the first Agent in the Small Claims Court for his breach of the Supply of Goods & Services Act. Which states that somebody who holds themselves out as an “expert” in a particular field must act in exactly the same way as a real expert in the given field would act – or else.

 

But nobody really wants to be running a court action at the same time as trying to organise a new visa application, obviously. The situation is bad enough as it is without adding another layer of stress to it.

 

I hope that the couple will keep their nerve, make another visa application, get that up & running smoothly and then give the first Agent what for, frankly. If I were the couple, I would hire a new Agent, reclaim ALL the costs of that via litigation, and I would also report this shabby little character to his local Trading Standards Officer as well. If he cannot run his business properly then the best thing the TSO can do is to protect the public by shutting it down.

 

The Agent must be an Australian Citizen or Australian Permanent Resident because without one or the other he cannot be MARA-registered, which he currently is. Since he is in England, I imagine that he is probably an Australian Citizen.

 

It is no use my sitting on Poms in Oz imploring people to use only reputable RMAs – known to be such via word of mouth on this and other forums - when the visa applicant has often already instructed the disreputable Agent, paid over the money in good faith, and discovers the forums only much later on, during the interminable wait to hear something further from DIAC. By then it is too late for any of us to protect the victims of the disreputable and inefficient RMAs whose own governing body should be responsible for preventing them from selling their negligent wares in the UK in the the much-vaunted name of the MARA.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest Pinhead]

Is it possible to set up a list of recommended agents on PIO?

Someone (or more than one) could nominate their agent to get them on the list and then people could give positive or negative reviews accordingly.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Jamie

 

I also note 60 or so RMAs with UK operations of one form or another, you might be creating a panic with a lot of their clients ?????:huh:

 

 

 

I have already stressed in my first post that the Agent concerned has never been mentioned on Poms in Oz and has never posted on here. I checked that first. THis should reassure nearly all of our readers that their own Agent is not the culprit.

 

Anybody who is concerned has my word for it that if they would like to tell me the name of their Agent in confidence, I am sure that I will be able to confirm that the culprit is not the same agent. I reckon that the cuprit probably runs a pretty obscure practice because I had certainly never heard of him or his firm until his unfortunate clients contacted me.

 

Also, many firms in the UK are very good firms, but the Agent who owns them does not live in the UK and his/her name does not necessarily appear on the UK list. I've often made the assumption that the Agent is in the UK because the firm has a UK address, but often this is not actually so. I don't think the UK list is comprehensive.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Is it possible to set up a list of recommended agents on PIO?

Someone (or more than one) could nominate their agent to get them on the list and then people could give positive or negative reviews accordingly.

 

HI Pinhead

 

Not really. I think there are probably some very good Agents whose names never get mentioned ohn the forums, so I don't think we can do any more than we already do, which is to encourage new members to read all the hundreds of threads asking for Agent recommendations before they decide who to use. The same names crop up again & again on these threads, but we can't let a good Agent down by omitting him/herfrom a list simply because contributors to the list have never heard of the Agent/company concerned.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Guest tony and sheena]

Hi Gill

I can understand why you would be reluctant to name and shame, but the couple in question could post a thread to warn others not to entertain this cowboy.

I'd be livid and I'd make damn sure he knew that I was making other potential customers aware of his shoddy behaviour.

These clients must feel absolutely gutted.

 

Best wishes

Sheena

[Que Sera Sera]

HI Pinhead

 

Not really. I think there are probably some very good Agents whose names never get mentioned ohn the forums, so I don't think we can do any more than we already do, which is to encourage new members to read all the hundreds of threads asking for Agent recommendations before they decide who to use. The same names crop up again & again on these threads, but we can't let a good Agent down by omitting him/herfrom a list simply because contributors to the list have never heard of the Agent/company concerned.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

 

Hi I am new to all this as I am still battling with the dreaded TRA froms but we chose our Agent by reading all the old threads on PIO.I know some people may be able to manage without one but I am confused enough even when using one so god knows what I would be like if I tried to do it all myself.

Also I work full time and have quite a long commute, have a family to look after and quite frankly I am knackered at the end of the day and fit for nothing more mentally challenging than Corrie and the odd POI posting!!!:wacko:

[ali]

We have encountered a few legal problems when people have named a company in a negative way. Some have even asked us that their name cannot be mentioned at all and so it appears as astricks ***** - if you ever see this - then you can rest assured that the company has asked not to be mentioned so it should tell you that there have been some complaints and it's probably best for you to look for another one.

 

Ali

[Guest yvonne and paul]

Hi , we know how it feels to be let down by an agent, our first one just never returned calls so couldnt get started, this went on for three months, WHY and he was recommended by a friend who used him!

Then the second agent ripped us off big style with the costs £3500 to do the skills part and didnt even do that right (sorry still real mad) :arghh:would love to know if i could claim any of this money back:yes: HOW DO THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT? (and dont say Horlics!)lol Yvonne