jade Posted September 2 Share Posted September 2 Hi Me and my husband and daughter have been wanting to move to Australia for a long time. I tried moving across a few year back and went through an immigration agency however this did not go well. After spending £5000 they only applied for me and my partner holiday working visas which we could have done ourselves. They then asked for more payment to submit a visa for my daughter. At that point we gave up on this idea. I also learned that I needed at least a couple of years experience within nursing to be employed in oz. So couldn't go with the plan even if I wanted to. Now that I have the nursing experience I am just wondering what the best route is to get us over there as I do not want to go through an agency again.. it just feels so impossible and overwhelming. I am just wondering if anyone who has been through the same and can advise me on this. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 10 hours ago, jade said: Hi Me and my husband and daughter have been wanting to move to Australia for a long time. I tried moving across a few year back and went through an immigration agency however this did not go well. After spending £5000 they only applied for me and my partner holiday working visas which we could have done ourselves. They then asked for more payment to submit a visa for my daughter. At that point we gave up on this idea. I also learned that I needed at least a couple of years experience within nursing to be employed in oz. So couldn't go with the plan even if I wanted to. Now that I have the nursing experience I am just wondering what the best route is to get us over there as I do not want to go through an agency again.. it just feels so impossible and overwhelming. I am just wondering if anyone who has been through the same and can advise me on this. Thank you You could have a look at this https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Accreditation/IQNM/Before-you-apply/Immigration-and-employment.aspx The agency you previously used was a total waste of money. Only ask advice from a qualified MARA agent. Paul Hand is a MARA agent who is a member of this forum. You can't come on a working holiday visa if you have a child. The previous agency you used should have known that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 Was the agent IC Australia? I’ve seen this advice before from them applying for WHV and visitor visas for the kids they’re just complete scammers and keep wanting more and more money. Your options are employer sponsored with would usually be 482 temporary Residence visa or Skilled Migration which doesn’t require an employer which is based on having skills assessments and English test and number of years experience. It’s always advisable to speak to a registered MARA agent before starting as they would be able to see if there might be any issues with your case with passing the medical or character issues then applying for the correct English tests and skills assessments and making sure your points are calculated properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 16 hours ago, jade said: Hi Me and my husband and daughter have been wanting to move to Australia for a long time. I tried moving across a few year back and went through an immigration agency however this did not go well. After spending £5000 they only applied for me and my partner holiday working visas which we could have done ourselves. They then asked for more payment to submit a visa for my daughter You were scammed by a scam agency. It doesn't mean all agencies are bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 18 hours ago, jade said: Hi Me and my husband and daughter have been wanting to move to Australia for a long time. I tried moving across a few year back and went through an immigration agency however this did not go well. After spending £5000 they only applied for me and my partner holiday working visas which we could have done ourselves. They then asked for more payment to submit a visa for my daughter. At that point we gave up on this idea. I also learned that I needed at least a couple of years experience within nursing to be employed in oz. So couldn't go with the plan even if I wanted to. Now that I have the nursing experience I am just wondering what the best route is to get us over there as I do not want to go through an agency again.. it just feels so impossible and overwhelming. I am just wondering if anyone who has been through the same and can advise me on this. Thank you Hi Jade Sorry you were scammed. You really are best to go through a legitimate agency. I used Down Under Centre and was very happy with the service and our successful result. Others that come highly recommended by others are Emergico and True Blue. If you go for skilled independent or state sponsored visa (189 or 190) you’ll need a skills assessment which is usually the first step. You will also need to sit an English test (IELTS or PTE Academic). It’s not impossible to DIY but you will find it easier with a reputable agent guiding you through the process. Be careful with temporary visas as there are extra taxes to pay if you want to buy a property and also sometimes extra charges for schooling and childcare. All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 (edited) 9 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said: Hi Jade Sorry you were scammed. You really are best to go through a legitimate agency. I used Down Under Centre and was very happy with the service and our successful result. Others that come highly recommended by others are Emergico and True Blue. If you go for skilled independent or state sponsored visa (189 or 190) you’ll need a skills assessment which is usually the first step. You will also need to sit an English test (IELTS or PTE Academic). It’s not impossible to DIY but you will find it easier with a reputable agent guiding you through the process. Be careful with temporary visas as there are extra taxes to pay if you want to buy a property and also sometimes extra charges for schooling and childcare. All the best. Many Fb groups keep pushing Down Under Centre, granted they are a legitimate agency but I’ve noticed they seem to assign unregistered consultants to peoples cases. When you’re paying £1000s for an agent I would rather speak directly to the RMA not a company that retains RMA as consultants as that the tactic of all the dodge scam