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Free Visa Advice?

4K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  Savage_Flame 
#1 ·
I'm a Canadian doing a partner visa to go to Australia with my Aussie partner. Are there Any free visa help/advice Hotliness or services? Pretty sure my Lawyer is trying to bleed me Dry! Ha. Cheers
 
#2 ·
You're looking at it, mate. Forums/Facebook groups are pretty much it. The only people licensed to give official immigration advice in Australia are MARA-Registered Migration Agents - if your lawyer isn't also an RMA (he should have a MARN number), you're not as well off and you're probably being overcharged. Immigration *lawyers* are not required to do the deep study on migration law that registered migration agents are and often charge a helluva lot more. We were applying from the US and used a MARA-registered agent in Sydney - his advice was invaluable.
 
#3 ·
Oh, and by the way - the Australian Department of Immigration (and related embassies) are not even licensed to give immigration advice and frequently give out incorrect advice. They're not held responsible if you follow their advice and it turns out to be wrong.
 
#4 ·
If you give us a few details we can see how much help you will need.

This forum also has a few kind Registered Migration Agents that often answer questions and give great general advice and warnings - they include their Registration number and contact links below their comments. They are all bloody good.
 
#5 ·
There are some legal services in Australia that provide (limited) free immigration advice, but they really are only for hardship cases.

Most registered migration agents in Australia provide a fixed cost service, so you know exactly what you are up for and what is included.

You can do a lot of reading up on this forum and many people are happy to share their experiences. Just keep in mind that what worked for someone else, may not necessarily work for you and that free advice is not always the best advice.
 
#6 ·
Thanks guys. I am using a registered agent but trying to do as much myself as possible to save money. I'm glad to hear there are people with good advice on this forum and I will definitely make use of that. Talking to my agent this week so I'll go from there. Cheers!
 
#8 ·
I was under the impression that many of the RMA's use a fixed price for Partner Visa applications.

I would not use a RMA that has an hourly rate, when most are fixed price + a list of possible extras like a medical issue that was unknown prior or a document that has been found to be a fake.

It is then hard to get that "bleeding" feeling.
 
#10 ·
Im trying to find info on where/how to have statutory declaration forms witnessed outside of Australia. I have Canadians filling out statutory declarations and It seems like they have to go to a local consulate and sign them in front of a witness there but when I call they say they wont answer questions about visa's and the number they give for the Americas support place doesnt work. Has anyone had similar issues? How do I get these witnessed?
 
#11 ·
If the form 888's are not signed by Aus citizens they won't be stat decs. They can be witnessed by whoever can witness or notarise documents in the person's country of residence. So for example in Ireland usually doctors, justices of the peace, police officers and such can all witness these kinds of documents. So in Canada (for Canadian citizens) you need to find out who usually can witness or notarise documents and go there. There's no need to go to a consulate.
 
#13 ·
Pretty sure my Lawyer is trying to bleed me Dry! Ha. Cheers
You do not need to engage a lawyer for immigration matters unless you have a matter that must be taken to a court and if this is the case, engage a lawyer who is also a registered migration agent. There are plenty of lawyers who dabble in migration matters in between conveyancing and grubby divorces. If you are going to engage a lawyer make sure s/he is an accredited specialist immigration lawyer.
 
#15 ·
Just tagging on a quick question in regards to the Form 888 (not worth creating a thread);

Does anyone know if the Australian passport/Citizenship evidence provided by an Aussie after filling in the Form 888 needs to be a colour-copy?

Will they still be accepted as a valid submission if it is a black and white copy, but certified and witnessed by an authorised individual?

Many thanks.
 
#16 ·
Just tagging on a quick question in regards to the Form 888 (not worth creating a thread);

Does anyone know if the Australian passport/Citizenship evidence provided by an Aussie after filling in the Form 888 needs to be a colour-copy?

Will they still be accepted as a valid submission if it is a black and white copy, but certified and witnessed by an authorised individual?

Many thanks.
If the passport copy has been certified it doesn't have to be colour.
 
#18 ·
The form 888's are for supporting witnesses of the relationship. I'm not sure why you as a sponsor would need one. If you mean your personal relationship statement, that doesn't need to be in stat dec form. It can just be a written or typed statement, signed or unsigned. They actually have spaces in the application for your statements regarding the different aspects of your relationship, so a separate statement that you would attach is purely optional

As far as getting your NoIM witnessed, I've no personal experience, so can't comment on that..
 
#19 ·
Thanks. Yes I unfortunately confused myself there. I did mean our (my) personal relationship statement. I would likely type mine up and then sign in blue colour pen. In this scenario - would this need to be certified and witnessed? And if yes - by an Australian official? Or just by a public notary here in Canada (again, tricky as they would not technically be an Australian resident). Or are scanned uploads okay?

I'll have to keep trying to find out how it works with us both signing the NOIM form and getting it witnessed here in Canada.

Thanks again for the help. Slowly starting to get my head around this whole process
 
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