Hi! Anyone done it themselves, I know a lot of the hassle is taken out by using an agent but we are saving hard and don't want to waste money if there's a chance we could do it ourselves? My husband is a skilled tradesman, I believe it's form 175..?! any help or advice would be very very welcome e.g. actual application, medical, TRA, CRB etc THANKS xxxx

Hi Em and welcome to the forum and I doubt anyone is going to come along and say they have got their 175visa, and that could be just because the forum is not all that old and visa applications do take some time to be approved - possibly up to a year, and it could also be that some people who have made enquiries here previously do not proceed.

But in finding your way onto the immi site if you have to know it is a 175visa to be applied for is a big step in the right direction and it should be straightforward enough from there, thus

1. have a look at the links 3. & 4. in the sticky thread - Visa links and resources and you have the 175visa and also the points test table.

2. from the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) , a link on the link 3. for 175visa you can determine what number of points your hub would get with his trade qualifications being approved (if he did an apprenticeship or another approved form of training acceptable to Australian assessing authority, it should not be a problem), assessing authority being shown on the SOL and contact details towards end of the list.

3. Go to the points test table and you can do a self calculation of the points he could attain - the table has links and is all self explanatory, there being a basic no points requirement that at least twelve months experience has been had in prior 24 at date of application, and additional points if Hub has had three years experience in past four, and more points if the trade is listed on MODL.

4. So if it looks like 120 points will be attained, the pre-requisite to applying for the visa is to make an application to the assessing authority - TRA is it, and then once his trade qualifications have been approved and you get a letter acknowledging same, you're ready to put the visa application in.

It all takes time - so lots of patience and an agent will not really speed it up for you, as you need to collate all the data anyway, and so just some dedication to doing that and having the application correct is the other key requirement - but immi make it rather easy to do that in having a comprehensive checklist - you can find that under the "applying for visa" section - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener..._checklist.pdf and if you print that off and use it, how easy?

The only other issue to be addressed is whether you do the application online or post in a paper application, there being advice by immi that the online application is preferred but if that is more daunting, paper application is still quite OK, and either way still use the checklist.

Have a read of the links etc. and come back if needing more help and certainly we would like to here of the future progress.

And one last point too, is that given the current global economic uncertainty there can be changes to immigration policy but I would expect that skilled people will still be eagerly sought after, but have a final check of the trade being on SOL/MODL at time of application.

Well, Wanderer already gave a very comprehensive answer, but I'll add a personal case: I applied for a 176 in the summer by myself. I didn't find the process difficult at all - sure it's a lot of work and a lot of learning to be done, but if you're willing to put in some additional time I don't see why you'd need to use an agent.

But as for the actual result of a self-applied application, I couldn't tell you yet. Ask again in a year

(Btw, the medicals and police clearances you shouldn't do until specifically requested so by your case officer.)

Hopefully it will not be too much longer for you mko, and have you been contacted yet re the health examination (possibly not required if you're already here?) and character assessment?

Interestingly, though 175/176 are identical as far as points assessment (afaik), they are not a mirror image otherwise and though a 175 is essentially for applying for when offshore, there is a rather contentious situation (in my view) in that you can apply for a 175 while in Australia but it cannot be granted to you unless you're not here and even more contentiously, there is wording in the immi booklet that indicates being in Australia at the time of final consideration could in fact mean a rejection of an otherwise successful application - a bit stupid in my book when you're trying to get skilled people to Australia (and the rejection could occur just because someone with skills on MODL had decided coming out on a WHV was a good way of testing the water)

I have a submission to authorities in place but bureaucrats do not like change, even more so when someone points out to them the ludricousness of the situation.

Anyway, that aside, do keep a record of all your dates:
. time it too for qualifications check
. date of application, when notified of case officer and when asked for checks, total time of application etc., for it'll certainly be of interest to others and be the sort of info that we can put into a more structured sticky when we do it.

Wanderer, haven't been contacted yet re: medicals or PCC. That'll happen when I get the case officer assigned, and judging from the fact that applications submitted last December are now being processed, that's still ~6-7 months from now.

So it'll be quite a while more, but I knew that when applying