Is it Really Worth Using An Agent?

[Kev Rad]

We are just waiting on a decision for WA SS in order to lodge our 190 app and we were trying to weigh up if it would be worth getting an agent or not.

 

Is the visa app, medicals etc that difficult to do. I know you lodge the application after the invite, I assume that is quite an impressive set of forms.

 

Are we right in thinking that after that you get a CO appointed who will contact you when they require the police checks and medicals to be submitted? Then it would be a case of waiting for the decision? Or have I oversimplified it a bit?

 

Any info on how the process actually runs would be great and would help us to decide if we need an agent, hoping we can do it ourselves and save a few quid for the rest of the move! :confused:

[Guest]

It depends who reads this and replies

 

Generally most people with straightforward applications tend to manage well enough sorting out their visa themselves. A few have been known to miss an important key piece of the application process and have therefore had their visa application declined or had to jump through a lot of hoops and had added stress. Probably an agent would have ensured this sort of thing was not missed or passed over.

 

What most people who do it themselves seem to say is that they found cross checking on the forum helpful, lots of tips, suggestions and making sure they asked any questions and got some feedback from others.

 

Those that opt for agents usually do so for peace of mind and/or because their case is perhaps not so straightforward. Some have terrible experiences with an agent (there are a few not so good agents out there that seem to get repeated negative feedback) but plenty of good/excellent agents who do a good job and help the process along. If you hire an agent be sure to do your homework carefully on which one you use. Usually asking on here you'll get some good suggestions as to who to use.

 

If you feel confident about applying yourself and your application not complicated (ie no step kids or criminal record or some such) then have a sit down with the paperwork and see if you feel happy to give it a go. If you are really worried or don't like paperwork then perhaps consult an agent. You'll still have to gather all the info etc as an agent doesn't do this for you as I understand it (which seems to be a chunk of the hard work done by you then anyways lol).

[jgt]

All the help is on here ,if i had been a straight forward case i would have used the forum. All the best :biggrin:

[Jelli]

the last time i used an agent i missed my chance for the permanent residency. My friend has the same experience with another agent. Other friend of mine paid about $2000 for the agent, got his PR done but $2000 is a lot of money if you really think about what does the agent actually do, not much. ummm...

[Perez]

We just got our visa grant today. I put the application together myself, to save money. A colleague had done it himself, and gave me plenty of tips and let me look at his paperwork so I could get an idea how thorough to be.

 

If your application should be fairly straightforward and you're not afraid to spend the time researching, drafting and redrafting, then I would recommend applying yourself. Just make sure you're as thorough as can be, and if you have any queries you can always call DIAC's information line for advice. Don't underestimate how much time it will take you, the form filling took me every weekday evening for 5 days, and that's not including the amount of time I spent getting the required information together!

 

If you have any doubts at all or your case is complicated (e.g. health issues, any sort of criminal history etc) then it would probably pay dividends to consult a professional.