Biltongboer Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 Scammers offer ‘guaranteed’ Australian visasRead alert online.Added: October 2010SCAMwatch and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) are warning people who wish to visit or migrate to Australia to be cautious of people offering ‘guaranteed’ Australian visas.These scammers contact you out of the blue by post, email, or phone offering a visa in return for payments, personal details and identity documents. They may claim to be a ‘registered provider’ or ‘Australian visa application service’.Scammers may try to trick you into believing they are genuine by posing as staff from an Australian Government department, or by using websites which look like official Government sites.Other migration scammers operate illegal, unregistered migration agent and advisor services. In Australia migration agents must be registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority.Illegal operators often give incorrect advice, steal your money, encourage you to lie on your application and don’t deliver the services promised.Warning signs * You get an offer out of the blue for a ‘guaranteed’ Australian visa. * The offer comes via email, post, over the phone or on a website. * It claims to be a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’, or your ‘only’ chance to travel or migrate to Australia. * You are asked to pay the scammer upfront to ‘register’ your interest in getting a visa. The scammer asks you to pay them directly rather than paying the government department and claims that only they can pay the department’s fees. * The scammer claims to have a special relationship with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. * They tell you they need to keep your original documents.Remember * There is only one official Australian Government provider of visas - the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). DIAC’s official website is www.immi.gov.au. * DIAC charges a one-off fee at the time you lodge your visa application. You can pay the fee directly to the department and do not require an agent to pay this fee on your behalf. * No one can influence the outcome of a visa application or the visa decision making process. Only authorised officers from DIAC can issue you with a visa and only if you meet all the visa requirements. * DIAC does not have any special relationships with outside agencies and doesn’t give preferential treatment to anyone.Protect yourself * Be suspicious if you are contacted by phone, post or email about a visa you did not apply for. Hang up immediately or ignore the email/letter! The Government does not contact people out of the blue offering. * If you wish to use a migration agent, check that they are registered on the Migration Agents Registration Authority website. * Never give or send anyone your original identity documents. Government departments may wish to view your original documents in person or may ask for certified photocopies but should never ask to keep your original documents. * Never provide your personal, credit card or banking details in an email or over the phone—scammers will use your details to commit identity fraud or steal your money. * If you think you have provided your bank account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately. ReportYou can report a scam to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch or by calling 1300 795 995.You can report an unregistered immigration agent/advisor under “Unregistered Agent activities†on the DIAC Feedback form.More informationThe Department of Immigration and Citizenship provides further detailed information on how to Protect Yourself from Migration Fraud. They have also issued a media release on migration scams.Stay one step ahead of the scammers. Explore SCAMwatch for more tips on how to recognise and protect yourself from scams. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Venter Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 Very, Very good, information!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordy Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 Topic pinned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kita Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 It happened to a girl at our gym. She said she went online and the next day they phoned her (I thought this was strange as we all know the waiting game). Wanted all her details and her to deposit to them. I told her it doesnt sound right and shame she was so excited. Went on the site and read comments by pomsinoz (think thats right) and they were saying this website is a scam, some had been taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveStyles Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Thank you for this info!Are all the migrant agents on this website legit? Can we assume that all the agents on here are registered and for real? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAAZR Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Have a look at the website below:Do a search for the agent you want to find out about. It will show their status and when last they registered. You can check out Stephen Dickson for example. He's definitely legit so search for him on their database to see what its supposed to look like. https://www.mara.gov.au/A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggamonster Posted May 28, 2011 Report Share Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) Just want to add this link for future potential victims, so that no one will fall victim to these scammers AUSFIS!!! Edited May 28, 2011 by goggamonster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team44 Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi, if anybody is looking for an excellent recommendation you are welcome to mail me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emille Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 interestingly i met a department of immigration employee (who worked there for 9 years) and she reckons immigrants should not use agents - and said in many cases agents actually have a negative effect on applications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosch x 2 Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Using a Migration Agent was the best thing we ever did - I will gladly pay their fees again and I've recommended them to our families and friends! I can't understand how the use of a migration agent will effect your application negatively? All the big companies who sponsor employees (i.e. Woodside, BHP & Rio) make use of migration agents - they don't tell the people to go and sort it out themselves... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Yea, our app was done through an agent by the work, they followed up with me and explained what they needed till they had all the paperwork, then kept feeding me progress reports until it was done and we got the visa's in the mailMy 2cWith the drama i see some peeps going through i would seriously recommend using an agent, we were through an agent in Auz, that may have also helped as they were local and had the accent when following up 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denzil Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 interestingly i met a department of immigration employee (who worked there for 9 years) and she reckons immigrants should not use agents - and said in many cases agents actually have a negative effect on applicationsI heard the same thing nd if I knew about this forum two years ago, i might have been able to help others not to fall in the sme pit I had.But that was a good lesson learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD_MOA Posted April 11, 2012 Report Share Posted April 11, 2012 Hello All,I attend regular seminars presented by DIAC and have chatted with a number of DIAC officials over the years. In all instances the DIAC feedback regarding Registered Agents has been positive.Ofcourse like in any profession there are good and bad operators and the trick can be finding this out before you sign up. At the very least I would recommend using a MARA registered agent as you will then have an avenue of complaint if it is needed.Regards 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted April 11, 2012 Report Share Posted April 11, 2012 Believe it or not, some of us in the migration agent profession actually work with the best interests of our clients at heart. I always feel disappointed and saddened to hear about clients who have had a difficult experience with a migration agent. It does seem unfair that people dealing with such a huge life change and the adjustment of moving to a new country, must also doubt the services of their migration agent and experience this type of insecurity as well. The most important thing you can do is make sure you do your checks before signing an agreement and ensure you are receiving advice from a migration agent who is registered with the OMARA and accountable for their actions. