Migration agent recommendations please.

[Corrina]

Hi, 

I have been looking for a migration agent (UK family of 4) and have had an unexpected flood of emails from various agents, all quoting very different costs! It's thrown me. 

I'm wondering if anyone can advise, did you use an agent? Can this be completed without using one? If you used one, what did they do for you? How much did you pay and were there any hidden costs? 

My husband and I are both social workers. Are there any specific agents for certain roles/job skills or does this not matter? 

Lastly, and apologies for a list of questions, but could you please recommend an agent you used? Positives/negatives?... I'd much prefer to go with word of mouth. 

Thanks so much.

[Ausvisitor]

My agent was great, but doesn't do the job anymore. 

You can of course do it yourself, thousands do every year but I always work on the principle that when making such a big investment (money, time and life) it's best to get some proper advice as that will hopefully save heartache later.

In terms of advice I've had some great help from @paulhand @Alan Collett @Raul Senise to questions I've posted on here in the past, if they are that good when they aren't being paid I imagine they are pretty great when they are "on the clock"

[Corrina]

56 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

My agent was great, but doesn't do the job anymore. 

You can of course do it yourself, thousands do every year but I always work on the principle that when making such a big investment (money, time and life) it's best to get some proper advice as that will hopefully save heartache later.

In terms of advice I've had some great help from @paulhand @Alan Collett @Raul Senise to questions I've posted on here in the past, if they are that good when they aren't being paid I imagine they are pretty great when they are "on the clock"

That's great, thanks so much. Hopefully they might see this then, and won't mind suggesting. Thank you. 

[CharleyP]

Alan Collett from Go Matilda has been great for me - after a chat about options he was very clear about exact costs and broke it down into what you pay for rather than giving just one large total amount. 

[Corrina]

1 hour ago, CharleyP said:

Alan Collett from Go Matilda has been great for me - after a chat about options he was very clear about exact costs and broke it down into what you pay for rather than giving just one large total amount. 

Thanks Charley. I have briefly looked at Gomatilda on somebody's recommendation on here. I'll definitely relook now. Thanks 

[Alan Collett]

7 hours ago, Corrina said:

Thanks Charley. I have briefly looked at Gomatilda on somebody's recommendation on here. I'll definitely relook now. Thanks 

Can you ping a quick message to me with your name and email address so I can find you in my inbox?

Thanks!

Best regards.

[Susan from Moneycorp]

Hello Corinna  

I work closely with agents both here in Sydney and around the Perth area of WA - let me know which area you may have chosen to relocate to and I'll be glad to introduce you personally ~

Good luck!

Sue ~

 

Susan Watts
Director of Business

TTT Moneycorp PTY Ltd Australia

 

T: +61 414 838586

  

Level 6, 201 Kent Street, Sydney NSW  2000

 

 

 

 

[WelderGuy5]

GoMatilda highly recommended. Plenty of references can be found here.

[Corrina]

8 hours ago, Alan Collett said:

Can you ping a quick message to me with your name and email address so I can find you in my inbox?

Thanks!

Best regards.

Hi Alan, 

Thanks for replying. Sure, I'll email you now. 

[Corrina]

5 hours ago, WelderGuy5 said:

GoMatilda highly recommended. Plenty of references can be found here.

Thank you that's great. 

[Corrina]

7 hours ago, Susan from Moneycorp said:

Hello Corinna  

I work closely with agents both here in Sydney and around the Perth area of WA - let me know which area you may have chosen to relocate to and I'll be glad to introduce you personally ~

Good luck!

Sue ~

 

Susan Watts
Director of Business

TTT Moneycorp PTY Ltd Australia

 

T: +61 414 838586

  

Level 6, 201 Kent Street, Sydney NSW  2000

 

 

 

 

Hi Sue, 

Thanks for replying. We are aiming for Perth. 

[paulhand]

20 hours ago, Corrina said:

Are there any specific agents for certain roles/job skills or does this not matter? 

Many agents do specialise in certain types of application, as some application types are highly specialised. There are a few that narrow this even further to specific roles.

48 minutes ago, Corrina said:

We are aiming for Perth. 

WA has a very short skills list for overseas migrants, so options may be limited.

18 hours ago, Corrina said:

Hopefully they might see this then, and won't mind suggesting. Thank you. 

Please do get in touch - details below ...

