Beware of migration company

[StevieF8]

Hi how do i pm you never pm before

 

 

Click on the name of the person on the left hand side of this page

 

A menu pops up

 

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[cki2011]

As per forum rules we do not allow name and shame, please pm member for the name of the company

 

Hello MTM

 

I can understand why people cant be named usually but....

 

This Lady is clearly devastating lives with what she is doing so in cases where the so called agent is blatantly doing this surely we can make other people aware so they dont use them.... it has to stop not for just the financial issue but if people loose the chance to go to oz they have to be stopped.... We were lucky we used Go Matilda and our application was very complex but Marina was superb with us from start to finish and others deserve the chance to be informed about the bad ones so they get the chance to use the GOOD ones that are out there to genuinely help people....

[Guest elitobon]

It is a tricky one as I wish I had seen info like this before I committed to using them.

As far as I know our chances are now lost, and she had promised us that all was well for over 8 months, denying us the opportunity to either do it ourself (it's not hard to put something in the post after I had done all the hard work of providing all the info anyway) or find a reputable agent to help us proceed.

Lebourvellec- I was applying under Marketing Manager and she was meant to be sending our info to Vetasses last Oct, heard nothing and I was pestering the whole time, she blamed delays.. it seems like you now need to use AIM as the assessing board (think this changed in July) and I don't meet their criteria as I have not managed managers etc just people..I THINK this is part of the problem, she may also have completely lied to me about whether this was realistic anyway as she had no plans to actually follow our application through. I am so disillusioned now with the whole process I don't know who to trust.

[gc1983]

I agree we need a website like trip advisor for agents and other services relating to moving to Oz !

[gc1983]

God I really hate this woman ! We have friends still with her! Did you pay on credit card ?

[lebourvellec]

Are you sure it was not Marketing Specialist that you was applying under - which is VETASSESS http://www.immi.gov.au/asri/occupations/m/marketing-specialist.htm

 

http://www.vetassess.com.au/migrate_to_australia/qa2_nominating_occupation.cfm

 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2012 by lebourvellec

[Guest elitobon]

Gavin, my last message to you seems to have disappeared! Yes we paid on CC and got most of it back, I am just checking with my CC what happened with the Vetasses payment as she kept our CC details.

It is not so much the agents money but the massive repercussions on our life plans and the changes we have made because of her, it tallies up to 1000's. Needless to say we are hardly going to Australia..

[lebourvellec]

You would would need State Nomination if you went under the Marketing Specialist, and SA are not sponsoring this occupation.

 

Employer Sponsorship may be the only option for you.

 

Try Go Matilda - they are recommended on the Forum and Alan Collette one of the Directors often posts.

[Guest elitobon]

Thanks for the info lebourvellec, I will look into it. Do you know if other states sponsor for it?

[kimsdu]

This really pisses me off... Friends of mine were stung by another well known company i think we should have a sticky thread which can be accessed only by mods to add info on these companies that directs people at least to google reviews of certain companies we know are totally useless theiving scumbags.. Is this not allowed???

[walvia]

Unfortunately I am having to resort to providing a warning if you are thinking of using the services of a particular agent. PLEASE PM me for name as can't post it.

 

I researched this agent and nothing terribly negative appeared, just a guess that she was probably not licensed herself but that a few of her clients had been happy with her services.

 

We worked with her to put together my skills assessment for Vetasses which was meant to be posted off last November. Since this date she has led me down a path of deceit. We have been in constant communication via email, skype (we spent 6 months in South America) and phone in which she had continued her story that all is well and that everything was on track for us to be there in November 2012. I gave her every opportunity to tell us that this would not happen.

 

In June when we were deciding whether we should stay in South America or return to the UK before our departure to Australia she didn't feel that it was important to tell us that actually our Vetasses application had NEVER been sent off. We arrived back in the UK in July only to contact Vetasses directly and conclude that they had never received it or been paid for it.

 

I cannot put into words the turmoil that this has put our life in. We have 2 young children age 3 and 5, the elder who was meant to be starting school in Adelaide. We had sold ALL of our belongings. We now cannot apply due to changes made on 1st July.

 

If you are using her or are thinking about it please be extremely wary. Yes, she appears to know her stuff but something is seriously wrong with her business. You hear about stories like this happening but never think that you will be the ones, well it happens.

 

I don't mean to demean your pain and I ask the following questions with utmost innocent curiosity.

 

How is it you managed to make such heavy plans i.e sell your belongings, enroll your children in school in Adelaide etc without knowing or seeing the actual progress of a visa application? As with any visa application, one ought to provide heap loads of paper work whether one is applying by oneself or using an agent.

How did you manage to jump to conclusions based on how things were going in the VETASSESS stage alone? Even if your agent was not phony, didn't you believe in the possibility of getting a negative assessment from the skills assessment body?

I don't really understand your rationale and how you've managed to make such important decisions based on nothing really. Or am I the one missing something?

