MrsWL

how did you get on?

Can you let me know what type of evidence is required? My husband has kept regular pictures of all work he's done - like before and afters, but that doesn't exactly prove he did the work so likely useless. He was told this is what he will need and he has it all.... He has his financial and end of year accounts from when he went s/e with all tax returns and can get many references from people he has worked for. He also is a registered sole trader with companies house and has been since he started - is that enough as not sure what else they could possibly need?! x

Thank you guys for your help! I have tried go matilda and to be honest they didn't seem very helpful, but I am a woman of second chances so will perservere and try again with them. Thames migration seem ok so any feedback from anyone who has used their services, I would be keen to hear from. @neeID - can you remember who did your skills assessment? Can't find anywhere to book one online. Thanks for your vote of confidence! And can see you've either just flown out or are about to so GOOD LUCK @adele244 - Good luck to your hubby for the english test! Maybe see you out there

I am at the same stage as you and know exactly what you mean about finding an agent - I am half tempted to just do it all myself but am scared I will mess it up haha! I also found go Matilda unhelpful and they came highly recommended to me. They took so long to answer my queries and didn't seem too interested in wanting our money! Infact the initial enquiry where they state they will take 48hrs to get in touch - they took 22 days!! So my impression is that either they are very laid back and will make the entire process slow, or they are inundated...which will drag out the process too. I am going to check out that Visa Bureau suggestion. Also Thames migration seemed helpful yet expensive...

Oh - and here's some basic stats incase relevant. He is 36, UK passport holder, NVQ3 carpenter & joiner, 18+ years self employed as a carpenter & joiner. No medical illness history. No Aus relatives. Will he need to do the english test? Also, skills testing...please tell me more!! Thank you, and as you can see, we are complete novices!

Hello! I have just joined, so hello everybody! My husband and I are looking to move to Australia and will be applying via a 189 skilled visa - husband is a carpenter with 18+ years being self employed. We have contacted several migration agents who have all told us contradicting information and we are now extremely confused. Also the price differences between all agents vary considerably. Firstly, can anybody recommend a good migration agent? We would do the application process ourselves but have heard horror stories about people messing them up and being refused entry! Secondly, how much should we expect to pay for a migration agent? One quote is £1870 but from a company I can find no information on - and he believes he can get the whole process done within three months - which seems too good to be true, so maybe is! Another is for around £3600 and another £5200. So as you can see that's quite a significent gap! Please help - I will be SO grateful for any responses Thank you