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Visa 189 - agent or self application


Deepee12

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Visa 189 - agent or self application

 

Hello - we are looking to apply for a 189 for my partner and then myself and our 2 children will be his dependants. We have been quoted around £6k for the whole application which seems quite expensive and I think it could be done cheaper. Is it an easy enough process to do without an agent or are

we better off using an agent? What is the first stage of application process? Also, are there any examples of the English test we can download? How long roughly does the whole application process take? From start to finish how much time are we expecting to wait?

Thank you

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are we better off using an agent?

This is a very individual thing, it depends how organised you are and how well you can assimilate and understand the information on the various websites. Almost all of the answers are on the Immigration website, the relevant Skills Assessors website and the IELTS website. The gaps can be filled in here. If you have any uncertainties then it is worth using an official 'MARA' registered agent. We had no doubts that we'd do it ourselves, and many people do successfully, you don't need to be incredibly clever, just need to be organised and have the patience to read through lots of information.

 

What is the first stage of application process?

 

The first stage is to read up the guidance on the visas you are interested in on the Australian Border website, followed by preparing the documents you need to obtain a positive skills assessment.

 

Also, are there any examples of the English test we can download?

 

https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/sample-test-questions

 

How long roughly does the whole application process take?

 

The skills assessment takes around 2 months for most occupations, then the visa can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 18 months.

 

 

From start to finish how much time are we expecting to wait?

 

Normally probably around 4-5 months start to finish, maybe quicker.

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Thanks all. Have been advised to go for a 189 visa, which is for an independent permanent residency, but the skilled worker visa is the 457 - I presume we have to do the 457 assessment as part of the 189 visa?

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I did my visa myself without an agent. It took a fair bit of research and determination. Not all visa's are straight forward and require a lot of evidence and individual pathways to be taken depending on thr job. If your asking questions about doing the 457 assesments as part of the 189 you clearly have no idea. Sorry to put it bluntly. My advice would be to thoroughly read up on the skills occupation list for the job your applying under to see if its on the 189 visa list first then follow the pathway as guided on the skills list.

Furthermore if your confused by any of this i would use an agent as you could waste thousands of pounds and do the visa completely wrong jeopardising your chance of getting a visa.

If in doubt do your research or contact a registered migration agent

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haha - thanks for the bluntness! We contacted an agent and they advised to do a 189 visa, but a condition of that is getting points for my partners job, as a skilled worker, which is on the skills occupation list yes. My understanding is that in order to gain the points for this job he has to be assessed which seems to be classed as the 457 - hence my question. Will do some further reading!

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Yep, you are definitely getting your 189s and your 457s mixed up. Totally different visas, 457 is a temporary work visa, 189 is a permanent residency skilled visa. What are your occupations?

 

https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/189-

Loads of information here, you could spend hours on that.

 

Honestly though, at the moment I'd agree with above and suggest you stick with an agent. Perhaps if you feel confident after reading through the various information on the border website and have a better idea of what's going on, then things might be different.

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haha - thanks for the bluntness! We contacted an agent and they advised to do a 189 visa, but a condition of that is getting points for my partners job, as a skilled worker, which is on the skills occupation list yes. My understanding is that in order to gain the points for this job he has to be assessed which seems to be classed as the 457 - hence my question. Will do some further reading!

 

 

No the 457 is nothing to do with the 189. And skills assessments are an integral feature of the 189 process and only occasionally comes into the 457 process.

 

At this point, you certainly are not going to be able to handle your own application as you are clearly reading things in a very funny manner and getting confused. However, we all start somewhere and if you are prepared to read and learn and have the aptitude for understanding and following instructions then there is no reason you will not succeed. Many people have successfully managed their own application. I did and like you at one point I knew nothing.

 

Any complications that you can foresee? For example: any health issues, any criminal records, any patchy work history, any uncertainty over which occupation you should apply under? These are the type of things that would make me encourage someone to use an agent. Your quote of £6k seems reasonable to me by the way.

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Thank you - have done a lot of reading today and its now all clear! Like it has been mentioned here, 457 and 189 are 2 completely different visas. We have been advised that we are better off going for the 189 which will include a TRA skills assessment. We have been informed that we have a very secure case (60-65points) so should be no foreseeable problems with our application. Lots of research needs to be done regarding the english tests and obviously all necessary documents for the skills assessment but hopefully the advice we have been given is correct. This might sound naive but I presume not everybody with the correct number of points and the relevant skills set gets granted a visa?? There are no health concerns, criminal records or gaps in work history no. We can only go with my partners occupation so no uncertainty there.

