DIY vs. Agent

era222 · September 2022

Hello, posting for a friend! Been seeing a lot of folks here na DIY lang and was curious to know why you opted to go that route, maliban sa financial reasons (although ito ang primary reason ni friend). And also curious sa experience niyo working with an agent, what you liked or did not like about it — if nahirapan kayo sa communication at timing for example, kasi kailangan na back-to-back coordination?

Was able to give her some info based on my expi so far but limited lang meron ako, so if may makakapagshare diyan, thank you hehe.

ga2au · September 2022

@era222 said:
Hello, posting for a friend! Been seeing a lot of folks here na DIY lang and was curious to know why you opted to go that route, maliban sa financial reasons (although ito ang primary reason ni friend). And also curious sa experience niyo working with an agent, what you liked or did not like about it — if nahirapan kayo sa communication at timing for example, kasi kailangan na back-to-back coordination?

Was able to give her some info based on my expi so far but limited lang meron ako, so if may makakapagshare diyan, thank you hehe.

I have two applications one with agent and one DIY.

Pros with agent:
Since it was my first application, wala tlaga akong idea about how to apply. So she guide me everything from getting all the required documents. Which i can actually get it by myself kung nagrrsearch lang akong mabuti. But since we have no time at that time kasi busy sa work, it helps us a lot kasi ibinigay nalang niya check list samin then okay na. Maayus ang coms via email. Kya make sure legit ung agent mo.

Cons w/o agent
Minsan may nakita ako dito na hindi transparent ung agent nila sa kniya. Kaya dapat tlaga research on a good agent. U have to shell out extra money to pay for agent's services. Make sure search sa Mara kung legit sila.

Pros with DIY
U have the complete authority with your application. Anytime pwede mong buksan ung application and find out ur status. I only advice this if straight forward ung case mo. Meaning walang complications sa mga documents. Minsan may instances na may issues sa primary application. In DIY mahirap gawin un. Lalo na if wala kang idra on how to fill up forms,. Fortunately for me, nung nag DIY ako, nagaya ko na ung kung panu nafikl upan ung dati kong application by yhe agent. So naintindihan ko kung panu.

Con with DIY
Research. Research. Research.
Napakadaming need alamin sa pag migrate. A lot of infos makukuha sa net or minsan dito sapinoyau. Need mo nag exert tlaga ng time and effort and money.

Good luck.

wandergorl · September 2022

I suggest to ask your friend if she's willing to exert an effort to read a lot and spend time kung primary reason nya is financial doing a DIY. It is not that hard doing it in the beginning - do your english test, then skill assessment and finally lodge your EOI. Major challenge is overwhelming info in DIY, to fight this do it one step at a time and be certain what info you need to know to avoid info overload.

era222 · September 2022

@ga2au said:

@era222 said:
Hello, posting for a friend! Been seeing a lot of folks here na DIY lang and was curious to know why you opted to go that route, maliban sa financial reasons (although ito ang primary reason ni friend). And also curious sa experience niyo working with an agent, what you liked or did not like about it — if nahirapan kayo sa communication at timing for example, kasi kailangan na back-to-back coordination?

Was able to give her some info based on my expi so far but limited lang meron ako, so if may makakapagshare diyan, thank you hehe.

I have two applications one with agent and one DIY.

Pros with agent:
Since it was my first application, wala tlaga akong idea about how to apply. So she guide me everything from getting all the required documents. Which i can actually get it by myself kung nagrrsearch lang akong mabuti. But since we have no time at that time kasi busy sa work, it helps us a lot kasi ibinigay nalang niya check list samin then okay na. Maayus ang coms via email. Kya make sure legit ung agent mo.

Cons w/o agent
Minsan may nakita ako dito na hindi transparent ung agent nila sa kniya. Kaya dapat tlaga research on a good agent. U have to shell out extra money to pay for agent's services. Make sure search sa Mara kung legit sila.

