DIY vs. Agent

jaceejoef · 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 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 👆 😊

One technique is yung job descriptions sa COE during skills assessment. Dapat tugma or aligned yung COE job description sa job description ng immigration. I'm not saying na palitan but at least use words that matches the immigration's job description.

One example is when I did my assessments as a software engineer and web developer. Same thought but the different words. For my web developer assessment my COE specifically mentioned that the projects I did were for the web like instead of just saying "application" I use "web application".

This technique is similar to applying for jobs. You need to tailor your CV and cover letter to the job you are applying for.

PR_AU · September 2022

Totoo po bang free of charge ang services ni IDP for consultation and visa application assistance? Ano po marerecommend niyong agency na okay if I opt to apply for a student visa? Thank you po

jcrdream · September 2022

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.