Work Visa Approved
Agape helped me achieve the impossible. Retail buyer is a targeted occupation with very low chance of success. I understand that DIBP usually refuses small businesses which provides services related to mobile phones. However, AGAPE fought a hard battle and won. I have my visa now and on the way to getting PR. Shortly after arriving from China, we lodged an application for work visa (457). But without warning, DIBP changed their processing time and it became very long to get decision. To make things worse, suddenly, in April 2017 the Australian government changed the law with a few days’ notice. They removed the occupation “Retail Buyer”. DIBP offered to refund my money if I withdraw my application as they will refuse my application if I do not withdraw. I am so grateful my team of lawyers spent late nights accompanying me to explain and keep me calm. They help me find many solutions for me and eventually we rushed to lodge my PR application to avoid the changes of law for PR (removal of Skills Assessment and English language exemption). I wanted to get refund from DIBP for 457 and I was very worried. I felt very unfair I spent so much money coming to Australia and DIBP delay processing case and then change the law so I suffer. But my lawyer told me to be strong and do not refund cause he will fight the case for me even though my occupation is not on the list anymore. Lucky my lawyer understands other area of laws and he is brave. I listen to him and now I have my work visa approved. I cannot believe how I used to dislike my lawyers because they ask so many documents and go back and forth with the documents is a painful process. This is because I was not exposed and I did not understand Australian immigration law process. If anyone tells you it is a stress-free process, I think they are not telling you everything. Now I understand how difficult it is to be an immigration lawyer and I pity them. No wonder there is so little Australian immigration lawyer in this world. They get blamed for everything, even though it is not their fault. If DIBP change the law, they will be blamed and get scolded. They have to waste a lot of time trying to explain and keep their clients calm. There is a lot of work involved and when they ask us for money, we naturally feel that the lawyers think we are ATM machine. But after I see for myself so much work involved and how late they work every day. I understand that the lawyers are not bad people. It is good that lawyers in Australia are monitored by authority, so they always follow the law which includes act in the Clients’ best interest. I learn to be more patient with my lawyers now and trust them. I recommend Agape to help you but they are usually very busy and choose their clients. My advice, after my experience, if you cannot get Agape, then I suggest that you choose immigration lawyers that will fight your case like it is their own personal problem. Do not try to be stingy and pay less. In my case, Agape had at least 3 lawyers on my case at all times. They do so much more extra steps like do human error check, do legal check and then final check where the senior lawyer pretend to be case officer and try to attack the case to see where it will fail. This helped me to refine my submission to make my case stronger. I believe, what you pay, is what you get.