Thanks for all advice.

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Thank you - have done a lot of reading today and its now all clear! Like it has been mentioned here, 457 and 189 are 2 completely different visas. We have been advised that we are better off going for the 189 which will include a TRA skills assessment. We have been informed that we have a very secure case (60-65points) so should be no foreseeable problems with our application. Lots of research needs to be done regarding the english tests and obviously all necessary documents for the skills assessment but hopefully the advice we have been given is correct. This might sound naive but I presume not everybody with the correct number of points and the relevant skills set gets granted a visa?? There are no health concerns, criminal records or gaps in work history no. We can only go with my partners occupation so no uncertainty there.

Thanks for all advice.

 

What is the occupation? And is it 60 or 65 points, this can make a difference.

 

There is no subjectivity to the visa grants, you won't be turned down because they don't like the look of you. If you meet all the criteria and follow the process correctly you will get a visa.

 

If you make a mistake in your application, such as over claim points on the expression of interes or if you complete steps in the wrong order, then this will result in a visa refusal. You won't have a visa refused for forgetting to attach a document say, you would just be asked for it.

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Thanks Bungo. My partner is a diesel mechanic - this is the point allocation we have been given:

Age: 29: 30 points

Language Test: IELTS general: 7 each band: tbc: 10 points

Employment History (relevant to the listed occupation above): 8 years + post qualification: 15 points

Education: NVQ 3: 10 points

Criminal Record: na

Medical Conditions: na

Dependent details: partner and 2 children

TOTAL SCORED: 65

 

The 65 could be reduced to 60 if he doesn't do so well in the English tests, but no reason why that would be the case. So should hopefully be 65 rather than 60. What difference does the 5 points make? The agent told me that as long as you meet the 60point requirement there wouldn't be a problem. (Slightly sceptical about agents that they will almost tell you what you want to hear - I.e, you have a sure case, I don't see any problems, so that you pay them the £2k fee for them to start the process).

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Not sure how you figure it's 60 if the 10 isn't scored for English.

 

- As above it is 65 - 30+10+15+10 = 65 So if he were to only score 5 for the English tests it would just be 60?? Is that not how it works?

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- As above it is 65 - 30+10+15+10 = 65 So if he were to only score 5 for the English tests it would just be 60?? Is that not how it works?

 

 

Nope you won't get 5 for English. It is essential he gets at least all 7s for ten points. Ideally all 8s for 20 points. Is he definitely going to get 15 for work experience, he is quite young to be getting maximum points for that.

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Nope you won't get 5 for English. It is essential he gets at least all 7s for ten points. Ideally all 8s for 20 points. Is he definitely going to get 15 for work experience, he is quite young to be getting maximum points for that.

 

Weve been told he gets 15 points for experience of 8 years or more, he qualified in 2006 so 10 yrs of experience.

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Weve been told he gets 15 points for experience of 8 years or more, he qualified in 2006 so 10 yrs of experience.

 

If you can manage to get 20 points for English you should get to 60 without any points for experience. That would make the process much simpler in my opinion

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If you can manage to get 20 points for English you should get to 60 without any points for experience. That would make the process much simpler in my opinion

 

Thank you. - don't you think the experience will count??

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It's not that it wouldn't count. Various assessing bodies can and do deduct a number of years' experience as 'qualifying' time. This is independent of whether or not someone 'qualifies' to perform a role, in the sense we might use the word in day to day parlance. I have seen a few cases where people have put down x number of years' relevant experience on a visa application and it has been rejected because they should have noted certain periods as irrelevant (because they were still qualifying for the skills met date from the assessing body).

 

What you initially believe to be 10 years' relevant experience could be whittled down, for example, to 4, depending on qualifications, role, and rules of the assessing body.

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Thank you. - don't you think the experience will count??

 

It's not that it wouldn't count. Various assessing bodies can and do deduct a number of years' experience as 'qualifying' time. This is independent of whether or not someone 'qualifies' to perform a role, in the sense we might use the word in day to day parlance. I have seen a few cases where people have put down x number of years' relevant experience on a visa application and it has been rejected because they should have noted certain periods as irrelevant (because they were still qualifying for the skills met date from the assessing body).

 

What you initially believe to be 10 years' relevant experience could be whittled down, for example, to 4, depending on qualifications, role, and rules of the assessing body.

 

What he said :-)

It's also less evidence to collect for DIBP although I guess most will have to be gathered at skill assessment stage anyway

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