Migration agents – How can they help you?

While it is possible to migrate to Australia on your own accord, we’re finding that more and more people are using the services of specialist migration agents to take care of the process on their behalf.

Why is this?

Moving to Australia is not a decision that you can make on a whim. People’s hopes and dreams can hinge on a successful visa application, so it’s vital that they do everything they can to boost their chances of gaining entry to the country.

A migration agent can help you by:

• Providing advice of immigration matters

• Helping you to prepare your application

• Dealing with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection on your behalf

You need to remember that for the vast majority of people, this will be the first time they’ve ever completed a permanent visa application, whereas it’s second nature to a migration agent. As such, the chances of a costly mistake being made are greatly reduced when you have a team of experienced professionals taking care of matters for you.

Of course, you don’t want to entrust your future happiness to any random chancer. Fortunately, it’s easy to sort the wheat from the chaff, as all legitimate migration agents are governed by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA). It’s illegal for a person to provide immigration advice or assistance unless they are registered with MARA.

MARA’s rules stipulate that migration agents must:

• Have a sound knowledge of migration law and practice

• Act professionally and in a timely manner

• Abide by the migration agent’s Code of Conduct

• Have appropriate insurance

• Pass character tests (including criminal history checks)

As far as True Blue is concerned, we offer our customers a broad range of services, which include:

• Free online eligibility assessment

• Detailed migration advice

• Free phone consultation

• Free in-person consultation

• Being accessible by phone and email to answer your questions

• Preparing and checking your visa paperwork

• Reviewing your draft skill assessment paperwork and advising on improvements

• Preparing and lodging state nomination

• Helping employers lodge a successful Standard Business Sponsorship application

• Preparing Regional Certifying Board applications

• Advising on immigration policy changes

• Liaising with Immigration Case Officers to get status reports of your case

• Advising and helping you if your circumstances change during the process

In short, you’re in safe hands when you use a MARA accredited migration agent like True Blue.