Cost of Migration Agent Inquiry

palekjram · February 2023

Hello,

My family and I are planning to migrate to Australia, and due to our two children and age, we have decided to engage the services of a migration agent to assist us. We are currently residing in Singapore but plan to work with an agent from Australia. Following a video call, the agent has provided us with a detailed fee breakdown via email, which totals AUD19,000, with professional fees amounting to AUD9,500. We were informed that the fees will be paid in stages as we progress through the application process, and that the professional fee is refundable. However, we found their explanation of the refund policy to be a bit unclear as they only mentioned refunding for any mistakes they make in the application.

I have also reached out to another agent here in Singapore thru email, who quoted a fee of SGD8,700. However, I think this is just for the professional fee.

My question is, is this the usual fee for migration agent these days? Is this the same as getting an agent in the Philippines? Is it possible to get a migration agent in the Philippines, even if we are not located there.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

era222 · February 2023

@palekjram said:
Hello,

My family and I are planning to migrate to Australia, and due to our two children and age, we have decided to engage the services of a migration agent to assist us. We are currently residing in Singapore but plan to work with an agent from Australia. Following a video call, the agent has provided us with a detailed fee breakdown via email, which totals AUD19,000, with professional fees amounting to AUD9,500. We were informed that the fees will be paid in stages as we progress through the application process, and that the professional fee is refundable. However, we found their explanation of the refund policy to be a bit unclear as they only mentioned refunding for any mistakes they make in the application.

I have also reached out to another agent here in Singapore thru email, who quoted a fee of SGD8,700. However, I think this is just for the professional fee.

My question is, is this the usual fee for migration agent these days? Is this the same as getting an agent in the Philippines? Is it possible to get a migration agent in the Philippines, even if we are not located there.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Unsure about the fees (that seems pretty steep to me, but then again I know an agency that quotes for PHP 1M so the pricing is not unheard of). But you can definitely hire a migration agent/agency from a different location. The communication would be online naman. Just a kind reminder to do your due diligence ensuring the credibility of the agency/agent.

plumbum91 · February 2023

@palekjram said:
Hello,

My family and I are planning to migrate to Australia, and due to our two children and age, we have decided to engage the services of a migration agent to assist us. We are currently residing in Singapore but plan to work with an agent from Australia. Following a video call, the agent has provided us with a detailed fee breakdown via email, which totals AUD19,000, with professional fees amounting to AUD9,500. We were informed that the fees will be paid in stages as we progress through the application process, and that the professional fee is refundable. However, we found their explanation of the refund policy to be a bit unclear as they only mentioned refunding for any mistakes they make in the application.

I have also reached out to another agent here in Singapore thru email, who quoted a fee of SGD8,700. However, I think this is just for the professional fee.

My question is, is this the usual fee for migration agent these days? Is this the same as getting an agent in the Philippines? Is it possible to get a migration agent in the Philippines, even if we are not located there.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

I am also residing in SG but my migration agent is in PH. I made it clear to them before I signed a contract that I am not in PH. According to them, there will be no problem as all of the transactions and submission of documents will be done online. Prior to inquiring to an agent in PH, I tried to inquire here first in SG. And yes, the agent's PF in SG is way more expensive than in PH. Since the process and their services are just the same, I chose the help of an agent from PH to save me some money.

I hope this helps po.

RheaMARN1171933 · February 2023

@palekjram said:
Hello,

My family and I are planning to migrate to Australia, and due to our two children and age, we have decided to engage the services of a migration agent to assist us. We are currently residing in Singapore but plan to work with an agent from Australia. Following a video call, the agent has provided us with a detailed fee breakdown via email, which totals AUD19,000, with professional fees amounting to AUD9,500. We were informed that the fees will be paid in stages as we progress through the application process, and that the professional fee is refundable. However, we found their explanation of the refund policy to be a bit unclear as they only mentioned refunding for any mistakes they make in the application.

I have also reached out to another agent here in Singapore thru email, who quoted a fee of SGD8,700. However, I think this is just for the professional fee.

My question is, is this the usual fee for migration agent these days? Is this the same as getting an agent in the Philippines? Is it possible to get a migration agent in the Philippines, even if we are not located there.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Oh my golly that’s a lot of money…always makes me wonder I should charge more! lol…just kidding. We charge on the lower P100,000+,…Yes there are a lot out there who charge a fortune! That’s their prerogative thought. Since day 1 my company was established, I’m conscious not to be “one of them”.

There is no issue with location. Are clients are based everywhere whilst we are based in London! With regards to the refund, the agent should have given you the code of conduct. We adhere to a code and we can be sanctioned if proven we have breached it. A clause on the code relates to refund. We can only be paid for the services we provided. If you’ve given the whole payment in advance, they should have been kept as a deposit. Each time a service is rendered, that’s when we can only take our fee for such service from the deposit. In the event you decided you wanted to terminate the contract midway, whatever’s not been used from your deposit due to the service not rendered will be return to you. That isn’t refund, that’s only returning your money. When it comes to the actual fee you have paid for the services they have provided, technically, there is no refund on the payment due to the fact that they have spent time and effort on whatever service they rendered, hence, there is no sense as to why they are obliged to give you a refund unless they have made a mistake when rendering such service. If you think of it, you don’t go to a restaurant and decide halfway you don’t want to eat there anymore and demand for a refund. They’ve already served the food you ordered….unless they have done something wrong with the food - hope that makes sense?

I have attached the code of conduct for your reference. A responsible migration agent should always provide this at initial contact.