[cki2011]

It is a tricky one as I wish I had seen info like this before I committed to using them.

As far as I know our chances are now lost, and she had promised us that all was well for over 8 months, denying us the opportunity to either do it ourself (it's not hard to put something in the post after I had done all the hard work of providing all the info anyway) or find a reputable agent to help us proceed.

Lebourvellec- I was applying under Marketing Manager and she was meant to be sending our info to Vetasses last Oct, heard nothing and I was pestering the whole time, she blamed delays.. it seems like you now need to use AIM as the assessing board (think this changed in July) and I don't meet their criteria as I have not managed managers etc just people..I THINK this is part of the problem, she may also have completely lied to me about whether this was realistic anyway as she had no plans to actually follow our application through. I am so disillusioned now with the whole process I don't know who to trust.

 

I would get in touch with Alan Collett at Go Matilda and at least check if you have options to still go.... I beleive it has changed a lot since July but Alan will know what your options are and they are very honest.... if there is a chance he will tell you and if not he will tell you....

[Guest Beasty]

Can you help me please Richard. Let's go back in time to the migration company Network Migration Services of UK who ended up on BBC1 consumer watchdog about 15 years ago? Who was the Scotland agent for them?

[gc1983]

I know what you mean ! She promised she had sent our skills assessment back in jan ! She really did not send our info to them until 5 th June ! So we missed the deadline which has put our plans back 18 months I think but it's hard to say what's a high enough points for 189 visa to get an invite ! We have 65 at mo but my wife's re taking English test to try and get extra ten points on sat !

I'm going to have a chat with my IT guy about setting up a review websites for moving to aus !

[Guest elitobon]

Hi Walvia

Yes there is no doubt a lot you don't know but I dont want to bore everyone with the whole story. We left the UK at the end of last year (selling up) to stay in South America for a year before our possible move to Oz, after ensuring all of the paperwork was in order and doing all of the exams and requirements. I asked our agent on many occasions, including a week before our flight back to the UK in June if she was sure all was going to plan and she said yes (knowing full well she hadnt submitted docs). We cut all of our ties in Bogota, (naively) believing our agent, however to be fair, if this is who you are working with you have a tendency to believe them. She always said to us that there would be NO problem at ALL for us to get in. When you are paying for such services you think you are getting told the truth, yes, I was naive but she could have simply admitted that she wasn't doing anything and we would still be in Bogota.

Our kids were not enrolled in a school, we had just researched the area we wanted to move to like most people would

[walvia]

Hi Walvia

Yes there is no doubt a lot you don't know but I dont want to bore everyone with the whole story. We left the UK at the end of last year (selling up) to stay in South America for a year before our possible move to Oz, after ensuring all of the paperwork was in order and doing all of the exams and requirements. I asked our agent on many occasions, including a week before our flight back to the UK in June if she was sure all was going to plan and she said yes (knowing full well she hadnt submitted docs). We cut all of our ties in Bogota, (naively) believing our agent, however to be fair, if this is who you are working with you have a tendency to believe them. She always said to us that there would be NO problem at ALL for us to get in. When you are paying for such services you think you are getting told the truth, yes, I was naive but she could have simply admitted that she wasn't doing anything and we would still be in Bogota.

Our kids were not enrolled in a school, we had just researched the area we wanted to move to like most people would

 

Its much clearer now, sorry for the misunderstanding.

As everyone else has said, speak to a proper agent, hopefully, there'll still be a way for you to apply on the new system.

[Davo1]

So sorry to hear about your experiences - maybe worth speaking to a registered agent and seeing if they can help you. Take care and best wishes to you and your family.

[pswebb38]

We used this lady aswell. At the beginning she came across as being very friendly and knowledgeable.

The longer things went on the more she blamed other people(TRA amongst others) that nothing was happening.

There were times when I was telling her things that she didn't even knew could be done.

Our TRA came back unsuccessful at the end of may because she had missed out the most basic of information on the application. At this point we decided to do things ourselves and not involve her anymore, as we were fed up with the lies and stories she kept telling us.

Since deciding to go it alone, we have sorted out our TRA, submitted our EOI, and just last week submitted our 190 visa application!

 

There are much better agents out there and I would urge anyone thinking of using an agent not to use this lady!

[pswebb38]

Gavin, my last message to you seems to have disappeared! Yes we paid on CC and got most of it back, I am just checking with my CC what happened with the Vetasses payment as she kept our CC details.

It is not so much the agents money but the massive repercussions on our life plans and the changes we have made because of her, it tallies up to 1000's. Needless to say we are hardly going to Australia..

 

We also paid on credit card. How do you go about getting your money back, and what do you tell the credit card company?

[Raul Senise]

This is one of the very frustrating issues that we as Registered Agents must deal with on a regular basis.

