Also another thing to add sa DIY vs. Agent topic is the level of control you want to have over your application. If you want more control, go DIY. But if you're comfortable just handing in documents and information, without doing much research, go for an agent.
Pero share ko lang din: something that I wish I had done when I went with an agent was ask A LOT of questions—like what processing times are like, what comes next, etc. I've felt really left in the dark when it comes to information, eh 'pag newbie ka you don't know what you don't know. While working with my agent I did my own research (pwede ko naman itanong kaso ayun nga, 'di ko alam ano ba itatanong in the first place at ayoko rin namang tadtarin ng sandamakmak na tanong).
For example I was completely ignorant and my agent did not really advise about backlogs or that there was a recent Job/Skills summit that would trigger the opening of the 2022 migration program. I wish we had started my application with a more strategic approach. Kung alam ko lang, in-arrange ko na PTE and CCL, and nagpa-priority processing sa skills assessment. The whole process takes time talaga pero I feel like being strategic can still make a difference kasi.
Another thing, if you don't like doing back-and-forth and want to make decisions agad, DIY would be the most efficient. Pwede mo rin ma-view application mo freely. You can decide to follow-up or ask authorities and do it right away. Just be really DILIGENT sa pagre-research and verifying that tama mga sinusubmit mo. The good thing about having an agent is that you don't have to worry about the little things, yung mga information na seemingly small pero malaki impact. The devil is in the details after all.