agents. There’s a few well respected agents post on this forum, Paul Hand, Raul Senise, Alan Collett and W Russell. Edited September 3 by lebourvellec 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 8 minutes ago, lebourvellec said: Many Fb groups keep pushing Down Under Centre, granted they are a legitimate agency but I’ve noticed they seem to assign unregistered consultants to peoples cases. When you’re paying £1000s for an agent I would rather speak directly to the RMA not a company that retains RMA as consultants as that the tactic of all the dodge scam agents. There’s a few well respected agents post on this forum, Paul Hand, Raul Senise, Alan Collett and W Russell. I’m not ‘pushing’ anyone and I am not affiliated with any agency. I can only speak from my personal experience. My 189 was done and dusted in 6 months via DUC and I found their service and knowledge exemplary. I also highly value the online community that using DUC gives you - direct contact usually with families and people of a similar age going through the same thing at the same time is actually priceless in my opinion. Many larger agencies will no doubt have staff who are not registered agents. I dislike the sneering tone and inference in this post that the named agents are ‘well-respected’ whereas somehow the agency I have used and recommended is not and is a scam. If you are concerned about an agency or their service perhaps you should report it? Rather than discredit professional organisations anonymously on a forum that few people read anyway. *Disclaimer I am not affiliated with any agency nor do I receive commission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 12 hours ago, lebourvellec said: Many Fb groups keep pushing Down Under Centre, granted they are a legitimate agency but I’ve noticed they seem to assign unregistered consultants to peoples cases. When you’re paying £1000s for an agent I would rather speak directly to the RMA not a company that retains RMA as consultants as that the tactic of all the dodge scam agents. There’s a few well respected agents post on this forum, Paul Hand, Raul Senise, Alan Collett and W Russell. I don't think it matters so long as the work is overseen by a MARa agent. Yes there are benefits to dealing direct with the main guy but so long as the agent is competent it doesn't matter if everything is warranted by the MARA registered person 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 38 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said: I don't think it matters so long as the work is overseen by a MARa agent. Yes there are benefits to dealing direct with the main guy but so long as the agent is competent it doesn't matter if everything is warranted by the MARA registered person I agree. We did have one case a couple of years ago where a member was badly advised by DUC. It turned out that their case had never been reviewed by a MARA registered person, they had only dealt with a consultant, who had made a fundamental mistake. As a result their visa was rejected and they had to start again from scratch. I guess that bad experience has stuck with a few of us and made us hesitant about DUC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 (edited) 16 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said: I’m not ‘pushing’ anyone and I am not affiliated with any agency. I can only speak from my personal experience. My 189 was done and dusted in 6 months via DUC and I found their service and knowledge exemplary. I also highly value the online community that using DUC gives you - direct contact usually with families and people of a similar age going through the same thing at the same time is actually priceless in my opinion. Many larger agencies will no doubt have staff who are not registered agents. I dislike the sneering tone and inference in this post that the named agents are ‘well-respected’ whereas somehow the agency I have used and recommended is not and is a scam. If you are concerned about an agency or their service perhaps you should report it? Rather than discredit professional organisations anonymously on a forum that few people read anyway. *Disclaimer I am not affiliated with any agency nor do I receive commission. There was no sneering tone, I made a comment that DUC seem to be being pushed in almost every FB migration group and that they’re naming consultants to peoples cases that are not RMA registered. I can name the person that they are allocating and you can check yourself if they’re register by OMARA. Like Marisa states they messed up someone’s case so bad their Visa application that they had 60 days to apply for was invalid and they applied too late and the applicant lost their State Nomination. The well respected agents I named on my post have been giving up their time and have posted on this forum for the last 10-15 years long before DUC were ever in business. Edited September 4 by lebourvellec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 Having relatively recent experience of this, some people say they are ‘badly advised’ but actually sometimes they just don’t listen unless it’s what they want to hear (if that makes sense). People also take very little personal responsibility and often don’t do enough (or any) research of their own. I’m in regular contact at the moment with several recent migrants who, largely due to not paying attention, not researching and/or not listening properly are in some challenging circumstances. Regarding DUC I’m certain it’s like any business - sometimes things go wrong. They deal with hundreds if not thousands of applications a year and I’m sure their failure rate is very low. You have the experience of that one individual - you could say my positive experience cancels that out. Maybe DUC are being ‘pushed’ online because people (like me) have had genuinely positive experiences? I have also personal and recent contact from 2 people on this forum who have dealt directly with one of the agents on here and have not been impressed. They went on to apply independently and secured an invite within a few months. I myself have had dealings with one (another one not the same) having seen so many recommendations here and it wasn’t great. So it just shows you it’s very individual and you can’t let one experience overshadow the overall impression. