Guest Youngs2 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Hi, I was wondering what the average costs of using an agent for a 176 state sponsored (ACT) visa are? I have been quoated AUS$7,500 in three installments or AUS$7,000 in total. The agants cut is just shy of AUS$3,000. Is this reasonable? Thanks, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest claner Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Hi Youngs2, we done it ourselves, started the process in Feb 2011 and were granted the visa July 2011 , it was very easy just by getting info off this site. Get your skills assessed,apply for state sponsorship and then apply to Diac for the visa. It can be stressful at times but the AUS $3000 you save will make up for that :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Youngs2 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Thanks for that Claner. Could i just check thats the order you took, -Skills assessment (mine would be done through vetassess) - State sponsorship - Diac visa application At what point would you get the medical and police checks? It seems like you did a really good job doing that in 5-6 months. I've been told it could take up to a year, - Skills assessment - 2-3 months - State sponsorship - 30 days - Diac visa application 6-8 months One last question, was your plan to apply for jobs once you had your visa in the UK or to emigrate without a job and apply in-country? Thanks, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BethanR Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Hi, I was wondering what the average costs of using an agent for a 176 state sponsored (ACT) visa are? I have been quoated AUS$7,500 in three installments or AUS$7,000 in total. The agants cut is just shy of AUS$3,000. Is this reasonable? Thanks, Stuart Hi Stuart, If it helps, the agent I used cost £1,100. Obviously this doesn't include any other fees such as visa application, SS, TRA etc. I could have probably done it myself but just wanted peace of mind. Bethan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Youngs2 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Thanks Bethan, thats useful. Which agent did you use? How long did the process take? Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BethanR Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 We started the whole process last October and we expect to hear any day now. We used Grist International and out agent has been wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarab Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I agree - do it yourself, we did (timeline in my signature). I actually think agents delay it, as you have to send them all the info and wait for them to upload it - might as well have control yourself. Visa's are going through quickly at DIAC - the longest time we waited was for the skills assessment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Collett Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I agree - do it yourself, we did (timeline in my signature). I actually think agents delay it, as you have to send them all the info and wait for them to upload it - might as well have control yourself. Visa's are going through quickly at DIAC - the longest time we waited was for the skills assessment! Given a choice between an efficient agent maybe taking 24 hours to review and upload documents and the risk of overlooking something of significance I know what I'd be doing ... it could easily be false economy ... and what's a few days in the context of a lifetime anyway? Best regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarab Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Given a choice between an efficient agent maybe taking 24 hours to review and upload documents and the risk of overlooking something of significance I know what I'd be doing ... it could easily be false economy ... and what's a few days in the context of a lifetime anyway? Best regards. Alan you would say that as you work for Go Matilda - i don't think the forms were tricky to fill out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest claner Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I done my skills assessment through TRA i had to apply to Victoria University and done a skype interview with them. You apply for your medical and police checks when you are assigned a Case Officer this happens after you apply for the Visa. We are going over to a friend in Brisbane so going to apply for jobs when we get over there,but if a job does come up on any of the websites i always send in my cv,can't do any harm. Are you aware you will also have to do a IELTS test, we didn't have to do this as we got in before the July deadline so can't help you with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Collett Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Alan you would say that as you work for Go Matilda - i don't think the forms were tricky to fill out. Don't be so cynical about my motives. I use an accountant to prepare my personal tax returns - I can do that myself too, but I choose to have a third party involved, and to pay a fee for the assistance of an independent party, and comfort. In any event, my comments weren't about form filling. Good management of a visa application is what this is about. Best regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bensdad Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I have done mine myself and the case was not straight forward, however iam used to being methodical and form filling within my profession. If you are not like minded i believe an agent would be the best route, as Alan has said it can be very easy to overlook something which could have an impact on your application. Also with the new july changes the agents are more up to speed than joe bloggs with regards to the new legislation etc, etc If you do go down the agent route i would defo speak to gomatilda as well as they do have an excellent reputation, i had friends use an agent in manchester and they were next to useless!! so do shop around and make sure your agent is recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Collett Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Many