Hello po. Share ko lang po experience namin ni husband. Nagdalawang isip din kami whether to get an agent or DIY. Money is a minor issue bec we are both working here in SG. It's more of whether is it necessary or not kasi ang first hand info namin is from a successful DIYer. He provided me a list of the necessary docs (which you can get online or even from the forumers here, just ask) and walked us through it at talagang doable naman sya. So I started to read abt IELTS, MSA guidelines para sa CDR at yung visa 189,190 requirements. Nahirapan ako kasi ECE yung sinusundan ko. ME kami pareho ni hubby. So nagbasa at nagtanong tanong ako dito sa pinoyau at sa pinoy engrs au sa facebook.
Tapos nakita ako ng isang friend nung nagpost ako ng questions at kinontak ako (advantage din na real name ang username para madali mareach) Answered prayer, sakto ME din sya, halos pareho kami ng field, granted visa 189 din sila ng family nya via agency. So kinonsider namin na kausapin din yung agent nila. Pero dahil alam ko na yung process at requirements, nilista ko lahat ng unsure areas bago kinausap yung agent. Buti may consultation na P1k lang pwede magtanong ng kahit ano, helpful naman si agent. Pagkatapos naming mag usap, dun kami nagdecide ni hubby na mag DIY na kasi naestablish namin na hindi complicated yung situation namin at lahat ng rqmts kaya namin iprovide.
So when we say hindi complicated ang situation:
1) We have enough work experience na we can provide supporting docs like ITR, payslips, SSS, Pag-ibig, employment endorsement, COE and most importantly, relevant sa ME.
2) We have enough points
3) We have enough docs to prove our relationship
4) We have never been denied any visa previously
5) We don't have any criminal records
6) We are healthy
The criteria might be more than the above, but if any of these basics ang complicated on your case, it would be best to get a professional guidance.
In our case, walang nagcheck ng CDRs namin, confident ako sa sinulat ko since nabasa ko yung guidelines cover to cover ng more than 5times, ninamnam ko, pinasok ko sa sistema ko. Dito na yung "if the person is willing" as for me na outdoorsy, I did a little sacrifice by staying indoors during weekends to do my CDR and research for this migration process.
Overall (naks pang PTE 😅), nagamit ko pareho. Nagthorough reading ako bago ako kumuha ng professional advice. Then DIY na all the way. Hindi pa naman po kami tapos sa process ng 189 so hindi pa ako credible source. Pero I happened to be sponsored by our AU branch and they hired an agent to process the visa. Nagulat si Australian agent that I have all the necessary files agad and as of writing, the agent has checked and verified that our docs are valid and sufficient for the visa application. I suggest to maximize your resources and gauge kung hanggang saan yung capacity mo to sacrifice, understand and to pay. Everything about the visa process can be found online, there is nothing hidden that only agents would know. The info is disseminated to all, it's up to you if you are willing to DIY, otherwise, get a professional to do it.
Yun po, sana makatulong sa pagdecide. God bless po sa journey nating lahat!