Visa Process

[Jellab]

HI, I have been looking through all the forums and this is a great website. I am hoping someone will be able to help with my questions.
Myself and my partner are hoping to move to Australia. We will be going the Skill Mirgration route.I will be going on my partners visa.
My partner is a plasterer, but he has no papers stating this other than references and on the job experience, He has been plastering for over 13 years. We are both 32. My question are:


1) What is the salary for plastering
2) Which is a better place to live in Melbourne or Brisbane(work wise)
3) Should we apply for the visa ourselves or go with an agent(quoted €4000 for this):

Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks
Majella

[Dolly]

Hi Marjella,

Welcome to the forum.

1) What is the salary for plastering

If you do a search on plastering, you may come up with some salary info. Alternatively, if you look on some recruitment agency websites it will give you a rough idea of what to expect as a salary (seek.com.au or careerone.com.au)[/quote]

2) Which is a better place to live in Melbourne or Brisbane(work wise)

It all depends on what you're looking for. Melboune is more Cosmopolitan, the weather being more like the UK but better! Brisbane's weather is quite a bit warmer (for most of the time!). I'm biased as I live Melbourne way but I'm sure some Brisbanians will fill you in![/quote]

3) Should we apply for the visa ourselves or go with an agent(quoted €4000 for this):

There's no reason why you can't apply yourself. Although I always recommend asking the advice of a migration agent before you start. The first consultation is usually free, without obligation. As long as you read everything very carefully, you should be OK. TBH we used an agent because we just didn't want to make any mistakes and our time was running out fast so couldn't afford any mistakes. You could, for example, enlist the help of an agent for the skills assessment part, and do the main application yourself, which would be cheaper. Lastly, always approach at least 3 agents to compare fees and what they will do for you.

Dolly

[Jellab]

Thanks for your help Dolly, I will look into all these points.
Regards,
Majella