As a general rule, you will need to consider three major cost areas:
- The costs involved in submitting a visa application
- The costs involved in moving to Australia
- The costs of settling in Australia
Visa Application Costs-
The costs involved in submitting a Visa Application include most, though not necessarily all, of the following, in Australian Dollars:
| Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Visa Application Charge: | $ 3,670 (for Permanent Residence Visas) |
| Skills Assessment Application Fee | from $300 to $1,050 for most occupations |
| IELTS or PTE Test (if required) | $ as applicable |
| Medical Examination | as applicable |
| Police Clearance Certificate Fee: | on average $ 20 per person |
| Translations and Document Certification Charges | up to $ 500 |
Moving to Australia-
The costs involved in moving to Australia include most, though not necessarily all, of the following:
| Airfares | These will obviously depend on the country of origin and the number of people in your family |
| Entries to validate your visa | You will be required to validate your visa. This may mean that you have to visit Australia twice - once to validate the visa, and once to actually take up residence.
The initial entry for validation will normally be required
within 3 to 5 months after your visa has been granted. You can
remain in Australia when you make your first entry, or you can
depart Australia and take up residency at a later stage. |
Shipping costs
of household goods | The contents of a standard three-bedroom house should fit into a 20-foot container. The costs of packing, shipping and clearing the container in Australia vary
considerably from country to country and should be somewhere between $ 5000 and $10,000. |
Settling in Australia-
The cost of settling in Australia includes the cost of accommodation (rent, security bond, upfront rent payments etc), transport (purchase of a car), and household expenses (TV, fridge, furniture etc), plus the cost of looking after yourself and your family and maintaining a reasonable lifestyle. Obviously the costs will vary considerably from family to family, and if you are a single migrant or have family here, the costs could be a lot less. As a rough guide the minimum you should budget for for your first year in Australia is likely to be (in Australian Dollars):
| Single migrant | $ 15 - 20,000 |
| Couple | $ 20 - 30,000 |
| Family of 3 or 4 | $ 30 - 40,000 |
| Family of 4+ | $ 50,000 or more |
Cost of using a Migration Agent
If you decide to use a Migration Agent to guide and manage your Visa Application, you need to add to the above the cost of obtaining these professional services. The MARA web site has a page with an overview of what Migration Agents in Australia currently charge for managing applications for the various visa classes.
Cost of using AMES as your Migration Agent
The Consultancy Fee charged by AMES for its services is broadly in line with those set out on the MARA website and, as indicated there, our fee will vary depending on the type of visa involved.
When you request an AMES Eligibility Assessment ReportWe have made available a sample Eligibility Assessment Report for you to view, to get an idea of the quality of the service AMES provides. Click to view or Rightclick to download the Report. it will include a firm quote for the amount of our Consultancy Fee, which always includes the costs of photocopying, mail, telephone, fax and internet charges. As a general rule you will have the option of paying it in three instalments:
- one third when you sign the contract appointing us as your Migration Agent
- one-third when your Skills Assessment Application is ready to be lodged
- one-third when your Visa Application is complete and ready for lodgement with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
What we will do for you
As your Migration Agent we will -
- explain in detail what is involved in the Visa Application process
- assist you with your application for Skills Assessment, including advice on
- how to prepare all the supporting documentation, and
- how to complete the Application Form(s)
- lodge your application for Skills Assessment with the appropriate assessing authority
- monitor the progress of your Skills Assessment application through the relevant authorities
- lodge your application for State/Territory Sponsorship, if required and monitor its progress
- assist you with your Visa Application, including the Expression of Interest, and all relevant written submissions, application forms and associated documentation
- lodge your Visa Application with the Department of Immigration abd Citizenship.
- monitor the progress of your Visa Application through the Department.
We estimate that - as a general guide - the TOTAL COSTincluding the charges paid to DHA, the Skills Assessment Authority, IELTS etc etc of a Visa Application managed by AMES will be -
- AUD$ 6,000 to 8,000, if you apply under the Skilled Migration Program, and
- AUD$ 8,500 to 15,000, if you apply under the Business Migration Program.
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