Migration agent fees and charges

Migration agent fees and charges – part 2

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Azhar

You might have read our recent post on how much a migration agent should cost. This is the second part to our series and focuses on when you should pay your agent.

When should you pay your agent?

Some agents may ask you to pay in advance of services being provided, while others will charge when their services are complete.

If your agent asks you to pay in advance or takes money before completing all their services to you, your payment must go into the agent’s ‘clients’ account.’ This must be separate from their business operating accounts or personal bank accounts.  The only time an agent can use money from this account is when:

1. They need to pay disbursements on your behalf such as your visa application charge
   
2. They need to be reimbursed for disbursements they have paid on your behalf with their own money
3. They receive their professional fees once they have completed a certain amount of work.

If a visa application has several parts, for example under the Employer Nominated Scheme or a visa with a skills assessment component, your agent may expect payment on completion of each component rather than at the end when all work for the entire visa application is complete.
Before an agent can take money out of the clients’ account to pay their professional fees, they should give you a written ‘Statement of Services.’  This must show:

• the work your agent has done for you so far
• how much your agent has charged for that completed work and whether it is charged by service or by the hour.

The Statement of Services should only list work already performed rather than to be performed.  It should not include any services that are not listed in your Agreement for Services and Fees.

If an agent requires payment upon completion of work, you will pay for their professional fees in one payment when all services have been delivered.
Whether an agent decides to charge you up-front or after completing services, they must issue an invoice for their professional fees and for each disbursement.  After you pay each invoice, they must provide you with a receipt for each amount paid.

What if an agent changes their fees?

Your agent must inform you as soon as they become aware of any change to the fees they will charge you, for example extra work your agent did not know about when they agreed to work for you. They must inform you in writing about the extra cost and the total likely cost as a result of the change in fees.
Your agent cannot do work for you in a way that increases the cost of the work, for example by seeking advice from specialists when it’s not needed.
You can find a table of average fees charged by registered migration agents for common visa types on the Authority’s website. See Agent fees

Information on agent fees is also provided in the following languages:


For further information please Visit our website or visit our facebook page.

Posted in 457 visa, Temporary Migration

Working while on your Student visa

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Azhar

The work conditions offered as part of a student visa provide

an opportunity for international students to gain cultural experience during their stay in Australia, and can also help them improve their English language skills. However it is important to recognise that international students should not rely on work in Australia to pay for the costs of their studies and living expenses.

  Most international students are restricted to a maximum of 40 hours work per fortnight while their course is in session and may only work unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. These conditions protect students from the pressures of excessive work commitments which might mean that they are unable to finish their course successfully.
The below examples illustrate how work conditions on a student visa operate:

1. Sally arrives in Australia three weeks before her Certificate III in Hospitality starts. Within one week, she finds a job as waitress. She begins working two-weeks after her arrival. Sally is in breach of her work conditions as she is working before her course has commenced.
2. Abu came to Australia with his wife Jane on a Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) visa.
   
   Jane is studying a bachelor degree at university. Abu decides to take on a full time job with a local accounting firm. He is in breach of his visa conditions. This is because Subclass 573 dependants are not allowed to work more than 40 hours a fortnight unless the student is studying a masters or doctorate degree .
3. Fatima is studying commercial cookery in Australia on a Vocational Education and Training sector (subclass 572) visa and is offered some work experience during the holidays. She works 75 hours a fortnight. Fatima is not breaching her work conditions as she is allowed to work unlimited hours while her course is not in session.
   
4. Sajeed is working while studying in Australia on a Vocational Education and Training (subclass 572) visa. His roster for the next month looks like this:

Week one	Week two	Week three	Week four
30 hours	10 hours	35 hours	5 hours

Sajeed is in breach of his visa conditions. This is because he will work more than 40 hours in week two and week three (he will work 45 hours). Sajeed should discuss this with his employer and ask to have his roster updated. For more information on the 40 hour a fortnight work condition, please visit our website.

5. Ellen is studying her PhD. She is also tutoring at the university for about 50 hours a fortnight. Ellen is not breaching her student visa conditions. This is because the Postgraduate Research Sector visa (subclass 574)
   
   does not have a restriction on the number of hours a student can work. Ellen will still have to be careful to ensure she is achieving satisfactory progress on her PhD.

For more information on your rights at work, please see this blog post. For more information on visa conditions please visit our website.

You’re invited to celebrate Australian Citizenship Day

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Azhar

Australian Citizenship Day is celebrated annually on 17 September. It is an opportunity for all of us to take pride in our citizenship and reflect on what it means to be Australian.
The Australian citizenship affirmation allows all community members to participate in a formal declaration of pride in being an Australian citizen. The affirmation is based on the pledge of commitment made by new citizens at their Australian citizenship ceremony,

and it was introduced to provide Australian-born citizens with a similar opportunity.
Read more about Australian Citizenship Day and the Australian citizenship affirmation.

Posted in Citizenship