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 11 minutes ago, lebourvellec said: There was no sneering tone, I made a comment that DUC seem to be being pushed in almost every FB migration group and that they’re naming consultants to peoples cases that are not RMA registered. I can name the person that they are allocating and you can check yourself if they’re register by OMARA. Like Marisa states they messed up someone’s case so bad their Visa application that they had 60 days to apply for was invalid and they applied too late and the applicant lost their State Nomination. The well respected agents I named on my post have been giving up their time and have posted on this forum for the last 10-15 years long before DUC were ever in business. You basically accused any agency that uses staff that are not MARA registered of being scammers. Bold and untrue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 4 hours ago, Ausvisitor said: I don't think it matters so long as the work is overseen by a MARa agent. Yes there are benefits to dealing direct with the main guy but so long as the agent is competent it doesn't matter if everything is warranted by the MARA registered person Agree. And let’s face it that’s what most of them do. Mara registered agents can also make mistakes let’s not forget. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 Just now, Cheery Thistle said: You basically accused any agency that uses staff that are not MARA registered of being scammers. Bold and untrue. I never said that…but it’s always been the case here to advise people who are looking for migration advice to speak directly and use and agent that is registered by MARA. People are doing their due diligence and trying to use an agent that has MARA agents and after paying them you’re money you’re not allocated an MARA registered consultant to handle your case. Likewise I’ll take medical advice from my doctor not the receptionist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 17 hours ago, lebourvellec said: I would rather speak directly to the RMA not a company that retains RMA as consultants as that the tactic of all the dodge scam agents. I mean, not far off. I suppose people can read reviews online and make up their own mind. I do think DUC are particularly good at the easy ‘vanilla’ applications for occupations like teachers, nurses and they offer good support for trades applicants. I think if you require more specialist advice or have a more niche occupation they’re not the ones I’d choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 10 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said: I do think DUC are particularly good at the easy ‘vanilla’ applications for occupations like teachers, nurses and they offer good support for trades applicants. Absolutely true. They are very proficient at those. The snag is that not everyone does their own research as you did, so they go into the visa process with no clue whether their application is 'vanilla' or not. That's what happened with the couple who got rejected due to DUC's error. The couple had no idea their application wasn't 'vanilla'. The DUC consultant didn't notice. At DUC, straightforward applcations aren't seen by a MARA agent at all, so it wasn't picked up. Result -- visa rejected, money and time wasted, and they had to start all over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 To be fair and as we keep hearing about this couple who were rejected, a quick google of this forum alone will show you quite a lot of families who have used DUC successfully. As with anything, those with a negative experience tend to ''shout the loudest''. Personally we used Visa Bureau and they were fantastic. Cal x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 26 minutes ago, calNgary said: To be fair and as we keep hearing about this couple who were rejected, a quick google of this forum alone will show you quite a lot of families who have used DUC successfully. Agree 100%. As Cheery said, they do straightforward applications very well. The thing is, if someone doesn't know whether they have a straightforward application or not, then it's safer to deal with a company where your application will be reviewed by a MARA agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Elliott Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 Jade. It sounds as though you had a bad experience with an agency. From the limited information provided, I suspect you may have engaged a person who was not a registered migration agency. 5,000 GBP for a WHV is outrageous and children cannot join parents in Australia on those visas, so something doesn't sound quite right. There is no requirement that you have to use an RMA, and if you truly want to DIY the process, from determining which visa, strategy and the applications themselves, then I would suggest you simply book and pay for an initial consultation with a reputable RMA. It might cost you 100-150 GBP but at least you will have some informed professional advice to provide you with peace of mind that there is indeed a pathway and the steps involved as well as any potential pitfalls. A free consultation likely wont dig that far. Good luck. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 7 hours ago, Marisawright said: Absolutely true. They are very proficient at those. The snag is that not everyone does their own research as you did, so they go into the visa process with no clue whether their application is 'vanilla' or not. That's what happened with the couple who got rejected due to DUC's error. The couple had no idea their application wasn't 'vanilla'. The DUC consultant didn't notice. At DUC, straightforward applcations aren't seen by a MARA agent at all, so it wasn't picked up. Result -- visa rejected, money and time wasted, and they had to start all over again. That’s a shame that anyone parted with cash to get that result. As you say though, a bit of research would have likely helped avoid it. Always pay the professionals but be informed yourself as far as is possible. However we don’t actually know if/when a MARA reg agent looks at applications in the bigger agencies so perhaps best not to speculate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 24 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said: However we don’t actually know if/when a MARA reg agent looks at applications in the bigger agencies so perhaps best not to speculate. It's probably another question everyone should ask before signing up, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.