peasy Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Hello - A question for all those who went out to Australia under there own steam. We are currently looking to emigrate out with a skilled immigration subclass 189 Visa. This should cost us approx £4000 to get, (incl medical/IELTS test/Visa application) The company here in England who we have had an initial consult with have guaranteed their support with all the above, (as i am lead to believe it is very hard to get a visa secured if you do it by yourself), incl support with moving - flights/short term accommodation, notification of changes to visas - dealing with all the authorities, import taxes etc, and they want us to pay them an additional £4000 for there services bringing the total to £8000. My question - is it worth spending double to use an emigration company or do you think the average Joe can go about this process on there own with a reasonable chance of success? Thanks all, Rach p.s if anyone can suggest any cheaper agents that would also be v helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 We used Paul at Emigrating Solutions and paid under half of your quote. I would definitely shop around and make sure they are registered. I also know a lot of people on here on who have it without an agent who can also give you advice of how they found it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It might be worth letting them help you with obtaining your visas but I wouldn't be paying the for the other stuff. Travel agents can help you to book flights, or book your own on the Internet as most people do. Shipping companies help you to move your stuff over and they are professionals who can advise you what to take etc. import taxes??? There may not be any unless you are bringing your wine cellar with you. There is loads of advice on here for free, I would save your money and do it yourself. Make sure the agents you are dealing with are MARA registered BEFORE you part with any money. Good luck Peasy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeDownUnder Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 What is there to do? I did it DIY. Check your job is on SOL / CSOL Check requirements for skilled occupation from VETASSESS / ACS etc. Submit required docs for skilled occupation assessment. Book an IELTS test. Receive results and create an EOI Await EOI result and then fill out VISA application. Then you can book a medical (google it or search on PIO) Same for police check. You wont have a change to your 189. You don't need to pay somebody to find you accomodation, this should be a free service from people offering properties to rent. Doing it DIY is quicker as you are in control. An agent fills out your forms, keeps your passwords etc. Use an agent if unsure or if you have a complex case. If it is pretty simple then the info is on the forums and you should be able to fill out your personal details. Anything the agent does will be copying what you have told him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 What is there to do?I did it DIY. Check your job is on SOL / CSOL Check requirements for skilled occupation from VETASSESS / ACS etc. Submit required docs for skilled occupation assessment. Book an IELTS test. Receive results and create an EOI Await EOI result and then fill out VISA application. Then you can book a medical (google it or search on PIO) Same for police check. You wont have a change to your 189. You don't need to pay somebody to find you accomodation, this should be a free service from people offering properties to rent. Doing it DIY is quicker as you are in control. An agent fills out your forms, keeps your passwords etc. Use an agent if unsure or if you have a complex case. If it is pretty simple then the info is on the forums and you should be able to fill out your personal details. Anything the agent does will be copying what you have told him. Because I am taking my boyfriend with me, the company brought out this HUGE book and said that we had to provide this much evidence if I was going to get him on my visa, which really scared me about how much information about everything we would have to provide and organise if we did it alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 It might be worth letting them help you with obtaining your visas but I wouldn't be paying the for the other stuff. Travel agents can help you to book flights, or book your own on the Internet as most people do. Shipping companies help you to move your stuff over and they are professionals who can advise you what to take etc. import taxes??? There may not be any unless you are bringing your wine cellar with you. There is loads of advice on here for free, I would save your money and do it yourself. Make sure the agents you are dealing with are MARA registered BEFORE you part with any money. Good luck Peasy - we might take a car? I am struggling to find out the exact cost but there seems to be lots of extra taxes like Luxury car tax which I don't want to be unprepared for then get stung on oz arrival? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeDownUnder Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Because I am taking my boyfriend with me, the company brought out this HUGE book and said that we had to provide this much evidence if I was going to get him on my visa, which really scared me about how much information about everything we would have to provide and organise if we did it alone? You don't wish to pay £4k to save 1k in missed taxes (which you would have to pay anyway). The agent cannot make stuff up for you, he can only fill out a form full of info which you have provided him. Go direct and fill it out yourself. You are paying a middle man to do your own work. http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/194977-189-visa-de-facto-partners-employment-history.html http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transport-shipping/97053-transporting-your-car-oz-everything-you-need-know.html Or ask Iron Lady Imports for a quote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay24 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I wouldn't pay an agent to take care of the transit aspects. As for the visa, perhaps do a bunch of research on your own (DIBP website and scan through related threads on this forum) to decide