Pros with DIY
U have the complete authority with your application. Anytime pwede mong buksan ung application and find out ur status. I only advice this if straight forward ung case mo. Meaning walang complications sa mga documents. Minsan may instances na may issues sa primary application. In DIY mahirap gawin un. Lalo na if wala kang idra on how to fill up forms,. Fortunately for me, nung nag DIY ako, nagaya ko na ung kung panu nafikl upan ung dati kong application by yhe agent. So naintindihan ko kung panu.

Con with DIY
Research. Research. Research.
Napakadaming need alamin sa pag migrate. A lot of infos makukuha sa net or minsan dito sapinoyau. Need mo nag exert tlaga ng time and effort and money.

Good luck.

Thank you sa detailed insight! Oo nga, napansin ko rin yung pwedeng buksan yung application any time — something that I like doing pero di ko magawa dahil agent naghahandle ng case ko haha.

jaceejoef · September 2022

It's been a while since na-grant ang visa ko. I'm currently processing my fiance's visa (subsequent entrant).

DIY lang ako so ang ma-comment ko about agents is based on other people's experience.

DIY PROS:
- You have full control
- No extra cost for agents

DIY CONS:
- you really need to make an effort to know everything. Hindi kasi straightforward ang process specially for skilled migrants.

AGENT PROS:
- they will provide you (almost) everything you need to know. Susundin mo na lang sila. Not much effort.

AGENT CONS:
- agents don't provide some techniques. One example for skilled migration applicants is their COE. May technique pano ang job description para mas higher chance na Bachelor ang makuha sa assessment. Agents don't know or don't bother sharing that tidbit of info.

Janry · September 2022

Hello guys,

Plano ko ma mag DIY, mag pa assess sa Vetassess, try ko kung makakapasa ako. May nakapagsab na "Depende sa assessing authority kung irerequire nila na mag english exam muna before nila i-assess." Pero pano pag sa Australian immigration need ba na mag english exam like PTE? Thanks sa sasagot.

era222 · September 2022

@Janry said:
Hello guys,

Plano ko ma mag DIY, mag pa assess sa Vetassess, try ko kung makakapasa ako. May nakapagsab na "Depende sa assessing authority kung irerequire nila na mag english exam muna before nila i-assess." Pero pano pag sa Australian immigration need ba na mag english exam like PTE? Thanks sa sasagot.

Alam ko VETASSESS doesn't require proof of English exam. VETASSESS din ako and I submitted my documents nang walang tine-take na English exam. I'd advise that you verify the facts diretso sa VETASSESS website: https://www.vetassess.com.au/skills-assessment-for-migration/designated-area-migration-agreements/required-documents. You'll see the required documents there. Try to check for your nominated occupation too.

AU immigration isn't involved in the skills assessment, but yes if you're applying for a General Skilled Migration visa you need to take an English exam. The results of your exam determine the points you can claim for it. Here's the website for that: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/.

Hope this helps.

jakibantiles · September 2022

https://pinoyau.info/discussion/comment/357590#Comment_357590

May mga input yung iba nating kaforum dito sa topic na ito. Baka makatulong. 😄

era222 · September 2022

@jakibantiles said:
https://pinoyau.info/discussion/comment/357590#Comment_357590

May mga input yung iba nating kaforum dito sa topic na ito. Baka makatulong. 😄

Thank you! Did not see this thread, na-doble tuloy hahaha. Salamat

Janry · September 2022

@era222 Ang General Skilled Migration visa ay ung mga trabaho sa skilled occupation list?

era222 · September 2022

@Janry said:
@era222 Ang General Skilled Migration visa ay ung mga trabaho sa skilled occupation list?

Yes. Points system yung general skilled migration (GSM), and iba-iba ang visa options per occupation. You can check it sa actual skilled occupation list (SOL) ng immigration website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list. Ang ginawa kong first step ay skills assessment sa VETASSESS, kasi yun yung magde-determine if pwede ako mag-proceed or not. Tapos while waiting for results, nag-English exam ako. Ano po bang nominated occupation mo?

Refer ka lang sa official websites ng VETASSESS and AU immigration for their requirements kasi they have current information. Best not to rely lang dito sa forum or other online, non-official resources—always cross-check and verify. These things can be searched via Google, but just go to the official sites when you do.