[Susan from Moneycorp]

Corinna, Perth is wonderful!
(As are Fremantle and Rottnest - two of my favourite places in all my travels)

Please feel free to drop me a line at the office: susan.watts@moneycorp.com and I'll be glad to help further  
 

[Corrina]

10 hours ago, paulhand said:

Many agents do specialise in certain types of application, as some application types are highly specialised. There are a few that narrow this even further to specific roles.

WA has a very short skills list for overseas migrants, so options may be limited.

Please do get in touch - details below ...

Hi Paul. Thanks so much for your reply and info. I will certainly be in touch asap. Perth was our first choice, although I'm sure that social worker was on the WA list, we'd also consider Adelaide or QLD. 

[Corrina]

10 hours ago, Susan from Moneycorp said:

Corinna, Perth is wonderful!
(As are Fremantle and Rottnest - two of my favourite places in all my travels)

Please feel free to drop me a line at the office: susan.watts@moneycorp.com and I'll be glad to help further  
 

Hi Susan, thank you so much for your reply. I've done so much research into states, cities and suburbs, I feel like I could be a tour guide!! But yes, Perth just feels like the right and best place for us. Best out of everywhere we have considered (QLD, Adelaide, NSW, Canada, NZ and France)!... But thank you I will make contact with you tomorrow. 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Corrina said:

Hi Susan, thank you so much for your reply. I've done so much research into states, cities and suburbs, I feel like I could be a tour guide!! But yes, Perth just feels like the right and best place for us. Best out of everywhere we have considered (QLD, Adelaide, NSW, Canada, NZ and France)!... But thank you I will make contact with you tomorrow. 

I would  just say that Paul is an experienced agent who has been very generous in handing out free advice to PomsinOz members.  Choosing an agent who lives in WA won't give you any advantage whatsoever - it's a matter of complete irrelevance where they're based.  I'm sure Susan knows lots of agents on a professional level, but personally I'd choose one of the agents who have shown their generosity and knowledge by supporting all of us on these forums.  Paul is one.  There's also GoMatilda and SunCoast Migration.

Good luck.

[Corrina]

25 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I would  just say that Paul is an experienced agent who has been very generous in handing out free advice to PomsinOz members.  Choosing an agent who lives in WA won't give you any advantage whatsoever - it's a matter of complete irrelevance where they're based.  I'm sure Susan knows lots of agents on a professional level, but personally I'd choose one of the agents who have shown their generosity and knowledge by supporting all of us on these forums.  Paul is one.  There's also GoMatilda and SunCoast Migration.

Good luck.

Noted, and appreciated. Thank you. 

[CanRoverCome]

Hi All,

I was wondering if I could jump on this same thread rather than starting a new one? We're in the process of beginning down the road - still early days, but we've decided we definitely want to go with an agent to make sure we're giving ourselves the best chances and avoiding any heartache.

We're a couple (late 30s/early 40s, no dependents/kids, UK citizens) and are looking at the state sponsored route, with a strong preference for WA (Perth metro) followed by the NT (Darwin/Palmerston) as an alternative. We'd really like an agent with some local knowledge and experience of the WA (or NT) migration landscape so would appreciate the thoughts of the PIO collective on this.

We've approached a few, and so far have been most impressed with Peter Loughton at EasyMigrate, based in Perth, who came back to us addressing our specific concerns and with some recommendations (getting a skills assessment in early). Does anyone have any experience with their services? We've got good vibes, but obviously this is the first time we've used a migration agent, so I'm very aware that I'm probably not a good judge of this!

We also spoke to Northern Immigration in Darwin but weren't terribly impressed - they immediately wanted us to book a $290 Skype consultation, which we feel is unreasonable. This is a big decision, so we think it's fair to be able to share some ideas with  them first to really get a feel for the people we'll be working with before committing.

So if anyone else has worked with Peter I'd really love to hear your story of how it went - and if anyone has any other suggestions for good agents with local WA (or NT) experience, please feel free to share. We did speak to Go Matilda as well (as they have an office here in the UK) but apparently they are logjammed at the moment so aren't taking on new cases.

Thanks for your help!

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, CanRoverCome said:

We're a couple (late 30s/early 40s, no dependents/kids, UK citizens) and are looking at the state sponsored route....We'd really like an agent with some local knowledge and experience of the WA (or NT) migration landscape

CanI ask why you think local knowledge will be any help whatsoever?    I'd try Suncoast Migration or Pinoy Australia.  

