Claire&Dave Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Hello everyone, We really need some advice please! We have been looking at emigrating to Australia for years now but didn't think it was possible due to my job not being on the skilled list however a migration company have advised us that as a floor layer (specialising in Vinyl and LVT) I meet at least 50% of the job description for a floor and wall tiler and could use this to apply for a 190 state sponsored Visa and once there can work in the flooring profession or any other job. According to the company who have already taken a £600 payment for the initial consultation I am just 5 points short but can make this up by completing the English exam. They have said the cost will be around £7 - 8,000 but initially said £3000. This is a 5 yr Visa and apparently we can apply for residency after 3 years but we do need to remain in south Australia at first. We are more than happy to be wherever the work is and obviously would love to emigrate but feel we are not being told the full story and potentially the company are just looking to take our money regardless of our chances. As we would be taking 2 children we want this to be a permanent move. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nurrishd Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Can you confirm that you are using a reputable Mara registered agent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthumbrianDavid Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Make sure the agent is registered at the link below. There are absolute horror stories on here over the years. Hopefully all will be well for you. https://www.mara.gov.au/search-the-register-of-migration-agents/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 I can't comment on whether you would get an invitation or not, however: The cost is presumably a mix of Visa application Fees and Agent fees. You can check the visa fees yourself. If you are moving on a temporary visa you should do so knowing that you may have to come back after the 4 years. This is simple fact becuase you may qualify today to apply for PR in 3 years, but the AU government can and do change the goalposts regularly, and 3 years is plenty of time for your job to drop off the skills list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 (edited) There is something wrong with the information as the 190 visa is not a 5 year visa, it's a permanent visa. There is another state sponsored visa which is a 489 visa, which is temporary, and which allows you to apply for permanency after a qualifying period. It may be that you've misunderstood because it's all so strange to you - but if the "agent" made such a basic mistake, then he has no idea what he's talking about. As for the points - that also doesn't sound quite right, because for most occupations, having only 50% of the requirements would mean you're not eligible to apply. How many points did they say you had? The agent should have explained that you need to have 65 points before you're eligible to apply, but that doesn't mean you stand a chance of getting invited. Your application doesn't go into a queue to get reviewed when its turn comes: it's a competition, and the applications with the highest points get picked. If there's a glut of applications, they may decide not to take anyone with less than, say, 80 points, and everyone else will miss out. So you need to ask them whether they mean you're 5 points short of the 65, or 5 points short of whatever the current threshold is to give you a reasonable chance. To be honest, if you can only get 65 then there's not much point. Remember, you've paid them for advice and if there's any aspect of it that you don't understand, you're entitled to go back and ask them to clarify in writing - it would be unreasonable of them to charge you extra for confirmation of their existing advice. Do also note that just because there's a visa available for South Australia, that doesn't mean that's "where the work is". The state doesn't arrange work for you or guarantee you a job. The agency can't help you find work either (if they offer to do so, they are definitely scammers). You will need to find your own work when you arrive and since SA has a small population, it may take some time. You'd do well to check on Seek.com.au to see what vacancies are like. Edited July 10, 2019 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire&Dave Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 Thank you for responding. The website states they are Mara affiliated?? I only have 60 points which is why they recommend I take the English test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 4 hours ago, Claire&Dave said: Thank you for responding. The website states they are Mara affiliated?? I only have 60 points which is why they recommend I take the English test. Do not use hem. Do not hand over any further cash. If you need to speak to a agent, then speak to one of those that regularly post on the forum such as wrussel or Paul Hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRC Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 I am currently using Smith-Jones migration consultant. She is Mara and was recommended to me by a family friend who used her a few years back. I don’t see her on here but she is very thorough and honest even before asking for any money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Senise Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 11 hours ago, Claire&Dave said: Hello everyone, We really need some advice please! We have been looking at emigrating to Australia for years now but didn't think it was possible due to my job not being on the skilled list however a migration company have advised us that as a floor layer (specialising in Vinyl and LVT) I meet at least 50% of the job description for a floor and wall tiler and could use this to apply for a 190 state sponsored Visa and once there can work in the flooring profession or any other job. According to the company who have already taken a £600 payment for the initial consultation I am just 5 points short but can make this up by completing the English exam. They have said the cost will be around £7 - 8,000 but initially said £3000. This is a 5 yr Visa and apparently we can apply for residency after 3 years but we do need to remain in south Australia at first. We are more than happy to be wherever the work is and obviously would love to emigrate but feel we are not being told the full story and potentially the company are just looking to take our money regardless of our chances. As we would be taking 2 children we want this to be a permanent move. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dave 7 hours ago, Claire&Dave said: Thank you for responding. The website states they are Mara affiliated?? I only have 60 points which is why they recommend I take the English test. Not enough information to draw any conclusions, but a few things to be mindful of. Wall and Floor Tiler is on the Medium/Long Term list so eligible for both 189 and 190; A 190 visa is Permanent Residency in it's own right. You don't need to apply for further residency after 3 years; There are not many States which sponsor the occupation of Wall and Floor Tiler; With such a low score you may find it difficult to receive an invite; 65 Points is the minimum to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI), it does not guarantee an invite to apply for a visa; Ensure that he person assessing and providing advice is a MARA Registered Agent. MARA "affiliated" is not a term I have heard before. You are either Registered with MARA or you are not. I would recommend that you ask for their MARA number (which should be displayed on all of their advertising, as per the Code of Conduct) and make sure that your are dealing directly with the Registered Agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 9 hours ago, Claire&Dave said: Thank you for responding. The website states they are Mara affiliated?? I only have 60 points which is why they recommend I take the English test. MARA affiliated means nothing. If you only have 60 points, then you need a lot more than 5 extra points. Although 65 is the official minimum, it won't do you any good. Like I said, Immigration picks out the applicants with the highest score. Every day there are new applications coming in - and most of them have 70, 75 or even 80 points, so they'll leapfrog over you. You'd be wasting your money. You may have thrown away your $600, I'm afraid. As noted above, reputable agents like Raul will usually give you a free initial consultation to give you an idea of your chances, so I think you should take advantage of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 8 hours ago, Marisawright said: MARA affiliated means nothing. If you only have 60 points, then you need a lot more than 5 extra points. Although 65 is the official minimum, it won't do you any good. Like I said, Immigration picks out the applicants with the highest score. Every day there are new applications coming in - and most of them have 70, 75 or even 80 points, so they'll leapfrog over you. You'd be wasting your money. You may have thrown away your $600, I'm afraid. As noted above, reputable agents like Raul will usually give you a free initial consultation to give you an idea of your chances, so I think you should take advantage of that. Whilst I sort of agree, I also don't (on the points bit at least). I had 60 points and applied for the state sponsorship (which once approved would give the magic 65 pts). I was offered an invited from NSW to apply for state sponsorship in under 24 hours from hitting submit on the EOI. The grant of sponsorship (or whatever the technical term is) came through in 13 days and we have now made the full application (with sponsorship) to the authorities for a 190 visa. *The VetAssess came back with 7.8 years of skilled work so technically 3 months under the 8 I needed to get to the magic 65 points independently. Our agent advised that we could wait a short time and apply for the 189 as it would be 8 years if we waited a little - but that would mean going in at the bottom of the queue on 65 pts. By instead going for sponsorship we didn't need to wait and as the states don't really follow any sort of queue concept (just cherry pick from the people interested) it went quick. One the subject of the VA assessment we did consider appealling as it's been the same job for 16 years and was qualified to do it by degree and experience before that too - but that was a 6 month wait and delivered no discernible benefit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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