Alan Collett Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 OMG!! Where did you get all of your help and support on doing all this? It seems like a minefield!! We are hoping to make the move as soon as our initial visa is granted and go from there.......... we want to do it on our own rather than pay an agent....the application forms seems straight forward...I'm just concerned where we find out what to do and get ready once our application has gone off. ??? Is there a help site/ website that let's us know what we need to do??? #outofourdepth!! Xx lol Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk An agent does more than simply complete the visa application paperwork ... a number of your questions (probably all) would be answered if an agent was to be instructed, and you would have a contact point to guide you from start to finish. Best regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Unfortunately I have miss read !!! Yes they are taking the same amount of time ? wishful thinking on my part!!! ? Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Unfortunately I have miss read !!! Yes they are taking the same amount of time wishful thinking on my part!!! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Daryl, an agent is by far the easiest way to go. There are so many things to get wrong if you try to do it yourself. And the cost of an agent is a small extra, compared to all the other costs you will have to pay in order to get your visa. I would say, unless you are somebody who can deal easily with all the admin/bureaucracy involved and are able to correctly interpret and digest all the information put out by the Immigration Dept and published on the border control website, you should get an agent. An agent can also give you correct answers to any queries that pop up along the way. But, if you do go via an agent, MAKE SUREthey are Mara registered. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 OMG!! Where did you get all of your help and support on doing all this? It seems like a minefield!! We are hoping to make the move as soon as our initial visa is granted and go from there.......... we want to do it on our own rather than pay an agent....the application forms seems straight forward...I'm just concerned where we find out what to do and get ready once our application has gone off. ??? Is there a help site/ website that let's us know what we need to do??? #outofourdepth!! Xx lol Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk You would be surprised at what a good agent does and also surprised at how easy it is to get a rejection. I know an agent currently helping someone who has had a rejection after making a small mistake on the form - just an incorrect date. The rejection also means loss of the fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 You would be surprised at what a good agent does and also surprised at how easy it is to get a rejection. I know an agent currently helping someone who has had a rejection after making a small mistake on the form - just an incorrect date. The rejection also means loss of the fee. I totally agree, Verystormy - it's just not worth the risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Leask Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Hi David Looks like we have a similar timeline. i hope everyone had a great Christmas and we all have a fantastic 2017! Hey Bev50Bradley, Yes it looks like we will occupy the waiting room together for a while. Fingers crossed 2017 brings something nice for us :smile: David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nita16 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Thanks for the reply, I only just noticed it it. Hope you had a great Christmas. Many new year greetings to all forum members. Let's hope it's a memorable one for all and the beginning of new adventures for all. We de decided not to tell anyone quite literally so it is great to have a place where I can at talk about Australia as well as ask questions about the process. It's a big secret to keep. I also noticed the advice on how to update profiles so I'll check that out, thanks. Cheers Nita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Thank you all. We'll get there....... ? x Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyorksgrannie Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Thanks for the reply, I only just noticed it it. Hope you had a great Christmas. Many new year greetings to all forum members. Let's hope it's a memorable one for all and the beginning of new adventures for all. We de decided not to tell anyone quite literally so it is great to have a place where I can at talk about Australia as well as ask questions about the process. It's a big secret to keep. I also noticed the advice on how to update profiles so I'll check that out, thanks. Cheers Nita Welcome Nita and good luck with keeping it secret! Happy New Year to everyone on this site and to those who are processing the backlog of applications, lets hope it is a good one! Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nita16 Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Thanks Sue. Its hard not to get excited at the thought of a brand new life. It is hard to keep it a secret especially for a chatterbox like me! Fingers crossed that the backlog of applications gets cleared up. Roll on on 2017. Cheers Nita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringe123 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Hi, Wish you all a happy new year! I'm new to this forum. I'm planing to apply for 173 visa(contributory) for my mom. Can I apply online? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Collett Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Hi,Wish you all a happy new year! I'm new to this forum. I'm planing to apply for 173 visa(contributory) for my mom. Can I apply online? Thank you. Hello! The parent visa application forms are submitted to the Parents Visa Centre on paper. Best regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringe123 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Hello! The parent visa application forms are submitted to the Parents Visa Centre on paper. Best regards. Thank you Alan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadge Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Happy New Year everybody. If any would-be visa applicants are wondering whether it is worth using an agent I can emphatically say "yes". Of course it's possible to do it yourself, but believe me, you are investing so much money into the exercise the agent's fee is a drop in the ocean. I'm doing everything on a shoestring but I am so pleased that I used an agent - the visa people can be so picky and having an experienced agent go through all your forms, before they are submitted is very reassuring. My agent helped me tremendously, they checked everything over, advised me what to do and when to do it, suggested changes that needed to be made to my answers to questions on the forms. My daughter, as assurer, was also able to contact the agent for advice about lodging the bond etc., and agrees that the extra expense was well worth it. The last part of the process, after the lull of some two years, when they want you to do the Form 80, medicals, Police checks, AOS. final visa fee - all in the space of a few weeks is really quite stressful and that's when I really appreciated my agent, and knew I'd done the right thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Happy New Year everybody. If any would-be visa applicants are wondering whether it is worth using an agent I can emphatically say "yes". Of course it's possible to do it yourself, but believe me, you are investing so much money into the exercise the agent's fee is a drop in the ocean. I'm doing everything on a shoestring but I am so pleased that I used an agent - the visa people can be so picky and having an experienced agent go through all your forms, before they are submitted is very reassuring. My agent helped me tremendously, they checked everything over, advised me what to do and when to do it, suggested changes that needed to be made to my answers to