Visa Connection ACS Application Update

[andrew_obrien]

I have just spoken to ACS In Sydney and they have told me that they have no record of me on their system and that the application number that Visa Connections have given me is wrong.

I Strongly urge anyone who is still with Visa Connections to get in touch with them A.S.A.P as i will be doing so in the morning.

I will keep you all up to date with what is happening.

[Ms_Fi]

That's not good - I really hope you can get it sorted out.

[cantwait]

That's terrible Andrew. How did you pay the ACS? Can you check if any payment has been processed by anyone?

Karen

[Gollywobbler]

Hi Andrew

I completely agree with cantwait. My guess is that no money has been paid to ACS since no skills assessment application has been received by them?

Which begs the question of where is the money? If you gave VC a Bank Draft for it, the draft might not still be usable since it will be more than 3 months old. You would need to check with the issuing bank.

If you supplied card details instead, presumably your account has not been debited with a payment to ACS?

If you paid the money to VC, for them to pay ACS out of their client account, then is that money still intact and in VC's client account?

I know that the Companies House search that was done reveals that Companies House have listed Visa Connection Ltd as a dormant company. Somebody alleged that no money has passed through VC's Office account for some time. However, Client money should be held in a separate Client account and I wouldn't necessarily expect the annual audited accounts, filed with Companies House, to reveal anything about the state of the Client account because money in Client does not belong to the business.

Best wishes

Gill

[andrew_obrien]

The ACS paypment is by credit card so payment has been taken.
I will be contacting Visa Connections tomorrow and will let you all know what happens fron there

[andrew_obrien]

Finally had a bit of news from VC that i do now have a registered agent called Christine Rodan No:- 9358487 but still no ACS Confermation. Still Dont know what to do about it all though.
Also the registered agent is a part of http://www.erskinerodan.com.au/z

[cantwait]

Hi Andrew

Did you check who took the payment from your credit card? Was it your agent or was it the ACS?

Karen

[andrew_obrien]

Sorry for any confusion, ACS has not taken any money from me they just have my credit card details according to VC

[moonraker1961]

I'm quite shocked by whats going down with Visa Connection.They renewed my PR for me about 3 years ago,and Clare Molner was lovely to talk to???hhmmm Not impressed!!!

[Gollywobbler]

Hi Andrew

I am so sorry for the delay in getting back to you because I know how important this is for you.

Nobody can command you to use Erskine Rodan instead of VC, Richard Gregan, Alan Collett, George Lombard or about 3,000 other Registered Migration Agents. Your own consent - and ultimately your sole decision - is 100% crucial to any question of what happens next.

Therefore any suggestion that you have simply been 'farmed out' to Erskine Rodan is well & truly off the wall and they will be the first people to confirm that to you if you ask them.

Who are Erskine Rodan? My guess is that they are a Husband & Wife firm of solicitors in North Melbourne. This is what the MARA say:

http://www.themara.com.au/Online/ARS...asp?DeptID=140

This is what the Law Institute of Victoria say and they are the equivalent of the Law Society of England & Wales:

Firms Directory : Erskine Rodan & Associates - North Melbourne

Both Mr & Mrs Rodan are very high-calibre Australian Solicitors, it seems, since both are Accredited Specialists in Immigration Law according to the Law Institute of Victoria. Under Australian Law, no matter how high-powered they might be as practising Solicitors, they must also be Registered Migration Agents in order to go anywhere near any question of advising anybody about Australian Immigration Law. That is a standard, universal and absolutely no-worries requirement.

Every Registered Migration Agent has a unique number (MARN for short.) The first two digits of the MARN represent the year in which the practitioner became registered with the MARA assuming that he or she has then continued with annual MARA re-registration without a break since the first year.

Christine Rodan was MARA-registered in 1993, therefore, so presumably she has maintained that ever since. In terms of sheer ability to provide properly professional advice and assistance to you, there can be no doubt whatever about Mrs Rodan's credentials.

That said, a solicitor of her calibre is rarely inexpensive to hire. Therefore if you go along with the suggestion of instructing Erskine Rodan, what will their fees come to and who will be paying them? According to the Law Institute of Victoria, they will offer a free 30 minute interview if you approach them via the LIV's on-line referral service or something? If you are minded to use Erskine Rodan, I strongly recommend that you get it in writing from them about how much (if anything) they propose to charge you for helping you out of a mess which they did not create.

Or are VC going to be responsible for Erskine Rodan's fees? If the latter, get Erskine Rodan to confirm in writing - direct to you - that they will not be looking to you for any payment of fees, I suggest.

Is it convenient for you to use a solicitor in Melbourne to assist you with the various steps involved in seeking skilled independent migration to Australia? Many British clients prefer to use Agents in the UK precisely because of time-zone differences. If you are a night owl, then you can probably cope with Melbourne being several hours ahead of the UK. Other British clients prefer to use Agents in Australia, but which to choose is entirely a matter of personal choice.

Where is your file though? In Melbourne or in Edinburgh?

Ultimately, Andrew, what is your own preference? That is what you really have to decide, I suspect.

Best wishes

Gill