Are Australian visas from the Philippines easy? Is there such a thing as an easy visa? And does a Registered Migration Agent take all the work off you? Can you sit back and wait for the Migration Agent to let you know it’s ready for your signature? No, sorry. It’s work, and it can be annoying work and you are unlikely to enjoy it. However Down Under Visa are with you every step of the way.

True for most things. VERY true for visas!

Can’t the Migration Agent do all the work?

Honestly, I wish we could sometimes. But we can’t. Why?
Because:

1. We don’t know all your personal details, so we need to collect them off you through our fairly-easy e-Assess Questionnaires.
2. We don’t have access to your personal documents, so we can’t do the gathering and sending.

So yes, you will have some work to do. But better than trying to figure it all out yourself and maybe getting it horribly wrong. I can remember a sponsor who spent 12 months living with his Filipina fiancée in the Philippines because he understood it was necessary to do before applying for a Prospective Marriage Visa. WRONG! He hated every minute of staying here. Imagine his face when I told him it was completely unnecessary? If you want to know about Australian visas, just ask!

So yes, you will have “homework” to do, but at least you have the comfort in knowing that you’re on the right track!

Does a Migration Agent mean less work for you to do?

Sometimes it can, especially if you’re doing things you don’t need to do (like living in Manila for 12 months!). Or if you’ve been collecting documents they don’t need and which may annoy them. But if you thought it would be a lightweight application, then you will probably be considerably busier than you were expecting. And lightweight visa applications are the ones they dislike the most, which is why they’ve been demanding “decision-ready” applications since November 2017.

Decision-ready? It means just that. It means ready for them to make a decision based on what you sent them. They will forgive the odd missing item, especially if it’s something that needs to be done later like a Medical Check or some police clearances. But if you leave out what they consider to be the essentials, they will refuse the application outright without a single Request for Further Information (RFI).

So yes, if you were thinking Australian visas would be like paying the bloke to mow the lawn for you where you don’t need to do a single thing, then sorry no.

Australian visas and further requests from the Migration Agent

Can this happen? Yes, absolutely. We often find things along the way, like when your doctor examines you for one thing and finds something else. This will particularly happen when you supply us with:

• Wrong documents
• Wrong quantity (or quality) of documents
• Documents with errors

Wrong documents

Sometimes people misread what we ask for. We do our best to make things clear, and we provide you with a mountain of supporting information, plus we are always available to answer questions. But sometimes what you send us is wrong, and we’re duty-bound to tell you when this happens.

Wrong Quantity/Quality

Yes, this happens too. It happens particularly with relationship evidence, and can mean the difference between whether they believe your relationship is genuine or they do not. And if what you send us can’t be read, or has coffee stains, we can’t submit it and we will tell you this. Again, we’re duty-bound to tell you the truth even if it’s not sunshine and light!

Documents with errors

This is a more serious matter, because it means you may have inadvertently supplied false or bogus documents. And this can lead to a visa refusal and a three year ban. Will this lead to more work for you? Yes, most definitely. More work, and more delay.

And can Down Under Visa fix this for you? No, sorry. However you will note that our fastidiousness was most likely what identified the error in the first place, and our advice will direct you to where you can go to get it corrected legally and not in a short-cut way that will destroy your application.

So what do you do? My advice is to accept that nothing of any value comes to you easily, and ask yourself how much this visa and your new life with your Filipina wife or fiancee means to you? I’m sure it means more to you than anyone could possibly know. You will both have work ahead of you, but you won’t be guessing and you won’t be alone. Be prepared for some work, and then get stuck into it!