The Department of Immigration and Border Patrol has stated that any individual wishing to travel to Australia is not required to consult with an immigration lawyer in Sydney to assist them in their visa application. It is perfectly acceptable if you wish to lodge your visa application on your own, however, consulting with an immigration lawyer in Sydney comes very highly recommended due mostly to the fact that doing so decreases the risk of warranting a refusal decision on the grounds that errors in completing the application were made.
The Right Time
So when is the right time to consult with an immigration lawyer in Sydney? Ideally, the best time to consult with an immigration lawyer in Sydney is before you start the application process. Why? Because knowing which visa subclass/visa stream to lodge your application under is critical to the whole process.
An immigration lawyer in Sydney is the best person to help you determine which visa stream/subclass you should lodge your application under. This is because they can expertly assess your situation and your skills and can therefore make informed and accurate advice pertaining to your visa application. Additionally, once they’ve determined which visa stream you are best suited for, they can help structure and assess your visa application for to make sure that each required piece of information is correctly provided and filled out.
Once your visa application form has been properly assessed, structured and prepped, you should start the process of procuring the supporting documentation required to validate the information you have provided on your application form. Please remember that this step in the process is not the responsibility of your immigration lawyer in Sydney, however, most immigration lawyers and migration agents assist in making sure that the process is started prior to lodging your application.
The Right Way
Because the number of fraudulent visa scams are rising, it is important that you know how and where to find a registered immigration lawyer in Sydney. Work only with an immigration lawyer in Sydney who is registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. If you are approached by either a migration agent or immigration lawyer with their services or before you proceed to consult with one, check their Migration Agent Registration Number against the MARA website to make sure they are legitimately registered with the agency.