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintwest Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Good day to you all.Looking to use ixp visas as my agent. Anyone have any dealings with ixp or any suggestions? My family and I would realy appreciate any help.Many thanxClint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacovl Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Good day to you all.Looking to use ixp visas as my agent. Anyone have any dealings with ixp or any suggestions? My family and I would realy appreciate any help.Many thanxClintWelcome to the forum! Stay far away from IXP! Please!Rather consider one of the agents recommended on this forum I.e. migrate2oz, Ajay or Stephen Dickson. Also ensure the agent is Mara registered. Suggest you first read the various threads on migration agents before making your decision. Wish you all the best with your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalahariHarry Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Good day to you all.Looking to use ixp visas as my agent. Anyone have any dealings with ixp or any suggestions?My family and I would realy appreciate any help.Many thanxClintRun Clint, RUN!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marioholl Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Good day. we would like an agent or someone to help us. we want to go over but don't know where to start. please help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordy Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Good day. we would like an agent or someone to help us. we want to go over but don't know where to start. please helpHave you read this?http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php/topic/9251-the-100-step-process-to-immigrating-to-australia-from-south-africa/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaL Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 MariohollWelcome to the forum.Jordy has given you a great link to starting the process. It can seem overwhelming, but if you break it up into steps it is very doable.I would suggest you visit the DIBP site too and look at the 189 Skilled Independent visa, see if you satisfy the points requirements, check if your occupation is on the Skilled Occupation List, if not check the Consolidated SOL and look at the visa types associated with that.http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/189.aspxDecide if you wish to use an agent or not, ensure that they are MARA registered if you do.............perhaps even consider an initial assessment with an agent to look at your various options................and ask as many questions as you need to on this site, there will always be someone at the same stage of the journey as you.Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRadyn Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 About the whole IXP, formerly Global, Visas thing - we used them and we received our Skilled PR visas in April. Can't really complain about them except for the fact that they made us fill in the same forms 4 times as they sent the outdated ones... that xxxx me off as I felt we paid them a truckload of money and if they made a mistake they should fill the form out themselves as they had all our details. All and all we had 3 different agents at IXP and finally ended up with a manager handling our case, but we got our visa so no heavy complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trace Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 We used IXP (formerly Global Visas) & have just gotten our visa issued at the start of this year. We took a very long time to get the visa (dragging our feet since we weren't in a hurry), so we had initially signed up with the company when they were called Global Visas. We had done the calculation for points for a visa & knew we were eligible but just took ages to do our paperwork, so eventually signed up with Global Visas to do it. It was quite a shock when we saw the Carte Blanche episode about Global Visas. From the episode, the scam involved calling up & getting people who weren't eligible for a visa to believe they would be and pay the signup fee. They had hard targets to meet, by signing up as many people a day as possible. We weren't affected since we already knew we were eligible.At that stage I was extremely worried & did extensive searching on the immigration website & on eligible 3rd party companies. I saw how well presented & clear the required documentation an the process of a visa application had been laid out on http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/189.aspx and realised that it would have been better to do it ourselves. Global Visas / IXP had been okay, although high turn over of staff (assigned agent) and often got the visa mixed up that we were applying for. Towards the end of submitting I got slightly more nervous using them, knowing their levels of competence vs knowing how easy & clear the process was. Had we submitted it ourselves, we would have gotten an online login & would have been able to track our progress. This wasn't possible with IXP & we had to blindly trust in them. Apart from a few small incompetencies on their part, namely: (and not serious incompetences)- high turnover of staff / assigned agent- getting the visa type wrong on numerous occasions- asking for outdated forms to be filled inthey were okay & got our visa through. So they are legit. In hindsight, I would have done the application myself. Since we knew we had more than enough points to get in & it was a matter of getting the clearly specified list of documents together, there is not much value that they added & actually created stress that they might mess up the application. They might have been a bit helpful with guiding us with types of documents to submit to prove our partnership.It's a bit of reading & a bit daunting at first, but the required process is well presented on the http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/Find-a-visa.aspx page. It can all be submitted online, so if your application is a straight forward one & you have the points I would recommend to do it oneself. We applied for a 189 skilled independent, with partnership. Good luck Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llewellynh Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hi sorry if someone posted this before, I have seen countless Migrant agents. My wife and I have finally gotten to the point where we want to get started with our move. Is there a list somewhere of good and bad migrant agents. I saw a new one now and they look legit. http://www.nwivisas.com/Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soon2BOz Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hi LlewellynhWe used Stephen Dickson from Migration Outcomes. He was brilliant!Other people have recommended him as well.Good luck with the process. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hey,You probably want to head off to the MARA website. That's the government body which regulates migration agents.mara.gov.auYou can watch a video on whether you need an agent or not. You can see a list if properly licensed agents, etc.. If you have a dispute with a licensed agent, you can contact the MARA and they will try to help you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.