Visa Agent Advice

[bearnova64]

I am thinking about using an agent to help with completing the paperwork to apply for a 309 partner visa to move to Australia from the UK and can anyone recommend a quality agent? I assume a UK based one would be ideal, but happy to take any recommendations? Plus, rough costs an agent would charge for their services please? Thanks

[paulhand]

Most of the contact is done via email, so your agent can be anywhere, but most of my Europe-based clients do prefer that I am in the UK as it's much easier to turn things around quickly rather than having a day's lag in most communications. Just make sure that your agent is MARA registered. All of those that post regularly on this forum are high quality.

[bearnova64]

18 hours ago, paulhand said:

Most of the contact is done via email, so your agent can be anywhere, but most of my Europe-based clients do prefer that I am in the UK as it's much easier to turn things around quickly rather than having a day's lag in most communications. Just make sure that your agent is MARA registered. All of those that post regularly on this forum are high quality.

So could you kindly give me a guideline price as to how much it would cost for an agent to help with completing the 309 visa paperwork? For this fee does the agent fill in all the forms for the client and so the client role is only to provide the agent with the documents/information they need?  I assume if someone fills in all the forms themselves and makes an error, such as not sending in all the documents asked for,  the Aus authorities do not penalise them with a fine etc but just ask them to correct the error, by sending in the missing document? Could a reasonably intelligent person do the application themselves, so what one is paying an agent for( in a straight forward application like ours is) is the huge convenience of them doing it for them?

[Tulip1]

2 hours ago, bearnova64 said:

So could you kindly give me a guideline price as to how much it would cost for an agent to help with completing the 309 visa paperwork? For this fee does the agent fill in all the forms for the client and so the client role is only to provide the agent with the documents/information they need?  I assume if someone fills in all the forms themselves and makes an error, such as not sending in all the documents asked for,  the Aus authorities do not penalise them with a fine etc but just ask them to correct the error, by sending in the missing document? Could a reasonably intelligent person do the application themselves, so what one is paying an agent for( in a straight forward application like ours is) is the huge convenience of them doing it for them?

It would be best to contact Paul above to discuss. He is an experienced agent. 

[bearnova64]

2 hours ago, bearnova64 said:

So could you kindly give me a guideline price as to how much it would cost for an agent to help with completing the 309 visa paperwork? For this fee does the agent fill in all the forms for the client and so the client role is only to provide the agent with the documents/information they need?  I assume if someone fills in all the forms themselves and makes an error, such as not sending in all the documents asked for,  the Aus authorities do not penalise them with a fine etc but just ask them to correct the error, by sending in the missing document? Could a reasonably intelligent person do the application themselves, so what one is paying an agent for( in a straight forward application like ours is) is the huge convenience of them doing it for them?

 

20 hours ago, paulhand said:

Most of the contact is done via email, so your agent can be anywhere, but most of my Europe-based clients do prefer that I am in the UK as it's much easier to turn things around quickly rather than having a day's lag in most communications. Just make sure that your agent is MARA registered. All of those that post regularly on this forum are high quality.

So could you kindly give me a guideline price as to how much it would cost for an agent to help with completing the 309 visa paperwork? For this fee does the agent fill in all the forms for the client and so the client role is only to provide the agent with the documents/information they need?  I assume if someone fills in all the forms themselves and makes an error, such as not sending in all the documents asked for,  the Aus authorities do not penalise them with a fine etc but just ask them to correct the error, by sending in the missing document? Could a reasonably intelligent person do the application themselves, so what one is paying an agent for( in a straight forward application like ours is) is the huge convenience of them doing it for them?

[bearnova64]

16 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

It would be best to contact Paul above to discuss. He is an experienced agent. 

Thanks

[Steve Elliott]

While it is part of the service, the form completion is not really what you are paying for. It's the experience the agent has where the value lies. Confirming your eligibility and determining the necessary documentation to submit and identifying any weak part of the application. Then , pulling all the required evidence together to create a professional, well written submission to the department which clearly sets out how you meet the required criteria. From a case officer's perspective, such submissions make the assessment process easier for them to make a decision.

[bearnova64]

9 hours ago, Steve Elliott said:

While it is part of the service, the form completion is not really what you are paying for. It's the experience the agent has where the value lies. Confirming your eligibility and determining the necessary documentation to submit and identifying any weak part of the application. Then , pulling all the required evidence together to create a professional, well written submission to the department which clearly sets out how you meet the required criteria. From a case officer's perspective, such submissions make the assessment process easier for them to make a decision.

Thanks and any idea of the rough cost an agent charges?

[bearnova64]

On 01/03/2023 at 16:20, paulhand said:

Most of the contact is done via email, so your agent can be anywhere, but most of my Europe-based clients do prefer that I am in the UK as it's much easier to turn things around quickly rather than having a day's lag in most communications. Just make sure that your agent is MARA registered. All of those that post regularly on this forum are high quality.

Thanks and any idea of the rough cost an agent charges?

[paulhand]

I suggest you contact a few direct - nobody is going to publish their rates on an internet forum without some idea of what your application will entail. Any of the RMAs who post regularly on this site will provide good service at reasonable prices.

[bearnova64]

2 hours ago, paulhand said:

I suggest you contact a few direct - nobody is going to publish their rates on an internet forum without some idea of what your application will entail. Any of the RMAs who post regularly on this site will provide good service at reasonable prices.

Thanks

[Ausvisitor]

8 hours ago, bearnova64 said:

Thanks and any idea of the rough cost an agent charges?

Our agent fees where £2,100 three years ago. That covered three of us (Me, spouse, daughter) and our process was more complicated as it was a 189/190 rather than a relationship visa.