if you are comfortable going it yourself or need the extra support. For your boyfriend, are you living together? If not, including him on your visa may be a challenge regardless of whether you use an agent. If you do decide to use an agent, make sure they are MARA registered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'd not pay an agent for the relocation/transit side of things. Things like that I'd research the usual routes like shipping companies etc yourself. Easy enough. Pretty much everyone migrating does all that side of things themselves unless they have a lovely employer to pay all their expenses and shipping etc. Agree with the others, make sure your agent is MARA registered and reputable. Have you checked reviews and feedback on the agent you are considering using? I'd not pay a penny till you've done that and ensured they are not leading you up the garden path. Too many times I read in here of people who thought they had a good deal who ended up losing out on their visa or it taking much longer and costing more than they had been told etc. and most of the time it could have been prevented if they had researched their chosen company fully before signing on the dotted line. Many people apply for and get their own visas. So it's not impossible or a real challenge, although in some cases some people are faced with more tricky aspects of the visa process and so opt for an agent. Some opt for an agent even if their application is straightforward. You say 'boyfriend', so depending on your situation he may or may not be able to go on your visa application. Do you live together? De facto? Or are you living apart and actually still only dating? Do some reading on what they are looking for in the partner definition department. You'll find plenty of useful info on this forum and the official Aus gov websites are a good starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddieb7 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Hi Peasy, I agree with GetMeDownUnder and MaggieMay24. I would look at doing the application yourself, unless there is something causing a major concern about you situation. Adding your boyfriend should not really be a big issue. Immigration will ask you too provide information and prove the length and depth of your relationship . Which only you will be able to do. An Agent cannot conjure up information for you. We are just getting to the end of our application. We applied under subclass 190, and are now just at the waiting stage of getting a final answer from our Case Officer (Hopefully good news). Some of the forms are quite intense to fill in, but you would have to collate all of the information for the Agent anyway, so why pay someone loads of money to do something that is well within most reasonably educated peoples ability. Hope this helps. I've personally found this Forum a great source for information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Hello - A question for all those who went out to Australia under there own steam. We are currently looking to emigrate out with a skilled immigration subclass 189 Visa. This should cost us approx £4000 to get, (incl medical/IELTS test/Visa application) The company here in England who we have had an initial consult with have guaranteed their support with all the above, (as i am lead to believe it is very hard to get a visa secured if you do it by yourself), incl support with moving - flights/short term accommodation, notification of changes to visas - dealing with all the authorities, import taxes etc, and they want us to pay them an additional £4000 for there services bringing the total to £8000. My question - is it worth spending double to use an emigration company or do you think the average Joe can go about this process on there own with a reasonable chance of success? Thanks all, Rach p.s if anyone can suggest any cheaper agents that would also be v helpful! They saw you coming. If you want a professional assessment, send me an email. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Hello - A question for all those who went out to Australia under there own steam. We are currently looking to emigrate out with a skilled immigration subclass 189 Visa. This should cost us approx £4000 to get, (incl medical/IELTS test/Visa application) The company here in England who we have had an initial consult with have guaranteed their support with all the above, (as i am lead to believe it is very hard to get a visa secured if you do it by yourself), incl support with moving - flights/short term accommodation, notification of changes to visas - dealing with all the authorities, import taxes etc, and they want us to pay them an additional £4000 for there services bringing the total to £8000. My question - is it worth spending double to use an emigration company or do you think the average Joe can go about this process on there own with a reasonable chance of success? Thanks all, p.s if anyone can suggest any cheaper agents that would also be v helpful! I would actually be a bit wary of an agent or company that provides that all in solution. I would prefer my migration agent to focus on migration matters if I chose to use an agent. I am by no means anti agent, it is the right thing for many people, but certainly there is no truth in the statement that it is very hard to get a visa if you do it yourself. I don't know, maybe 50% do it themselves. I have never measured it but that seems as good a guess as any. You cannot bring someone else on your visa if you are just dating, regardless of whether you use an agent or not. If you are defacto partners, which generally means living together for a period of time (unless there are special circumstances), then it would be quite straight forward to add someone onto the application and certainly not a reason to use an agent in itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 We have be living together for a while - over a year, so hopefully it shouldn't be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay24 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 If you've been living together a year, then you shouldn't have any issues including your partner as long as you can provide sufficient evidence of your relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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