Me and the wife do the marriage extension as nothing really an agent can do for you, they just charge a lot for photocopies and for joining you at immigration. Unlike retirement extension both you and wife must be present so they cannot circumvent immigration visit or funds. I also want to do the process legitimately. TM30 and 90-day reporting also done online by us when available.

Because it’s easy and I like retirement visa agents can’t do anything for you other than protists and drive you there. The immigration process is easy when you prepare which take a few hours.

I do my immigration (visa applications and visa extensions and TM30s) business myself.  It saves a small amount of money by doing this myself,  but for me that is not the main reason.  Basically I don't like passing my passport and documents to someone else to do on my behalf unless I have no other alternative.  Maybe I am too much of a 'control' person ??

 

I do have friends thou (on in their late 70s, and the other in their early 80s), who both legitimately use an agent for their immigration business.  In essence, they sign a document giving the agent 'power of attorney' to act on their behalf for the immigration process.  They easily meet all the financial and administrative requirements, but waiting around in immigration office is too tiring for them, and their financial situation is such that they do not mind paying an agent if it makes things easier for them.  They claim an agent makes the process much easier for them.  But that is not for me (at least not yet - maybe in 10 more years if I should live that long, I might then use an agent).

 

Each to their own is my view.