skit78 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi to all I am new to this site and need some help please. Me and my new wife want to start and get things rolling and take the next step towards getting our visa's. We want to use an agent but not sure who to use. How much should there fees be.:skeptical: We score the points for skilled migrate Visa, we each get 130 points :jiggy: My wife has Arthritis in her Big Toe Joints and is on crouches for walking long distances but she drives and has no problem working would this affect us in going ? My wife is a secondary English School Teacher aged 26 would it be possible for her to sort out a job before we go ? I am a plumber aged 31 with NVQ Level 2 only ,but have been working in Plumbing and Heating for 9 years now. And work for myself. Would there be work for me over in Australia We would like to move in about One year to One and a Half years,as this would give us time to save up and sort out things over here. If we start the visa process now can we say the dates we want to move or is it a case of 'hopefully' get the visa's and got to be in Australia withing a certain time.? Anyway sorry for going on a bit, but we really do not know where to start. Thanks for any information Best wishes Scott and Emma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kdal Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi & Welcome to PIO We used an agent and as long as they are reputable then you will find them very useful and they take the strain away. You can phone for some free advice first, if I were you I would do this so that they can advise you on your best plan of action and then you will know exactly where you stand with it all and they will of course advise you of the best visa. Which will probably be the 175 skilled one. You do not need to get your own individual visas you can be the main applicant and your wife can go on your visa. Anyway wont blow your mind with too much for now as I am sure lots of replies will come in for you, but phone and agent and get started. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Angie*mark Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi and welcome to you both, there are plenty of threads on here about all the different agents and fees but im sure someone will come along and give u some advice soon enough. I cant really help as only just really started the ball rolling urselves, we have had a look at the visa bureau, thinking australia and go matilda, we hope to go with go matilda as their fees seem more reasonable plus they have a good rep on here. Sorry again for that useless peice of info lol. Best wishes Angie xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wenders Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi & Welcome to PIO, We have used an agent, believe me they really do take the stress away, ours have been very good. They have a good rep too. Visa Unit. The fee's vary from agent to agent so its best looking into it to get an idea. One piece of advice though, ensure they are MARA registered............you can check this out on a website, I just typed MARA into the search engine and found the link. wishing you good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hello Scott and Emma Welcome to Poms in Oz. We want to use an agent but not sure who to use. How much should there fees be.:skeptical: Some Agents publish their fees: Our Services And Fees - Ian Harrop and Associates Bird Australian Migration Agency Agents in Australia do not have to charge VAT, but how useful that is depends on the exchange rate at the time and how your card company would treat the transaction if you pay your agent by credit card. With Agents, you are always going to get people recommending the Agent they chose or (in my case) Agents whom I happen to know and to rate highly. I'd rather stay out of that on this thread because I always feel I am being unfair to another agent if I point the link for Bloggs but not the one for Smith too. The important thing is to phone several agents and really get an impression of them before you decide which ones to use. It is important that the agency is a firm you feel comfortable with. My wife has Arthritis in her Big Toe Joints and is on crouches for walking long distances but she drives and has no problem working would this affect us in going ? As long as your wife is likely to be able to continue to work and to lead a normal, independent life for the foreseeable future, her medical condition would not prevent her from meeting the Health Requirement. The Medical Officer of the Commonwealth will probably want a recent report from Emma's Consultant explaining the condition, what he is doing to treat it, how Emma is coping with the help of the drugs and occasional crutches, and the Consultant's prognosis for her. It will probably save time if you get such a report before you go for your visa meds and give the report to the Panel Doctor to send off to Sydney with Helen's meds file. My wife is a secondary English School Teacher aged 26 would it be possible for her to sort out a job before we go ? Theoretically yes but I am not sure how easy it would be in practice. Schools tend to want to interview candidates face to face. I wouldn't want to speculate, Scott, about whether your NVQ2 would be enough to support you on the skills assessment for a plumber. I think much the best bet is to phone at least 6 firms of Migration Agents, explain your circumstances to them and see what they say. Good Agents do not charge for about 15 minutes on the phone because they need information about you as much as you need them to answer your questions, in order that each of you can decide whether the firm in question is the best one to help you. We would like to move in about One year to One and a Half years,as this would give us time to save up and sort out things over here.If we start the visa process now can we say the dates we want to move or is it a case of 'hopefully' get the visa's and got to be in Australia withing a certain time.? You are unlikely to be able to get the whole process completed within 12 months. 18 months is a more reasonable estimate. If you aim to be able to head for Oz in time for Christmas 2010 you should not be disappointed. What happens is that the process of obtaining the skills assessment and then obtaining a visa usually takes around 14 -18 months on average because the processing people are not quick and also it takes a lot of time at your end to get all the necessary information together. During the visa processing you will be required to produce police checks and also to undergo medical examinations. The meds and police checks are usually only valid for 12 months each. When the visa is granted, you are told that you must make your initial entry to Oz by no later than dd/mm/yyyy. dd/mm/yyyy is nearly always a date which is 12 months after the earlier of the police checks or the meds. That said, in your own case this date - called the Initial Entry Date - is likely to be 12 months after the date when the Medical Officer of the Commonwealth gives Emma her Health clearance for migration. When the visa is granted it works as a provisional grant only until you have made your Initial Entry to Oz. The act of Initial Entry "validates" - ie crystallises - the visa and clinches it. Although you must enter Australia by no later than the Initial Entry Date (which is stated in the visa grant letter and also on the visa label in your passports) you do not have to move to Australia lock, stock & barrel at that stage. A short rekkie visit will do and you might want to do that before making your permanent move out to Oz to live there. As long as the visa is validated in time, you have five years from the date of the grant of the visa in which to move to Oz permanently. You can't tell the Australian Government, "We want to move to Australia in Autumn 2010." It happens the other way around. If you want to move to Oz in Autumn 2010, then by starting the process now you are giving yourselves a sensible time-frame in which to complete all the immigration formalities in time to fit in with your own wishes. Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MariAndyok Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi, we haven't used an agent and haven't had any stress! TRA is the hardest part, all i will say is photocopy anything that you send for TRA as you will need a copy for your visa application. I really wouldn't bother with an agent. If you need good advice, look up Gollywobbler (Gill) posts (5070 so far), she is fantastic and has given the answers to virtually all your questions somewhere along the way. Apply for TRA Apply for 175 visa when TRA is returned positive. Upload all documents(in colour) that you are asked for from your online application. Book your police checks and medicals for about 5 months after you apply or wait for your email from your C/O. you could front load if you want, however you take a risk if they go out of date. Then wait ......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Spend the money you save on that second hand convertible that you always wanted. All the best which ever way you choose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MariAndyok Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Right on cue gill. I told you she was great! Gill you must have been typing that at the same time as me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaniaColin Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi Scott and Emma Just wanted to welcome you to PIO Tania X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AndyandYvonneD Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi Scott I've just completed the skills assessment for a'General Plumber' by Vetassess, so if you need any info to get you started with it just ask. Regarding NVQ2 in Plumbing this is equivelant to the old craft certificate which I hold, so I don't honestly think that will impede your skills assessment. Good luck Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi ScottI've just completed the skills assessment for a'General Plumber' by Vetassess, so if you need any info to get you started with it just ask. Regarding NVQ2 in Plumbing this is equivelant to the old craft certificate which I hold, so I don't honestly think that will impede your skills assessment. Good luck Andy Thanks for this, Andy. I didn't want to comment on Scott's qualification myself because I don't know enough about it. Scott, compare the price of a VETASSESS full assessment ($2,200 AUD) with the price for a teaching skills assessment, plus ask about the timescales for each, I suggest. It may become one of the deciding factors in whether to use you as the main visa applicant or whether to use Emma in that role instead. Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ac man Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi Scott and Emma welcome to poms in oz .we used Ian Harrops.He and his wife are both australian and are based near Oxford which from essex only took us 2 hours to reach.Now we was recommended them from family who were in the police force which is not a bad recommendation.You can call ian harrops office and speak to him direct for free or he will call you back.He went through a few things and then we were sent an information pack,we then made an appointment to see him. and there was no charge.unless you decide to use them as your agent.All the staff get to know you and you can talk to them at anytime in office hours or they will ring you back depending on your queiry. we got our visas as he promised or he wouldn,t of taken us on which is what he will tell you anyway. sorry to have rattled on,but i hope this helps. regards Dal. ps stay cool as this is a long process :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skit78 Posted September 26, 2008 Author Share Posted September 26, 2008 Hi to all I am new to this site and need some help please. Me and my new wife want to start and get things rolling and take the next step towards getting our visa's. We want to use an agent but not sure who to use. How much should there fees be.:skeptical: We score the points for skilled migrate Visa, we each get 130 points :jiggy: My wife has Arthritis in her Big Toe Joints and is on crouches for walking long distances but she drives and has no problem working would this affect us in going ? My wife is a secondary English School Teacher aged 26 would it be possible for her to sort out a job before we go ? I am a plumber aged 31 with NVQ Level 2 only ,but have been working in Plumbing and Heating for 9 years now. And work for myself. Would there be work for me over in Australia We would like to move in about One year to One and a Half years,as this would give us time to save up and sort out things over here. If we start the visa process now can we say the dates we want to move or is it a case of 'hopefully' get the visa's and got to be in Australia withing a certain time.? Anyway sorry for going on a bit, but we really do not know where to start. Thanks for any information Best wishes Scott and Emma. Hi to all. I would like to thank every one who has replied to me This is a great starting point for us to get things moving. We wish every one a great weekend and hope all gos smooth for all in this process of moving to australia. I will let you know how we get on with it all. many thanks. Scott and Emma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skit78 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hi ScottI've just completed the skills assessment for a'General Plumber' by Vetassess, so if you need any info to get you started with it just ask. Regarding NVQ2 in Plumbing this is equivelant to the old craft certificate which I hold, so I don't honestly think that will impede your skills assessment. Good luck Andy Hi Andy, Just a quick question about the skills assessment for a General Plumber'by vetassess, Does this get you your Provisional licence to work in Aus with a fully trained Plumber. Or is this for your full licence to work for your self. Also at the moment i am working on fitting Bathrooms, fitting boilers and running heating pipes to new rads ETC, Is the test about all this sort of work. Sorry to go on a bit. All the best to you both And Good Luck for the future Many thanks Scott. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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