I would suspect given your process should be easier you will be looking at about £1,500 plus other fees for visas application and medicals etc 

[Raul Senise]

On 02/03/2023 at 21:27, bearnova64 said:

So could you kindly give me a guideline price as to how much it would cost for an agent to help with completing the 309 visa paperwork?

Most Agents will not have a set fee, as the costs will depend on the specifics of the case such as: type of relationship, length of relationship, are there children, previous relationships, health issues, character issues, previous visa history, etc.

On 02/03/2023 at 21:27, bearnova64 said:

For this fee does the agent fill in all the forms for the client and so the client role is only to provide the agent with the documents/information they need?  

Much of the information on the forms are personal and specific details you will have to provide. 

On 02/03/2023 at 21:27, bearnova64 said:

 I assume if someone fills in all the forms themselves and makes an error, such as not sending in all the documents asked for,  the Aus authorities do not penalise them with a fine etc but just ask them to correct the error, by sending in the missing document?

You do not get fined, but the application can be refused. 

If you are missing documents, the Department can request them, but they don't have to. 

If you provide incorrect information, this could be an issue if it is considered that you have provided false of misleading information. 

On 02/03/2023 at 21:27, bearnova64 said:

Could a reasonably intelligent person do the application themselves, so what one is paying an agent for( in a straight forward application like ours is) is the huge convenience of them doing it for them?

Many have done it themselves and many have used Agents. There is no one size fits all approach.

As with any service or profession, one would use an Agent to use their experience, expertise and knowledge to navigate the process correctly and efficiently. 

[Steve Elliott]

10 hours ago, bearnova64 said:

Thanks and any idea of the rough cost an agent charges?

It varies as it depends on individual circumstances. Most agents want to know about your individual circumstances before quoting. Without having some basic information (usually obtained through the completion of a short questionnaire) its very difficult to price. 

[Marisawright]

On 02/03/2023 at 21:27, bearnova64 said:

 I assume if someone fills in all the forms themselves and makes an error, such as not sending in all the documents asked for,  the Aus authorities do not penalise them with a fine etc but just ask them to correct the error, by sending in the missing document? 

You assume wrong. If you make a mistake or fail to include an essential document, Immigration are unforgiving. They won’t give you a chance to fix it, they’ll just reject the application and you lose your money. That’s why people use agents. All agents will give you a quote if you ask them

[calNgary]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

You assume wrong. If you make a mistake or fail to include an essential document, Immigration are unforgiving. They won’t give you a chance to fix it, they’ll just reject the application and you lose your money. That’s why people use agents. All agents will give you a quote if you ask them

Reading Raul's post you are a little incorrect with your comment and sometimes you are given a chance to fix it .(only correcting this so the OP is aware and not scared to death )

Raul states - 

''You do not get fined, but the application can be refused. 
If you are missing documents, the Department can request them, but they don't have to. 

If you provide incorrect information, this could be an issue if it is considered that you have provided false of misleading information. 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, calNgary said:

Reading Raul's post you are a little incorrect with your comment and sometimes you are given a chance to fix it .(only correcting this so the OP is aware and not scared to death )

Raul states - 

....If you are missing documents, the Department can request them, but they don't have to. 

If you provide incorrect information, this could be an issue if it is considered that you have provided false of misleading information. 

However Raul's post does say that the department doesn't have to ask for missing documents, and that mistakes can be viewed as attempted fraud.  So maybe the OP should be scared to death and not dismiss that likelihood too easily.

[bearnova64]

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

However Raul's post does say that the department doesn't have to ask for missing documents, and that mistakes can be viewed as attempted fraud.  So maybe the OP should be scared to death and not dismiss that likelihood too easily.

Thanks for the useful information.

[bearnova64]

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

However Raul's post does say that the department doesn't have to ask for missing documents, and that mistakes can be viewed as attempted fraud.  So maybe the OP should be scared to death and not dismiss that likelihood too easily.

Thanks for the useful information.

[bearnova64]

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

However Raul's post does say that the department doesn't have to ask for missing documents, and that mistakes can be viewed as attempted fraud.  So maybe the OP should be scared to death and not dismiss that likelihood too easily.

Thanks for the useful information.

[bearnova64]

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

However Raul's post does say that the department doesn't have to ask for missing documents, and that mistakes can be viewed as attempted fraud.  So maybe the OP should be scared to death and not dismiss that likelihood too easily.

Thanks for the useful information.

[bearnova64]

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

However Raul's post does say that the department doesn't have to ask for missing documents, and that mistakes can be viewed as attempted fraud.  So maybe the OP should be scared to death and not dismiss that likelihood too easily.

Thanks for the useful information.

[bearnova64]

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

However Raul's post does say that the department doesn't have to ask for missing documents, and that mistakes can be viewed as attempted fraud.  So maybe the OP should be scared to death and not dismiss that likelihood too easily.

Thanks for the useful information.

[bearnova64]

14 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

Our agent fees where £2,100 three years ago. That covered three of us (Me, spouse, daughter) and our process was more complicated as it was a 189/190 rather than a relationship visa.

I would suspect given your process should be easier you will be looking at about £1,500 plus other fees for visas application and medicals etc 

Thanks for the useful information.

[bearnova64]

14 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

Our agent fees where £2,100 three years ago. That covered three of us (Me, spouse, daughter) and our process was more complicated as it was a 189/190 rather than a relationship visa.

I would suspect given your process should be easier you will be looking at about £1,500 plus other fees for visas application and medicals etc 

Thanks for the useful information.