Hope that helps.

era222 · September 2022

@Janry said:
@era222 Ang General Skilled Migration visa ay ung mga trabaho sa skilled occupation list?

Also, iba-iba ang pathways kasi pa-Australia, depende sa goal mo. Not sure if GSM nga ang target mo, but you can click "Explore visa options" here and check the available visas suitable sa purpose/goal mo: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/. May parang questionnaire dyan.

Identify that siguro muna. Then if GSM nga, identify your nominated occupation (check mo yung SOL) and prepare for skills assessment na. Kay VETASSESS, mga 3 months ang regular processing.

Good luck!!

Janry · September 2022

@era222 Photo Editor online for 8 years na. Walang direct na word na photo editor or photo retoucher sa Skilled occupation list. Photographer at Photographer assistant lang, kung titingnan ang details nung Photographer may ilang skills don na pasok ang work pero hindi lahat, kaya nag aalinlangan ako kung ano uunahain or kung tutuloy ba ako mag pa assess.

RheaMARN1171933 · September 2022

@jaceejoef said:
It's been a while since na-grant ang visa ko. I'm currently processing my fiance's visa (subsequent entrant).

DIY lang ako so ang ma-comment ko about agents is based on other people's experience.

DIY PROS:
- You have full control
- No extra cost for agents

DIY CONS:
- you really need to make an effort to know everything. Hindi kasi straightforward ang process specially for skilled migrants.

AGENT PROS:
- they will provide you (almost) everything you need to know. Susundin mo na lang sila. Not much effort.

AGENT CONS:
- agents don't provide some techniques. One example for skilled migration applicants is their COE. May technique pano ang job description para mas higher chance na Bachelor ang makuha sa assessment. Agents don't know or don't bother sharing that tidbit of info.

Hmmm…Just out of interest, what technique should it be? 🤔

The Country education profile (CEP)is used by all assessing authorities and immigration. It provides a guideline for the comparability of overseas to Australian qualifications. It’s update by the Department of Education, Skills and employment from time to time. No amount of specialised technique an agent can do to overwrite such guideline. It has nothing to do with how creative the employment letter is. It’s all about the institution and which section it falls under along with the actual qualification a candidate achieved.

Also to be an agent one needs to do a post graduate course in Australian immigration law and practice. Not so sure how an agent can share the intensive technique and knowledge gained from the course 😆

I think mas realistic if CONS of using an agent would be fees more than what was mentioned above 👆 😊

era222 · September 2022

@Janry I see... Not sure lang. Ang alam ko naman ay if not the exact occupation, go for the closely related one (although again, not sure). I think it's up to you if you want to take that chance or not.

Pero regardless, you would still need a skills assessment if you want to push for skilled migration. Ang mga advice na nakita ko here is to do the skills assessment first before the English exam kasi yung assessment ang make or break step. So that's what I did, although I (and many others here) already took the English exam while waiting for assessment results kahit 'di sure na makakapasa kasi I wanted to take the chance, in case favourable ang VETASSESS results.

Janry · September 2022

@era222 May malapit na description sa work ko galing sa website na Australian Bureau of Statistics Photographic Developers and Printers, pero pag nagsearch ako nag code sa Skilled Assessment test wala sya, hindi ko alam kung hindi updated ung Australian Bureau of Statistic or kung ano problema. Ask ko lang ano naman ang GTE ba yun? letter daw un? medyo nakalimutan ko, may nabasa ako na nagcoment ng ganun, na kahit daw ganu kaganda ang GTE hindi parin sure na makakapasok or makakapasa sa Australian visa?

Janry · September 2022

@era222 Also, pag assessment ba puro requirements lang? Wlang kasamang letter? Thanks.

ozdreamer2019 · September 2022

100% v491 holder here, from vetassess to visa grant. Pros ay no extra agent fees, full control ng application. Cons ay need to invest time in doing research, reading in forums like this saka mas matagal din yung progress mo lalo kung may full time job ka.

Janry · September 2022

@ozdreamer2019 Panung matagal ang progress mo, diba pasa lang naman lahat ng mga documents?

ozdreamer2019 · September 2022

@Janry said:
@ozdreamer2019 Panung matagal ang progress mo, diba pasa lang naman lahat ng mga documents?

