hollyoz29 Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Hello everyone, I am applying onshore for my partner sponsored visa. I understand it's a lengthy, difficult and EXPENSIVE process so I am considering using an agent. Has anyone used them or know anyone who has or can give me advice? I have met with Australian Skilled Migration ASM, but I can't find any reviews so I'm nervous about parting with the fee of $3000 (plus gst) on top of the visa cost. Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy Hay Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Hello everyone, I am applying onshore for my partner sponsored visa. I understand it's a lengthy, difficult and EXPENSIVE process so I am considering using an agent. Has anyone used them or know anyone who has or can give me advice? I have met with Australian Skilled Migration ASM, but I can't find any reviews so I'm nervous about parting with the fee of $3000 (plus gst) on top of the visa cost. Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Hi, It is important to find out as much as you can about the agency you intend to engage. The partner visas fee is so costly that you do not want to go through the heartache of lodging, waiting the average 12 - 15 months processing time, and then have it refused. Joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Hello everyone, I am applying onshore for my partner sponsored visa. I understand it's a lengthy, difficult and EXPENSIVE process so I am considering using an agent. Has anyone used them or know anyone who has or can give me advice? I have met with Australian Skilled Migration ASM, but I can't find any reviews so I'm nervous about parting with the fee of $3000 (plus gst) on top of the visa cost. Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks A partner visa is very simple and not normally difficult at all, unless of course you have different/difficult circumstances. If you do, then employ an agent, if you don't, well then there is no need at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy Hay Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 A partner visa is very simple and not normally difficult at all, unless of course you have different/difficult circumstances. If you do, then employ an agent, if you don't, well then there is no need at all. Hi, We have worked with a a number of couples who have had a refusal, so it may seem straightforward, but this is not always the case. Joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyoz29 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 Thanks Joy. I am trying to find out as much info as poss. They have a no win no fee visa, but there's probably some hidden small print?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyoz29 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 Thanks Sammy. I am considering doing this. My situation not too tricky...but it's a daunting process. My partner did his own skilled visa, but from what I understand of the partner sponsored visa they are a nightmare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 A partner visa application is generally straightforward. Some do opt for an agent but many do it on their own, myself included. TBH the gathering of all the evidence etc is still done by yourselves. Reading the partner migration booklet is always a good step. Print it off, read it over, make notes, cross out all the sections that dont apply to you (ie the PMV part) and re read. Get familiar with it all. You need to have supporting evidence of your relationship. What state do you live in? It may be you can register your relationship (some states do this, some don't) and can skip the 12 month requirement iirc. If not its providing the evidence to support your application. So bills and so on to one or both of you at your shared address. Both names on the rental. Named on each others car insurance, life insurance policy etc. Then 2 stat decs from the correct people, your supporting statements and a few other bits. If you've no criminal record or health worries then a police check and medical should be simple enough. Honestly, if your case is straightforward and you meet the requirements for the visa application (ie the timeframe as de facto) and so on its not that difficult to do yourself. Just read everything over, both of you, check each others applications to make sure you don't contradict each other on dates etc, all common sense stuff. We have an active partner visa thread on the forum also with lots in the process atm. You can find it here http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/58449-summary-spouse-visa-processing-times-offshore-uk-please-add-your-stats-1280.html Of course, if you don't feel confident in it or have a tricky case, then an agent is probably best, but read all the paperwork over, give it time to sink in a bit and hopefully you'll not feel so overwhelmed with it as upon first reading. It does all seem daunting but once you've got your head round it its not so bad. The length of time it takes, most of that is just spent waiting. Its a drawn out process. Cost, yup its pricey. Feel free to drop me a PM if you want to chat more or post in the partner visa thread and introduce yourself there and chat to others who are currently waiting for their partner visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Thanks Sammy. I am considering doing this. My situation not too tricky...but it's a daunting process. My partner did his own skilled visa, but from what I understand of the partner sponsored visa they are a nightmare! They are actually, once you read it all, not that bad. I found the form filling in easy, just lots of pages of it. Same with the evidence gathering. Just took a few weeks of sitting down of an evening, going through all our years of bills, paperwork and so on to pull out the items I would send in as evidence etc. Didnt' try to do it all at once, just took a bit of time, didn't panic or fret, found what I needed and put it in the pile. Same with the stat decs, writing our own supporting statements etc, just gave ourselves the time to put it all together. All up it a bit of my spare time spread over a couple of months of an evening or weekend afternoon. My husband wrote his supporting statement in half an hour in 2 bullet pointed pages of A4, hand written, mine was 5 full pages of typed size 12 font A4 :rolleyes: Do you have all the links to the partner visa PDF and so on? If not I shall go find them for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyoz29 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 Thanks for taking the time to write a helpful reply! Leaves me feeling rather positive. We've been together for 3 and a half years and have lots of secondary evidence for the whole duration of that time. We have lived together for 3 years but our rent and bills were paid for by the private school we were working for, which is unfortunate for our evidence! We have however got a letter from the school explaining that. We've also had joint bank accounts for a year and a half and correspondence with the same address for about the same length of time. From the advice given from the migration agent we met with, we are going to get a will sorted and I am going to contact pension dep and medicare for evidence that I have my partner down as next to kin as seemingly that helps - did not know I could do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyoz29 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 I may have the links but could you please forward just in case. