Does it mean i have to submit to ACS first to get my work experience accessed before i am able to get the points under the category of [Skilled employment in the last 10 years – outside Australia] and submit an EOI? By the way, why will the work experience get discounted? For instance, if i have worked in Malaysia for about 3.5 years, i might not have a chance to get the 5 points?

go with agent, if qualify and they take your application guarantee dapat or money back (unless you fail health check)

want to save money, you screw up bye bye migration... I got fren kena, cause say easy onl,y save money, no need agent... regret also too late already.

those that guarantee ones (no visa, no fees) will only take your case if they are confidence you will get it as they are experience registered migration agency and got lawyers....
but you can say you know better cause you can read, ask forums and google, and you save a lot of money. there are also unregistered agents/runners and their cost will be lower.

Agents know loopholes they can exploit, you dont. They know which skill and subclass to park you under, what path, how to get extra points, etc.

As I mention before, I know people who think its pretty straight forward and screw up their process and got rejected.
Price of migration agents have gone up significantly or RM gone down significantly so that are a lot of savings if you are confident you can do it yourself.
This guy wrote some things to watch out for....
https://kclau.com/blogging/migrate-to-austr...comment-page-1/

Iianm, they don't blacklist you unless you have made a false declaration in the past....

That is why if your realise your eoi is incorrect and they invite you, it best to let the invite lapse and resubmit the eoi, than attempt to claim points without proof....

But this is common sense lah....

Didn't know got NZ backdoor....kiwi pr no right to stay in Oz....

agents in msia will need to liaised with ozzie agents as well to make things work ...you dont have to trust me , just go there and ask for yourself ..

I think your exchange experience might be a little less relevant considering it wasn’t for long term and let’s face it, students have zero standards when it comes to groceries. When I was a student yeah, 120 dollars could buy food for 4 people I wouldn’t eat these days. Those were the days I could digest anything and would eat tuna sandwiches 3 times a day.

120 a week is for 1 person. Me. Not trying to overspend, just the usual at woolies. For 3 standard meals a day.

I think it’s easy for you to say because you were there as a student and not as a working adult. When you have to pucker your butthole up so Johnny ATO can come take his 47 percent for your paycheque, and then have the local council, state gov and so on have their turn with you, then we’ll talk 

You find Melbourne ok because your expectation are consequently low. I try to keep mine at the same level as it was in Malaysia. Eg; I drove in Malaysia, I drive in Australia. I fueled 97 in Malaysia, I fuel 98 here. Only then can you consequently get an apples to apples comparison. I didn’t fly so far to lower my standards of living.

Thus my formula of 1:1 (you can stretch to a ratio of 1.4 depending on area) goes if you have a 15k ringgit a month job in KL and aren’t earning 15k aud a month within an acceptable amount of time. Migrating seems to be a waste of time and effort if you’re looking for an overall wealthier lifestyle.

TL;DR : You need to be more realistic and factor in the real costs of living versus a standardised expectations for quality of living. Coming here for exchange is nothing compared to me having to send Melbourne city council a cheque for 2.5 grand every year so they can help those African kids instead of having Vicpol shoot them