Ahh yes. I mean yung sa pag asikaso mo ng docs medyo matagal kasi need mo pa magresearch and all. Pag may agent ka, pwedeng sa kanya na manggaling instructions. Sa visa timeline naman on the part of immigration, walang bearing kung diy or agent.

era222 · September 2022

@Janry said:
@era222 May malapit na description sa work ko galing sa website na Australian Bureau of Statistics Photographic Developers and Printers, pero pag nagsearch ako nag code sa Skilled Assessment test wala sya, hindi ko alam kung hindi updated ung Australian Bureau of Statistic or kung ano problema. Ask ko lang ano naman ang GTE ba yun? letter daw un? medyo nakalimutan ko, may nabasa ako na nagcoment ng ganun, na kahit daw ganu kaganda ang GTE hindi parin sure na makakapasok or makakapasa sa Australian visa?

GTE is for student visa. Again, different pathway naman yun. Iba ang requirements for student visa.

Sa occupation naman, I don't think I can help you further... Pero check mo yung immigration skilled occupation list. Yun ang basis mo for occupations. Malalaman mo na immigration website kapag may "immi".

era222 · September 2022

@Janry said:
@era222 Also, pag assessment ba puro requirements lang? Wlang kasamang letter? Thanks.

Again, please check the VETASSESS website. Andun lahat ng requirements na kailangan, hindi ako sure ano specific requirements for your occupation.

Requirements can mean a lot of things and might vary. Again, VETASSESS website ang kaibigan mo dyan lalo na pag DIY ka. Kailangan masikap ka magbasa ng official websites.

Best of luck!

money_engineer · September 2022

Hello po sa lahat. Nasa process na po ako ng pagfill-up sa immiaccount. Sa "facial image" part nagkakaproblema ako pag ina-upload ko ung back scanned copy na may pangalan at pirma. Eto po ung lumalabas (See below snap). May naka-experience na po ba sa inyo na ganito at pano po ung ginawa ninyo? Salamat po.

era222 · September 2022

@money_engineer said:
Hello po sa lahat. Nasa process na po ako ng pagfill-up sa immiaccount. Sa "facial image" part nagkakaproblema ako pag ina-upload ko ung back scanned copy na may pangalan at pirma. Eto po ung lumalabas (See below snap). May naka-experience na po ba sa inyo na ganito at pano po ung ginawa ninyo? Salamat po.

If no answers here, try asking this thread also: https://pinoyau.info/discussion/101/general-skilled-immigration-visa-step-by-step-process#latest Baka lang people are not viewing this thread since "DIY vs Agent" ang topic. Hehe.

money_engineer · September 2022

@era222 said:

@money_engineer said:
Hello po sa lahat. Nasa process na po ako ng pagfill-up sa immiaccount. Sa "facial image" part nagkakaproblema ako pag ina-upload ko ung back scanned copy na may pangalan at pirma. Eto po ung lumalabas (See below snap). May naka-experience na po ba sa inyo na ganito at pano po ung ginawa ninyo? Salamat po.

If no answers here, try asking this thread also: https://pinoyau.info/discussion/101/general-skilled-immigration-visa-step-by-step-process#latest Baka lang people are not viewing this thread since "DIY vs Agent" ang topic. Hehe.

Thank you po. Nagbabakasali din dito baka may sumagot haha.

PR_AU · September 2022

If someone applies for subclass visa 189 or 190 and failed. Bad record po ba yun? Malaki chance na di na makakapag apply student or tourist visa to Australia moving forward? Thank you

RheaMARN1171933 · September 2022

@PR_AU said:
If someone applies for subclass visa 189 or 190 and failed. Bad record po ba yun? Malaki chance na di na makakapag apply student or tourist visa to Australia moving forward? Thank you

Any visa refusal (even in different countries) will always be a red flag for them.

xiaolico · September 2022

@RheaMARN1171933 said:

@jaceejoef said:
It's been a while since na-grant ang visa ko. I'm currently processing my fiance's visa (subsequent entrant).