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Thanks for taking the time to write a helpful reply! Leaves me feeling rather positive. We've been together for 3 and a half years and have lots of secondary evidence for the whole duration of that time. We have lived together for 3 years but our rent and bills were paid for by the private school we were working for, which is unfortunate for our evidence! We have however got a letter from the school explaining that. We've also had joint bank accounts for a year and a half and correspondence with the same address for about the same length of time. From the advice given from the migration agent we met with, we are going to get a will sorted and I am going to contact pension dep and medicare for evidence that I have my partner down as next to kin as seemingly that helps - did not know I could do that. All sounds good. If you are saying you've been de facto for the 3 years then you do need to submit some evidence to show this. And cover the 12 months prior to lodging fully. We picked out one or two random bills or car insurance for each year we had been together and then covered the most recent year in more depth. The other years we sent in one in each of our names at our shared home address or one listing both of us. Plus a joint bank statement or two from each year. We also included the life insurance policy where we were named, car insurance where I was the policy holder and husband the named driver (sent in a few years of those) and so on. I didn't include anything like birthday cards, Christmas cards, wedding cards and only a few photos (one showing us at a wedding that showed us with some of the people who wrote the stat decs). Husband as the sponsor sent in his most recent 2 years worth of salary slips. Plus his own bank statements showing salary going in, bills going out and transfers between his account and our joint one. Also make sure you have your full birth cert, your partner has his also and Aus passport, your passport (and visa info) etc. Police check and medical follow later on for on shore iirc but I am sure you can check this. They are only valid for one year so no point doing them too soon if onshore is running at 15 months say. Easy to find out anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 The agent you mention, their website (am figuring its them anyways from a search) lists 2 staff as being registered migration agents. I have never heard of them personally but that doesn't mean anything other than I've never heard of them Maybe someone will post a reply here about having used them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 OK on shore partner visa. If you've not already, have a read of this, view all the links and so on and take it all in. https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/801- The partner visa migration PDF is here. Suggest you DL it, print off a couple of copies and make it your bedtime reading for a few nights I highlighted important bits like supporting evidence, stat decs and crossed out PMV stuff and anything else I didn't need to refer back. https://www.border.gov.au/FormsAndDocuments/Documents/1127.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyoz29 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 I'm hoping someone has heard of them. From what you write, we may be able to do it ourselves. I'll need to really think about it and look into it carefully. Not sure if we've got as much evidence as you as we didn't need to name drivers on our car insurance in the Dominican Republic (where we lived) and our salaries were paid into our individual account and we just transferred money into joint acc. Also, we don't have statements from the account as it's closed but we got the bank manager to write a letter confirming we had the account together for a year and a half and we now have joint bank accounts in Australia. Most of our evidence comprises of letters/ bills at shared address, joint bank acc, letter from the school that we were employed together, heaps of travel itenaries and photos, invites, cards... We'll also look into registering our relationship as I'm sure victoria does that. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 I have never heard of them, one of the agents is an independent contractor the other first registered last year. I wouldnt put much weight in the no win no fee promise. There is a few agents that post on the forum which it might be worth looking at if you have doubts with the other one, even if it is just to get more quotes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 I have never heard of them, one of the agents is an independent contractor the other first registered last year. I wouldnt put much weight in the no win no fee promise. There is a few agents that post on the forum which it might be worth looking at if you have doubts with the other one, even if it is just to get more quotes. As I have previously posted, no win, no fee, no way. These offers are mostly questionable. Lawyers who make such offers do not always mention that if an adversarial case is lost, you finish up paying the other party's costs and court costs. In some jurisdictions in Australia the government pays their fees in compensation matters; provided the application was well founded. If a registered migration agent offers no win, no fee s/he must hold the funds (or maintain adequate insurance) until a case is decided. This could take many years, for example it was recently decided by the minister that thousands of applicants who had waited 6 years or more deserved to be 'capped and ceased' and had not made an application after all. In partner cases a failed application will result in the loss of the visa application charge/s and the ancillary costs which would be much more than a RMA’s professional fees. Applicants should make quite sure that a registered migration agent is advising them and/or managing their case. Unregistered agents are entirely unregulated, as are organisations that hand cases to unqualified staff to bungle. They can undercut RMAs’ professional fees, since they do not have to pay fees for annual registration, professional indemnity insurance, professional library, continuing professional development and other costs associated with complying with the Code of Conduct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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