As Registered Agents, we must meet certain criteria to gain our initial registration (education, English, etc). To then maintain that Registration we must:

· undertake regular Continued Professional Training (CPD);

· adhere to a strict Code of Conduct;

· maintain an up to date professional library or access to the latest Regulations, Act, Policy, etc;

· maintain a Client Trust Account for client fees;

· maintain professional indemnity insurance;

· and pay a hefty fee for the privilege.

In contrast, anyone operating overseas can claim to be a expert without having any training, knowledge or experience whatsoever. Furthermore, they are not regulated in any way.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

This is one of the very frustrating issues that we as Registered Agents must deal with on a regular basis.

As Registered Agents, we must meet certain criteria to gain our initial registration (education, English, etc). To then maintain that Registration we must:

· undertake regular Continued Professional Training (CPD);

· adhere to a strict Code of Conduct;

· maintain an up to date professional library or access to the latest Regulations, Act, Policy, etc;

· maintain a Client Trust Account for client fees;

· maintain professional indemnity insurance;

· and pay a hefty fee for the privilege.

In contrast, anyone operating overseas can claim to be a expert without having any training, knowledge or experience whatsoever. Furthermore, they are not regulated in any way.

The problem is Raul people like this end up giving all migration agents a bad name :no:

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Hello MTM

 

I can understand why people cant be named usually but....

 

This Lady is clearly devastating lives with what she is doing so in cases where the so called agent is blatantly doing this surely we can make other people aware so they dont use them.... it has to stop not for just the financial issue but if people loose the chance to go to oz they have to be stopped.... We were lucky we used Go Matilda and our application was very complex but Marina was superb with us from start to finish and others deserve the chance to be informed about the bad ones so they get the chance to use the GOOD ones that are out there to genuinely help people....

You will see on this thread we altered the URL to linked in so that we could allow the post to stay. If people just wrote, "I used xx company and had a bad experience" we could leave the name in, but when people have been treat so bad they tend to vent their frustration (rightly so) and make defamatory comments as well. Each week we end up with legal threats from companies who have had bad publicity on here, these companies get starred out so that in future they don't receive any feedback on here even if it's good.

Personally I would not base my decision off a couple of people, I would use one that is often on the forums, who is registered in Australia (stricter guidelines) and one that had lots of positive feedback.

[wrussell]

Unfortunately I am having to resort to providing a warning if you are thinking of using the services of a particular agent. PLEASE PM me for name as can't post it.

 

I researched this agent and nothing terribly negative appeared, just a guess that she was probably not licensed herself but that a few of her clients had been happy with her services.

 

We worked with her to put together my skills assessment for Vetasses which was meant to be posted off last November. Since this date she has led me down a path of deceit. We have been in constant communication via email, skype (we spent 6 months in South America) and phone in which she had continued her story that all is well and that everything was on track for us to be there in November 2012. I gave her every opportunity to tell us that this would not happen.

 

In June when we were deciding whether we should stay in South America or return to the UK before our departure to Australia she didn't feel that it was important to tell us that actually our Vetasses application had NEVER been sent off. We arrived back in the UK in July only to contact Vetasses directly and conclude that they had never received it or been paid for it.

 

I cannot put into words the turmoil that this has put our life in. We have 2 young children age 3 and 5, the elder who was meant to be starting school in Adelaide. We had sold ALL of our belongings. We now cannot apply due to changes made on 1st July.

 

If you are using her or are thinking about it please be extremely wary. Yes, she appears to know her stuff but something is seriously wrong with her business. You hear about stories like this happening but never think that you will be the ones, well it happens.

 

There is not much you can do about unsatisfactory service from an unregistered agent, except take legal advice about possible legal action.

 

 

Under the current rules an application for a pre-migration skills assessment nominating (Sales) and Marketing Manger is assessed by the the AIM (Australian Institute of Management). An application for Marketing Specialist is assessed by VETASSESS.

 

Before retaining the services of a migration agent it pays to check at https://www.mara.gov.au/ to see whether s/he is registered with the OMARA.

 

You might still be able to develop a viable visa strategy.

 

Any of the registered migration agents who regularly post on this forum will give you a staight answer.

 

If you want me to have a look at your case send an email to: visa@pinoyau.com

Edited August 23, 2012 by wrussell
sp

[Que Sera Sera]

I just wanted to say, please do not let this put you off genuine MARA registered agents, its all very well saying just use them if you dont have a straightforward application, but the visa process is constantly changing and what may appear to be an easy application can quite quickly change to one that isnt as straightforward. I myself used Go Matilda and I know many who have used other Migration Agents and been exceptionally please with the service.

[wrussell]

I just wanted to say, please do not let this put you off genuine MARA registered agents, its all very well saying just use them if you dont have a straightforward application, but the visa process is constantly changing and what may appear to be an easy application can quite quickly change to one that isnt as straightforward. I myself used Go Matilda and I know many who have used other Migration Agents and been exceptionally please with the service.

 

I have been doing this for a living for almost 10 years and I can count the number of straightforward cases on one thumb.