questions on the forms. My daughter, as assurer, was also able to contact the agent for advice about lodging the bond etc., and agrees that the extra expense was well worth it. The last part of the process, after the lull of some two years, when they want you to do the Form 80, medicals, Police checks, AOS. final visa fee - all in the space of a few weeks is really quite stressful and that's when I really appreciated my agent, and knew I'd done the right thing! Absolutely agree with you, Sadge. It would be so easy to make just a small slip and then things go very wrong. I too made the point about the cost of an agent being small compared to the total cost of the whole exercise. But applicants do need to make absolutely certain they choose a MARA registered agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Absolutely agree with you, Sadge. It would be so easy to make just a small slip and then things go very wrong. I too made the point about the cost of an agent being small compared to the total cost of the whole exercise. But applicants do need to make absolutely certain they choose a MARA registered agent. Im sure you were very glad that you used an agent, because the last few weeks are very stressful but although the process was a bit aargh at the end, I was glad I had done it by myself. Most of it was just waiting and the gathering of information police checks etc was not difficult, just time consuming. I checked and double checked my forms before I sent them in though, and I must say I wouldn't want to do it again! I spent the money I saved on an agent paying a tax expert (the excellent Alan Collet) to do a review of our tax situation which is going to be very useful. Each to his own, and good luck to all the newbies, whatever you decide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toOZ2012 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 The TR to PR processing date hasn't moved in weeks but the other dates are moving a tad faster than usual. They may have assigned more resources to first time applications. Which is good as people on TR visas are already in the country. I called it. Response from the latest e-mail. OFFSHORE APPLICANTS (subclass 143/173) When your application is allocated to an assessing officer, you or your authorised contact may be asked to provide more documents, including but not limited to, Assurance of Support (subclass 143 only), police certificates and health clearances to finalise your application. We are currently assessing applications lodged up to and including 30 July 2014. ONSHORE APPLICANTS (subclass 864 and 884) When your application is allocated to a case officer, you or your authorised contact will be asked to provide more documents, including but not limited to Assurance of Support (subclass 864 only), police certificates and health clearances to finalise your application. We are currently assessing applications lodged up to 27 May 2016. TEMPORARY TO PERMANENT APPLICANTS (subclass 173 to 143 and 884 to 864) We are currently experiencing delays in processing onshore applications, this is due to unprecedented applications lodged in May/June/July 2014. We will recommence processing s/c884 and s/c864 as soon as possible. An update will be posted 1 February 2017 We are currently assessing applications lodged up to 4 February 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljwalvin Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hi guys, Centrelink has posted a letter to me saying that they need a bank guarantee for my mum for her assurance of support. It says in the letter that I have to book an appointment with the bank. I was under the impression that I could walk in and tell them what I needed. Did anyone need to book an appointment for it? Also, I thought I remember reading here that someone managed to get the bank fee waived. Is it the bond lodgement fee at the discretion of the bank manager? Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadge Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hi guys, Centrelink has posted a letter to me saying that they need a bank guarantee for my mum for her assurance of support. It says in the letter that I have to book an appointment with the bank. I was under the impression that I could walk in and tell them what I needed. Did anyone need to book an appointment for it? Also, I thought I remember reading here that someone managed to get the bank fee waived. Is it the bond lodgement fee at the discretion of the bank manager? Thanks guys. I think generally you do need an appointment, my daughter said that her local branch was not familiar with the procedure and the manager took ages as she so didn't want to make any mistake! She apparently printed off the instructions and went through it all very carefully. She waived the fee as a gesture of goodwill as she said she appreciated the learning opportunity. I think it took about an hour, so allow plenty of time if you are using a local branch. The larger branches in the City are probably more familiar with the procedure, and you might not find them so accommodating as regards the fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hi guys, Centrelink has posted a letter to me saying that they need a bank guarantee for my mum for her assurance of support. It says in the letter that I have to book an appointment with the bank. I was under the impression that I could walk in and tell them what I needed. Did anyone need to book an appointment for it? Also, I thought I remember reading here that someone managed to get the bank fee waived. Is it the bond lodgement fee at the discretion of the bank manager? Thanks guys. Hi, My daughter lives in Sydney. She had to make an appointment and she had to pay a fee. I think it took about an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertenhall Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Im sure you were very glad that you used an agent, because the last few weeks are very stressful but although the process was a bit aargh at the end, I was glad I had done it by myself. Most of it was just waiting and the gathering of information police checks etc was not difficult, just time consuming. I checked and double checked my forms before I sent them in though, and I must say I wouldn't want to do it again! I spent the money I saved on an agent paying a tax expert (the excellent Alan Collet) to do a review of our tax situation which is going to be very useful. Each to his own, and good luck to all the newbies, whatever you decide! Thank you so much for your post Fisher1. I was beginning to get very worried that we hadn't used an agent. Hopefully we will have no problems - once things start moving again!! Zee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljwalvin Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Thanks so much guys @Sadge and @Fisher1. I'll see how I go this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Thank you so much for your post Fisher1. I was beginning to get very worried that we hadn't used an agent. Hopefully we will have no problems - once things start moving again!! Zee i don't honestly think there's a right or a wrong way, everyone has todo what's best for them, but if you do lose your nerve and decide to use an agent after all, make sure you follow cat lady's advice and use a registered agent. Meant time, just double check everything and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Good luck. Centrlink seem to be generally a bit of a pain to deal with but I think my daughter found the bank bit quite straightforward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljwalvin Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hi guys, Sorry, I've got one more question. It says on the centrelink letter that I have to go back to the centrelink office to submit all the paperwork from the bank. Can I do that via the centrelink app? Sorry, just trying to avoid going back to centrelink as I work full time. Yes @Fisher1, centrelink staff seem to be a bit of a hit and miss. Some are helpful while some others aren't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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