thanks, bensdad. I am also of the view that with the significant change to the skilled visa regime at the end of next June a sizeable number of people are going to regret not spending those extra £'s on migration agent fees. Getting it wrong may well mean no second chance. Some will accuse me of being a scare mongerer. So be it. I have though been advising in this area of the law for many years now, and I can assure you there are many tales of woe and catastrophe from those who have gone it alone, or have chosen unwisely in selecting a migration agent. Best wishes and good luck to all, however you choose to apply for your visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bensdad Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Couldn't agree more what with the eoi etc coming into force I don't think your scare mongering just being honest. My friend is a chippy and there is no way he could of done it himself he's not like that however as I previously said the agents he used were useless couldnt even fill out his ss form for him. You wouldn't ask an accountant to build a roof would you. I think especially for a tradesman a decent agent is the best choice. No I'm not related to go Matilda or there staff all I can go on is personal experience and reputation. When I started out on this I was pointed in the right direction by Marina at go Matilda even though I told her I was not going to use an agent! So that's why they get my vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trapperdog Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 hi there whem u did yout tra assesment what sort of things did u send with your application , im after the key things more than anything please ,, hope u can help us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elderberry Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Many thanks, bensdad. I am also of the view that with the significant change to the skilled visa regime at the end of next June a sizeable number of people are going to regret not spending those extra £'s on migration agent fees. Getting it wrong may well mean no second chance. Some will accuse me of being a scare mongerer. So be it. I have though been advising in this area of the law for many years now, and I can assure you there are many tales of woe and catastrophe from those who have gone it alone, or have chosen unwisely in selecting a migration agent. Best wishes and good luck to all, however you choose to apply for your visa. I concur with this, if I was starting out now I would definately go down the route of using a migration agent in order to get my visa application in and correct before any more changes happen on July 1st. OK, I managed to do it all myself, but, I made mistakes along the way, it was quite stressful and involved many, many hours of research. I also initially spoke to Go Matilda who were nothing but helpful in advising what my options would be, what they could offer and the costs involved without any pressure to take their services (or stupid pressure tactics like I've seen elsewhere of offering a discount providing you accept their help in 24 hours!). So they get my vote too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest liverpoolollie Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Many thanks, bensdad. I am also of the view that with the significant change to the skilled visa regime at the end of next June a sizeable number of people are going to regret not spending those extra £'s on migration agent fees. Getting it wrong may well mean no second chance. Some will accuse me of being a scare mongerer. So be it. I have though been advising in this area of the law for many years now, and I can assure you there are many tales of woe and catastrophe from those who have gone it alone, or have chosen unwisely in selecting a migration agent. Best wishes and good luck to all, however you choose to apply for your visa. hi alan if you can read my posts you will see i only joined last night 20th jan. what are my options please .i am a bricklayer aged 40 and my points score only seems to come to 55 unless i get a 20 score on my elts or get state or employer sponsored? would appreciate any advice and have been reccomended to speak to yourselves by bensdad and a couple of others. regards liverpoolollie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Law Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Given a choice between an efficient agent maybe taking 24 hours to review and upload documents and the risk of overlooking something of significance I know what I'd be doing ... it could easily be false economy ... and what's a few days in the context of a lifetime anyway? Best regards. I agree, i also think i could do them myself but as a full time worker and mum i thought it would be easier for someone to tell me what i needed and when than read through the DIAC website for advice. i have been in regular contact with my agent and although at times it has been stressful and sometimes i have not agreed with somethings however, they are the experts and if i had done it myself i probably would have come unstuck over the disagreement! and probably wasted the best part of 2k. i am not saying it isn't easy but it is a minefield. if i didn't work ful time, then maybe i would have done it myself but i think for piece of mind i am glad i have used an agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown5 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 We started the whole process last October and we expect to hear any day now. We used Grist International and out agent has been wonderful. We too used Grist International and our agent Emma Smith-Jones was absolutely fantastic, their service was well worth the money and it was reassuring that somebody who knows what they're doing took the stress out of it for us. You could probably do it yourself but I had the lots of silly questions that you like to ask and Emma always answered them promptly for us. We got our visa last June and I even email Emma last week with a silly question and she responded straight away. Tracey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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