Guest nico Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I'm losing confidence in my agent and she's not answering my questions at all. I've emailed her once in the last two months and got a totally formulaic bland reply which didn't answer what I asked. I think I've made a bad choice there. Has anyone else changed agent? How do you do it? Do you end up losing all your fees and having to start again? Before I dump her ( and frankly, this whole process makes you feel like dumping everything in your whole life, doesn't it?!) would love to know if anyone else has also had those moments of doubt. Would also be interested to hear what agents think...I'm all for letting people get on with their job, but when your agent totally ignores a question on the current meds forms frontloading issue, it kind of tells me she's not really on top of it. Nothing so far is making me feel she's doing anything for her money. Perhaps I'm just paranoid, twitchy and intolerant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil Olsen Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Hi Nico Is your agent registered? If so, she would have provided you with the code of conduct and the booklet on the registration of the Migration industry. The code of conduct covers the actions of agents and the fees really depend on your arrangements with her. It is possible to change agents and the new agent will ask you for an authority. The process is painless and straight forward. Basically, you appoint another agent, write to the old one stating you have changed. Have you submitted forms yet? best wishes Phil MARA No 0637276 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nico Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Hi, Phil Thanks for your response. Yes, my agent is registered, and my application went off in May for a contributory parent visa. I doubt whether the agent has ever actually dealt with one of these before, so I am getting seriously worried about how much she knows, as she keeps contradicting herself. I won't go into all the boring detail, but I'm growing anxious about having front-loaded on her instructions without realising that's what I was doing. I've already paid a large amount upfront so I've been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. But it's wearing thin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil Olsen Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Hi Nico I suggest you read the Code of Conduct and write her an email covering agents responsibilities etc. best wishes Phil MARA 0637276 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Hi Nico First of all, don't worry about the meds issue. I've been investigating it to within an inch of its life and I'm now satisfied that there is nothing to worry about. Last year & the year before, DIMA decided to do away with the old-style of forms (nearly all of which had a colour-shaded backgrounds) because there were problems with scanning them into the computer. They weren't sure whether, if they switched to black & white forms, the error-rate would increase in the completion of them by applicants & their agents. They decided to use parent-applicants as the guinea-pigs, via the POPC. Experiment showed that the error-rate was no better or worse than before, so they embarked upon a wholesale switch to black & white for the whole range of forms. The idea, eventually, is that doctors will be able to submit all medical information electronically. I think the recent forms that you and I have both heard about could be part of a new experiment with this, using the occasional parent applicant as the occasional guinea pig again. However, if DIMA wanted to introduce a full-scale rule saying, "Frontloading Meds is Forbidden" they would have to give at least six months' notice of that via the website, and they would also write to all the migration agents about it well in advance too. Word would go round th grapebine LONG before any new rule about this became binding. So don't worry. The most useful thing you could do would be to ring up the POPC yourself, give them your application reference number etc, and ask them whether they have received your medical information safely and if they have, then does their database reveal whether or not you have met the medical criteria for migration, please? I strongly suspect that the answers will be yes, and yes. That would put your mind at rest. I have asked Alan Collett, Phil Olsen and Tony Kidd about these rumoured new meds forms. None of them have seen one. None of them know of any plans to introduce one. They are not all 3 of them mistaken. Some agents do tell their clients a load of hocus pocus in an effort to deter them from doing that which the agent would prefer they should not do. Some of the claims they make do not stand up to rational scrutiny. There are something like 3,000 registered Migration Agents worldwide. My suspicion is that no more than about 300 of them are good ones. I've been told some real rubbish by some of them about how the Balance of Family test works, and I was so disenchanted by the discovery that the ones I spoke with didn't have a clue what they were talking about that I decided to handle Mum's application myself. If you are not satisfied with your present agent, your chances of recovering any money are virtually nil. I've never seen a post by anyone who says that they have ever had any money back out of an Agent. On the other hand, money is less important than feeling that you can trust th agent concerned 100%. If you are not satisfied with your present lady then I would suggest asking for all your papers, and tackling the rest of your application by yourself, with occasional help from Tony Kidd if you should need that with any particular aspects of this thing. If you decide that you like my suggestion, you will need to download and print off Form 1231, to change the Authorised Recipient back to yourself. You do not need theAgent's consent to complete and submit this to the POPC, and since the POPC's contract is with you, not with your agent, they will do whatever you prefer at any stage of this game. Hope this will go some way towards helping you not to worry. Chin up, lovey. All will be well in the end. You'll see. Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Hi again, Hico Have sent you a PM this evening, now that I have more time. I was at work when I replied to your thread earlier. Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Hi Nico I suggest you read the Code of Conduct and write her an email covering agents responsibilities etc. best wishes Phil MARA 0637276 Hi Phil Re-reading tthis thread this evening (now that I'm at home and have more time) I wouldn't want you to think that I am rubbishing you to Nico by mentioning Tony Kidd to her. That was/is certainly not my intention. I have known Nico for some months now, even though she doesn't say much on here. I happen to know that she is moving to Melbourne, where Tony is based. Plus she has already come across him anyway, ages before I (at least) realised that you are also a Migration Agent, because he was involved with some other threads on another forum and my impression was that Nico felt reasonably comfortable with his suggestions. Nothing personal. Just history & geography combined, really. Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nico Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Hi Phil and Gill Thanks both of you so much for your responses. Gill, I will PM or email you from home tonight, but feel heaps better after reading your PM earlier. It's this whole not being in control thing! Can't stand it obviously. Yes, feeling better now definitely! Nico Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil Olsen Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Hi Gill Absolutely no offence taken whatsoever Thanks Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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