Agent Advice

[unzippy]

This is for a spousal visa - Wife is Aus I'm English

 

Orig thread here - http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/251752-309-visa.html

 

We are just weighing up getting help with the application. First Contact have quoted us $2,200

It seems that they are based in Aus, so any communication needs to be got in first thing if they are going to have a chance of replying, or wait until the next day - which I imagine will be annoying.

 

Are there any other recommendations for agents or is it fine to go alone, or is there just a document checking service to give the once over before we submit?

 

Cheers!

[Leanne Stevens]

Hi Unzippy, if you are going to appoint an agent to help with your application you should probably weigh up a range of factors which are important to you, such as ease of communication, experience with your kind of visa, and so on.

 

My company is based in both Australia and the UK and we always work out what will be the best way to service our clients and allocate the case accordingly to either a UK or an Australian based agent.

 

With any visa, you can of course go it alone, the decision you make would factor in how comfortable you are with managing the process yourself; and whether you are equipped to deal with any emergent issues, or law changes, which come up while doing your application. Most agents that I know of don't offer a service to just check your lodged documents, rather, if they are going to accept the responsibility that comes with properly managing someone's legal process, they manage it from the ground up, which means they fully understand your situation and this minimises the chance of missing something critical to the case that could otherwise be overlooked. In other words; it's not just a matter of filling in a form; sometimes it's what you DON'T put in a form that causes problems.

[wrussell]

First Contact have quoted us $2,200

 

To manage a partner? visa application, I would have quoted a little more.

[Wei Shu]

Q: We are just weighing up getting help with the application. First Contact have quoted us $2,200

A: If $2,200 covers whole lot of service, say to act on your behalf from the very beginning to the DIBP made its decision on your application, with no hidden fees/cost, then it is very low.

 

Q: Are there any other recommendations for agents or is it fine to go alone, or is there just a document checking service to give the once over before we submit?

 

A: Sure some agents out there may provide documents checking service, but many agents including myself simple don't do it. And yes there is no such a requirement that the application needs to be lodge, or to have an agent involved.

[Leanne Stevens]

I'd agree with the above agents - the fee is low for an agent to completely manage a partner visa.