visafirst.com - any info or expierences ?

daftdave

hi all, we are planning on heading to oz in january on a 12 month whv, we were looking at the site below, they organise a visa package for you , sim card bank account and other bits and pieces, does anyone have any information on these guys, are they reputable, they look pretty ok to me , or would you reccomend using somebody else,

there are 3 of us going out there,

any info would be appreciated.

http://www.visafirst.com

hussey

NO NO NO
don't use these ... you are actually quicker using the australian website
http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/apply-online.htm

anything they offer you is either free or next to free (sim card can be picked up for $2) tax file number can be applied for in oz and takes a few days to arrive, bank account is free etc etc

Don't bother at all .... use the link and save your self a decent bit of cash

daftdave

oh, would there be much of a difference in what they would charge and what it would cost to do it all myself ??

thanks for the info

jamesozzie

Dont go with Visa first would be my reccomendation, I did and regret it. And the poster above is correct, anything they offer you can obtain yourself for free or a small price. I was silly and paid for a "visa extension" programme which is a load of bs!! You still need to find sponsorship yourself and to this day I dont know what I paid that extra money

Ozeire

Yeah agree with hussey don't bother using them for a WHV

go to http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/index.htm

Unlock your own mobile in Irreland and you can buy a sim card when you get there .

As for bank accounts check here . Have links to opening accounts

When you get all sorted drop by the site ozeire.com and let us know how your going . We're always on the lookout for people in Oz to give us the real day to day picture of things

Hope this helps

watna

As the posters have said above and have been said before on this forum it ic much much cheaper to do it yourself and not much hassle.

e.g. (and i know this is not Aus but it is similar there) I got my NZ WHV online for e65. It took 3 days to be approved. I printed the visa out and showed them when I arrived. I walked in to a ANZ branch when I got here and opened an account on the spot (and got an ATM card straight away) Then I went to a phone shop and bought a phone. Absolutely no hassle to it.

daftdave

ok thanks for the info lads, roll on christmas and i get outta ireland for a year !!

daftdave

just applied online there a few mins ago, that australian government website is a rean pain, timing out while data is being sent and it also timed out while the visa transaction went through and also when i was setting my password, i was using firefox browser just in case anyone else wants to try another just in case, i had to call AIB to make sure i wasnt paying for the WHV twice !

ChewChew

daftdave wrote: »

ok thanks for the info lads, roll on christmas and i get outta ireland for a year !!

Lucky you! I've to wait till April. But I'm going to New Zealand for a year

watna

ChewChew wrote: »

Lucky you! I've to wait till April. But I'm going to New Zealand for a year

I went in April this year. I remember by the time it got to last November I was counting down the days til I left. I had a ticker in my sig and everything.

It's funny because the time since I've been here has flown.

I did it last year and I promise April will come quickly!

ChewChew

awe yeah Watna, I know its going to fly by but I'd really love to be doing it in january. just the excitement is cruel. lol. Are you staying on in April?

daftdave

the visas came through within 24hrs, pretty cool indeed, we had planned on going to thailand for new yrs but with the crap going on there we are thinking of going straight to sydney , that was until i started looking up places to stay, the prices are astronomical around new years, and lots of places are booked up already, anybody got any idea's or suggestions on what we might do or where we might stay, we are open to all suggestions, and reccommendations on places to stay or anything like that ???? - the eventual plan is to buy a jeep or campervan and do a bit of driving for a month or so

hussey

daftdave wrote: »

the visas came through within 24hrs, pretty cool indeed, we had planned on going to thailand for new yrs but with the crap going on there we are thinking of going straight to sydney , that was until i started looking up places to stay, the prices are astronomical around new years, and lots of places are booked up already, anybody got any idea's or suggestions on what we might do or where we might stay, we are open to all suggestions, and reccommendations on places to stay or anything like that ???? - the eventual plan is to buy a jeep or campervan and do a bit of driving for a month or so

yes the week around sydney would be sky high and start to get booked out in May! Better off heading somewhere else in asia - actually thailand will *hopefully* be fine by then.

or if you want Aus, try Melbourne, Perth - East coast etc

daftdave

just an off thought that popped into my head, what would new zealand be like for new yrs, say 3 or 4 days , i presume they celebrate it like the rest of us, i can honestly say i know nothing about new zealand , would their main cities be as popular as say sydney for new yrs ????


would it be worth going there for new yrs, if we are gonna go that far we need to make it worthwile !!!!

watna

ChewChew wrote: »

awe yeah Watna, I know its going to fly by but I'd really love to be doing it in january. just the excitement is cruel. lol. Are you staying on in April?

Yup, partner is a kiwi so I'll be here for another couple of years.

Today I went shopping for a Christmas tree and decorations wearing sunglasses, shorts and a vest top. It is about 25C. It was the strangest experience ever. You have that to look forward to next Christmas. Not long til you leave now!

@daft dave. This is my first year in NZ so I'm not sure what new years is like. It seems to me that everyone I know is going away camping or staying in a bach near a beach for new years. I'm worried now the cities will be deserted too. My parents are over so I'm thinking we should go somewhere holiday-ish instead of a city for new year. Hopefully someone else will have some experience of this!

daftdave

watna wrote: »

Yup, partner is a kiwi so I'll be here for another couple of years.

Today I went shopping for a Christmas tree and decorations wearing sunglasses, shorts and a vest top. It is about 25C. It was the strangest experience ever. You have that to look forward to next Christmas. Not long til you leave now!

@daft dave. This is my first year in NZ so I'm not sure what new years is like. It seems to me that everyone I know is going away camping or staying in a bach near a beach for new years. I'm worried now the cities will be deserted too. My parents are over so I'm thinking we should go somewhere holiday-ish instead of a city for new year. Hopefully someone else will have some experience of this!

anybody else have any NZ new year expierence - im determened to get away for the new year - ive has 29 of em in ireland, actually 28 - i spent last new yr in st james' park newcastle, my other half wants to hang round for new yrs this yr, i cant wait to get going

ali-d1936

sorry to bring up a old post, but its better than start a new one right i was just about to apply using Visafirst a friend of mine applied 2 weeks ago throught them on a friday and got her visa on the following wednesday, anyone recommend visafirst? or am i still better go to
http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/
Thanks
i relaise all the posts above suggest the above site but they are all 4 years old
:rolleyes:

hussey

ali-d1936 wrote: »

sorry to bring up a old post, but its better than start a new one right i was just about to apply using Visafirst a friend of mine applied 2 weeks ago throught them on a friday and got her visa on the following wednesday, anyone recommend visafirst? or am i still better go to
http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/
Thanks
i relaise all the posts above suggest the above site but they are all 4 years old
:rolleyes:

Visa first do exactly what the Oz website does, even ask the same questions and are usually slower (oz website 24-72hrs), so no point at all, anything they offer can be done yourself, bank accounts can ,be opened from ireland, SIM cards are $2, Tax number can be done in Oz and takes 1 week (usually no one goes straight to work)

ali-d1936

cheers, just i herd the Oz site is non refundable upon unsuccessful application, i cant find anywhere on the visafirst site where it says that, but i assume its the same? or is it? and whats the chances of a unsuccessful application? iv no criminal record or that.

hussey

ali-d1936 wrote: »

cheers, just i herd the Oz site is non refundable upon unsuccessful application, i cant find anywhere on the visafirst site where it says that, but i assume its the same? or is it? and whats the chances of a unsuccessful application? iv no criminal record or that.

Yeah visafirst would be the same ... but if you apply and are eligible (i.e. irish and no criminal record) then you should get the visa.