Agent versus no agent

[aliwish83]

Hi there

I want to relocate to Australia in July/Aug 2010 (after six months travelling in South East Asia). I want to get the visa process begun asap and hopefully concluded before I go on my travels. I wondered if anyone had any advice on the use of agent. I am reluctant to pay someone to do something that I can do myself, however, if they will be of help in getting things done quickly and efficiently that would be something I would consider.

Just dont want to get ripped off so any advice would be much appreciated

Cheers

Ali

[Dolly]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forum.

If your application is straightforward then there's no reason why you can't do it yourself. I doubt whether the timescale will be any faster if you use an agent.

We used an agent because our application wasn't particularly straightforward plus we were running out of time to submit before we turned 45 so we wanted to make sure everything was correct with no errors (which would have held up the process).

It's a matter of personal preference really, a lot people whose applications are straightforward still like to hire an agent, just to make sure everything is done properly and correctly. The whole process takes long enough anyway without adding more time on due to errors you've made!

Dolly

[aliwish83]

Hi Dolly, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I think my application will be straight forward. Its basically for a work visa with a view to getting a residency visa if my partner and I like the lifestyle and settle in ok. I am 26 and am a qualified accountant so I am pretty sure I have enough points. After reading some other posts on here though, I am worried about how long the process will take. I have read some posts that say a year to a year and a half. Is that accurate for a work visa (I think its actually called a skilled migration visa)?

Thanks for your help

Ali

[anj1976]

hi ali, yes it takes close to one year plus for PR visa but there is a priority processing for skills in demand list. one can get state sponsorship and that is on top of the priority list.

I suggest you see the Please Read Sticky Threads.. there is lots of info you can use. There are links to immigration site. You have to extensive reading to figure out what visa suits you and what route is the fastest.

They have a CSL list and a MODL list which come after state sponsored applications in priority processing.

Once you are done reading, give us a shout, I am sure you will have a zillion questions.

Cheers
Anj
PS check the timeline thread, it will give you a vague idea about which visas are taking how long