[CanRoverCome]

56 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

CanI ask why you think local knowledge will be any help whatsoever?    I'd try Suncoast Migration or Pinoy Australia.  

I assumed that agents with more experienced with WA/NT specific visas would be better placed to advise on them than someone who deals primarily with Australia wide visas or those from other states? I don't mean local knowledge in the geographic sense, but rather an agent who specialises in WA or NT specific migration, given both are quite different economically and in terms of migration catchment to the eastern states.

[Marisawright]

18 minutes ago, CanRoverCome said:

I assumed that agents with more experienced with WA/NT specific visas would be better placed to advise on them than someone who deals primarily with Australia wide visas or those from other states? I don't mean local knowledge in the geographic sense, but rather an agent who specialises in WA or NT specific migration, given both are quite different economically and in terms of migration catchment to the eastern states.

All states publish lists of the occupations they accept and the conditions they require, and I don't believe there's any additional inside information that only local agents would know. Perhaps some of the agents who are so generous with their time here, will drop in to give their view (I'm looking at you @paulhand)

Edited September 23, 2020 by Marisawright

[mrsmac]

Good Registered Agents all over Australia and in the United Kingdom will have the same knowledge about visa requirements for each state, so there is no benefit is using a local one. It is more important to find one that is MARA registered, has a solid reputation, and that you feel comfortable with. Some prefer to use one based in the UK because of local time considerations for accessibility, while others prefer to use an agent in Australia. There are a lot of very good agents in both countries. Choose a couple that you are happy with, then get a quote and service agreement to compare.

[SWMOY04]

Paul and @Raul Senise from here get a nod from me, for the same reason as @Marisawright already pointed out above

personally we used a Surrey based agent, Immigration To Oz without a hitch

[Susan from Moneycorp]

On 15/09/2020 at 23:11, Corrina said:

Hi, 

I have been looking for a migration agent (UK family of 4) and have had an unexpected flood of emails from various agents, all quoting very different costs! It's thrown me. 

I'm wondering if anyone can advise, did you use an agent? Can this be completed without using one? If you used one, what did they do for you? How much did you pay and were there any hidden costs? 

My husband and I are both social workers. Are there any specific agents for certain roles/job skills or does this not matter? 

Lastly, and apologies for a list of questions, but could you please recommend an agent you used? Positives/negatives?... I'd much prefer to go with word of mouth. 

Thanks so much.

Morning Corrina!

Just checking to see how you're doing - hopefully all the family are well. 
Having been through this, like so many other PIO, I'm more than happy to help: feel free to shoot me a quick email - the moving countries quicksand can make you feel like you're sinking!

:)

[Alan Collett]

5 hours ago, CanRoverCome said:

Hi All,

I was wondering if I could jump on this same thread rather than starting a new one? We're in the process of beginning down the road - still early days, but we've decided we definitely want to go with an agent to make sure we're giving ourselves the best chances and avoiding any heartache.

We're a couple (late 30s/early 40s, no dependents/kids, UK citizens) and are looking at the state sponsored route, with a strong preference for WA (Perth metro) followed by the NT (Darwin/Palmerston) as an alternative. We'd really like an agent with some local knowledge and experience of the WA (or NT) migration landscape so would appreciate the thoughts of the PIO collective on this.

We've approached a few, and so far have been most impressed with Peter Loughton at EasyMigrate, based in Perth, who came back to us addressing our specific concerns and with some recommendations (getting a skills assessment in early). Does anyone have any experience with their services? We've got good vibes, but obviously this is the first time we've used a migration agent, so I'm very aware that I'm probably not a good judge of this!

We also spoke to Northern Immigration in Darwin but weren't terribly impressed - they immediately wanted us to book a $290 Skype consultation, which we feel is unreasonable. This is a big decision, so we think it's fair to be able to share some ideas with  them first to really get a feel for the people we'll be working with before committing.

So if anyone else has worked with Peter I'd really love to hear your story of how it went - and if anyone has any other suggestions for good agents with local WA (or NT) experience, please feel free to share. We did speak to Go Matilda as well (as they have an office here in the UK) but apparently they are logjammed at the moment so aren't taking on new cases.

Thanks for your help!

I know Peter - you should be looked after if you decide to go with him.

And sorry we're unable to assist you presently; there's a marked uptick in the number of people wanting to move to Australia.   I'd rather be honest and say we're chockers with visa work than take you on and not deliver a good service.

Best regards.