Immigration Agent Vs DIY Visa

Aus457

Hi all,

Quick general question on this -

Are the immigration authorities more likely to question an independent individuals application over a registered immigration agent?

rightyabe

Aus457 wrote: »

Hi all,

Quick general question on this -

Are the immigration authorities more likely to question an independent individuals application over a registered immigration agent?

People I talk to always tell me immigration are stricter if you DIY, sounds like sour grapes to me cause they spent a small fortune on a agent..ya hear these scare stories in pubs etc. from people who havent got a clue about the basics of getting a visa but have no problem filling ya with sh1t as if they worked in immigration all their life.

My tip is to just research research research cause at the end of the day knowledge is power. So I can't really answer your question but surely immigration have to treat all applications equally.

monariek

i got my whv on the australian immigration department website. cost about e230. USIT were charging something like e430 for it, plus a sim card ($2 in sydney airport), a bank account (free to set up), tax file number (free to set up) and travel insurance.

travel insurance costs less than e100 for the basic policy usit offer so they were creaming a fair bit off you for organising the lot

DIY all the way. I didnt get one question from immigration

Batgurl

monariek wrote: »

i got my whv on the australian immigration department website. cost about e230. USIT were charging something like e430 for it, plus a sim card ($2 in sydney airport), a bank account (free to set up), tax file number (free to set up) and travel insurance.

travel insurance costs less than e100 for the basic policy usit offer so they were creaming a fair bit off you for organising the lot

DIY all the way. I didnt get one question from immigration

I imagine the OP was referring to more permanent options such as PR or sponsorship.

I also have heard from people that its quicker and simpler through an agency (and in my 457 experience it seemed yo be) but I imagine it is mainly a mix of urban legend (which I doubt agents are doing anything to quash) and the higher risk of mucking up or forgetting something on an application by doing it yourself thus causing delays and hassle.

OP, if you are diligent and reckon you can swim through the ocean that is the IMMI website, I say go for it yourself. However I think most people pay an agent for the convenience (cost vs time) and peace of mind. If you are cash rich and time poor, agents all the way!

hussey

Batgurl wrote: »

I imagine the OP was referring to more permanent options such as PR or sponsorship.

I also have heard from people that its quicker and simpler through an agency (and in my 457 experience it seemed yo be) but I imagine it is mainly a mix of urban legend (which I doubt agents are doing anything to quash) and the higher risk of mucking up or forgetting something on an application by doing it yourself thus causing delays and hassle.

OP, if you are diligent and reckon you can swim through the ocean that is the IMMI website, I say go for it yourself. However I think most people pay an agent for the convenience (cost vs time) and peace of mind. If you are cash rich and time poor, agents all the way!

Nail, hammer, head.
Migration agents get paid to do this, so this should be their bread and butter, they know from experience what mistakes are made and what to look for. As to whether they get processes quicker I doubt it, but it could be a case of less mistakes = quicker processing.
according to immi they do not get a priority.

If immi had 10 applications from migration agents and 10 from individuals, then you would bet that the migration ones have been thoroughly checked before going to immi, hence less mistakes, less time.

I know several people whom have done it themselves and got it less than 6weeks (but all based in Australia with previous visas)

d.pop

Did mine DIY few years ago, probably spent every lunch break for a few months collating all the info from the immigration website and gathering my bits before lodging application online. Had the time and kind of enjoyed it, brave new world etc.
Few weeks after lodging got asked to supply some more employer stuff and then medicals.
Can't remember exact dates but think from application to PR grant was about 2-3 months.
Found the whole thing very easy and can't see the need for an agent unless situation was very complicated.
Don't know what agent could have done for me except maybe summarize all stuff I needed into handy pack up front. I would still have had to do all the gathering of actual documents!
+1 on other reply about immigration treating all equal, probably comes down to how many omissions/mistakes as to which goes through faster.
Need time and patience to go it alone.

catbear

My wife and I are extremely busy so we met an agent about applying for PR and I think for convenience we'll probably go with her. However the agent was adamant that we were very capable of applying ourselves, she's more used to people with phobias about officialdom so for a third of the price she would check our documents and give us feedback about anything missing, then we'd apply ourselves. Part of me says that makes perfect sense, would save us cash and it's all doable but another part of me likes having all the paperwork handed over to someone else to deal with so we can get on with everyday concerns.

niva*sis

Hi All.

Im on a 457 visa and looking for go for PR myself 189 or 190

Ill be doing it on my own as i have most of my docs.
my only problem is trying to find a category to fall under.
if anyone knwos a lot of info on the SOL and CSOL lists can they please let me know.

Thanks.

Confused_73

We did our own DIY application for a 175 visa. Applied in Sep 2011, were asked to do medicals in March 2012, didn't do these until November and then granted the visa last month.

If you're an organised person, then do the application yourself. Don't see the point in using an agent unless you just aren't good with forms etc ..

We even had another baby in the middle of the process so had to add her to the application. That was straightforward.

There are enough message boards around for you to garner the info that you need.