DIY lang ako so ang ma-comment ko about agents is based on other people's experience.

DIY PROS:
- You have full control
- No extra cost for agents

DIY CONS:
- you really need to make an effort to know everything. Hindi kasi straightforward ang process specially for skilled migrants.

AGENT PROS:
- they will provide you (almost) everything you need to know. Susundin mo na lang sila. Not much effort.

AGENT CONS:
- agents don't provide some techniques. One example for skilled migration applicants is their COE. May technique pano ang job description para mas higher chance na Bachelor ang makuha sa assessment. Agents don't know or don't bother sharing that tidbit of info.

Hmmm…Just out of interest, what technique should it be? 🤔

The Country education profile (CEP)is used by all assessing authorities and immigration. It provides a guideline for the comparability of overseas to Australian qualifications. It’s update by the Department of Education, Skills and employment from time to time. No amount of specialised technique an agent can do to overwrite such guideline. It has nothing to do with how creative the employment letter is. It’s all about the institution and which section it falls under along with the actual qualification a candidate achieved.

Also to be an agent one needs to do a post graduate course in Australian immigration law and practice. Not so sure how an agent can pass the technique 😆

I think mas realistic if CONS of using an agent would be fees more than what was mentioned above 👆 😊

Comment lang ako about this. Agree ako dito. I applied through an agent years ago. Regarding COEs, they actually gave me multiple sample resumes for multiple jobs. Most of my COEs were patterned sa samples nila. But I do understand, yung cons nung agent which is yung fee is mabigat talaga.

plasticeye · September 2022

If you have time, ok lang DIY.. pero pag busy at walang oras mag manage ng application, get an agent.

RheaMARN1171933 · September 2022

@xiaolico said:

@RheaMARN1171933 said:

@jaceejoef said:
It's been a while since na-grant ang visa ko. I'm currently processing my fiance's visa (subsequent entrant).

DIY lang ako so ang ma-comment ko about agents is based on other people's experience.

DIY PROS:
- You have full control
- No extra cost for agents

DIY CONS:
- you really need to make an effort to know everything. Hindi kasi straightforward ang process specially for skilled migrants.

AGENT PROS:
- they will provide you (almost) everything you need to know. Susundin mo na lang sila. Not much effort.

AGENT CONS:
- agents don't provide some techniques. One example for skilled migration applicants is their COE. May technique pano ang job description para mas higher chance na Bachelor ang makuha sa assessment. Agents don't know or don't bother sharing that tidbit of info.

Hmmm…Just out of interest, what technique should it be? 🤔

The Country education profile (CEP)is used by all assessing authorities and immigration. It provides a guideline for the comparability of overseas to Australian qualifications. It’s update by the Department of Education, Skills and employment from time to time. No amount of specialised technique an agent can do to overwrite such guideline. It has nothing to do with how creative the employment letter is. It’s all about the institution and which section it falls under along with the actual qualification a candidate achieved.

Also to be an agent one needs to do a post graduate course in Australian immigration law and practice. Not so sure how an agent can pass the technique 😆

I think mas realistic if CONS of using an agent would be fees more than what was mentioned above 👆 😊

Comment lang ako about this. Agree ako dito. I applied through an agent years ago. Regarding COEs, they actually gave me multiple sample resumes for multiple jobs. Most of my COEs were patterned sa samples nila. But I do understand, yung cons nung agent which is yung fee is mabigat talaga.

That’s right. We do guide clients with employment letters but if we find that the qualification isn’t equivalent to an AQF degree, we tell them straight away how much points they could claim and calculate their preliminary points based on our findings from CEP even so the clients knows already even before getting our services or if they can’t meet the requirements for skills assessment based on their qualification, we let them know he/she can’t proceed with the migration journey as it’s not possible to do so.

PR_AU · September 2022

@RheaMARN1171933 said:

@PR_AU said:
If someone applies for subclass visa 189 or 190 and failed. Bad record po ba yun? Malaki chance na di na makakapag apply student or tourist visa to Australia moving forward? Thank you

Any visa refusal (even in different countries) will always be a red flag for them.

Thank you, @RheaMARN1171933