RheaMARN1171933 · February 2023

@era222 said:

@palekjram said:
Hello,

My family and I are planning to migrate to Australia, and due to our two children and age, we have decided to engage the services of a migration agent to assist us. We are currently residing in Singapore but plan to work with an agent from Australia. Following a video call, the agent has provided us with a detailed fee breakdown via email, which totals AUD19,000, with professional fees amounting to AUD9,500. We were informed that the fees will be paid in stages as we progress through the application process, and that the professional fee is refundable. However, we found their explanation of the refund policy to be a bit unclear as they only mentioned refunding for any mistakes they make in the application.

I have also reached out to another agent here in Singapore thru email, who quoted a fee of SGD8,700. However, I think this is just for the professional fee.

My question is, is this the usual fee for migration agent these days? Is this the same as getting an agent in the Philippines? Is it possible to get a migration agent in the Philippines, even if we are not located there.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Unsure about the fees (that seems pretty steep to me, but then again I know an agency that quotes for PHP 1M so the pricing is not unheard of). But you can definitely hire a migration agent/agency from a different location. The communication would be online naman. Just a kind reminder to do your due diligence ensuring the credibility of the agency/agent.

The best way to check is via Mara.gov.au….a qualified one has a Mara agent number (MARN). Thus should always be visible on their website, marketing, email, etc.

tigerlance · February 2023

For me ganito siguro.

Check kung qualified kasi, ineenter ang Mara Agent Number sa application niyo.
Exercise due-diligence. Check niyo yung reviews. Yung reviews hindi gawa gawa lang or bayad. Mapapansin mo naman kung gaano kadetailed ang review.
Kung walang issue sa iyo ang time zone difference. Sa communication. Syempre hindi naman lagi lagi. Saka iconsider mo rin yung pagcommunicate mo na office hours sa kanila (agent mo).
Canvass. Dapat in writing yung babayaran mo. Igoogle mo muna siyempre yung fees ng DHA and compare sa inoffer nila. Lalo na kung hindi nila initemised yung babayaran mo.
Consider rin yung foreign exchange fees. Kasi kung USD, Euro, AUD. Research mo kung magkano ang equivalent sa PHP. Magkakaiba ang rates yan. Kung card syempre ang gagamitin mo, lolobo ang foreign exchange difference na akala mo maliit lang, malaki rin yun ha.
Syempre paghindi Filipino, and yung documents mo ay galing sa Pilipinas, dapat rin as a client gumawa ka ng cover letter, iexplain kung ano yun. Di manghuhula ang agent kung ano ang isusubmit mo. Give and Take relationship yan para makatulong ang agent sa application mo based sa latest policies ng DHA.

DD20 · February 2023

@palekjram said:
Hello,

My family and I are planning to migrate to Australia, and due to our two children and age, we have decided to engage the services of a migration agent to assist us. We are currently residing in Singapore but plan to work with an agent from Australia. Following a video call, the agent has provided us with a detailed fee breakdown via email, which totals AUD19,000, with professional fees amounting to AUD9,500. We were informed that the fees will be paid in stages as we progress through the application process, and that the professional fee is refundable. However, we found their explanation of the refund policy to be a bit unclear as they only mentioned refunding for any mistakes they make in the application.

I have also reached out to another agent here in Singapore thru email, who quoted a fee of SGD8,700. However, I think this is just for the professional fee.

My question is, is this the usual fee for migration agent these days? Is this the same as getting an agent in the Philippines? Is it possible to get a migration agent in the Philippines, even if we are not located there.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

I applied for 491 visa around 2019, and hired Respall Migration as my agent. Total agent fees around 150,000 pesos that time (excluding visa fee, skills assessment, english exam etc.), although single ako. Not sure if they have different agent fees for family. Try to contact them and inquire directly sa kanila baka mas mura.

yena0418 · February 2023

@DD20 said:

@palekjram said:
Hello,

My family and I are planning to migrate to Australia, and due to our two children and age, we have decided to engage the services of a migration agent to assist us. We are currently residing in Singapore but plan to work with an agent from Australia. Following a video call, the agent has provided us with a detailed fee breakdown via email, which totals AUD19,000, with professional fees amounting to AUD9,500. We were informed that the fees will be paid in stages as we progress through the application process, and that the professional fee is refundable. However, we found their explanation of the refund policy to be a bit unclear as they only mentioned refunding for any mistakes they make in the application.

I have also reached out to another agent here in Singapore thru email, who quoted a fee of SGD8,700. However, I think this is just for the professional fee.

My question is, is this the usual fee for migration agent these days? Is this the same as getting an agent in the Philippines? Is it possible to get a migration agent in the Philippines, even if we are not located there.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

I applied for 491 visa around 2019, and hired Respall Migration as my agent. Total agent fees around 150,000 pesos that time (excluding visa fee, skills assessment, english exam etc.), although single ako. Not sure if they have different agent fees for family. Try to contact them and inquire directly sa kanila baka mas mura.

I also have Respall as our agent. We are a family of 4 and yes nasa fixed 150,000 yung agent fee nila. i contacted them last 2020 pero nagtuloy lang kami ng application 2022, same rate pa din naman.

lmsg06 · February 2023

wow super taas ng quote. for me and my spouse umabot po ng 150k din. waiting for visa na lang kami 🙂. I suggest get an agent with an office na lang here sa pinas.

meek · March 2023

Hello po. Tanong ko lang po kung pwede po kaya mag migration agent pag may ITA na po? Thank you

era222 · March 2023

@meek said:
Hello po. Tanong ko lang po kung pwede po kaya mag migration agent pag may ITA na po? Thank you

Pwede naman, inform mo lang yung agent na iko-consult mo na visa application stage ka na.

RheaMARN1171933 · March 2023

@meek said:
Hello po. Tanong ko lang po kung pwede po kaya mag migration agent pag may ITA na po? Thank you

You could get an agent at any stage but it all depends if the agent wants to take your case. If deadline is soon approaching it would probably be difficult to get an agent to work on your case.