The short answer. In AgentDS, every visa application sits on the client's profile with its own service stage, recorded deadlines, private notes, tasks and document checklist. One client can hold several applications over the years without a duplicate record, and the owner's daily brief lists any application with no activity for 14 days.
What it does today
- Applications on the client. Add each application to the client record with its subclass, and details such as the stream, TRN, HAP ID, lodgement date and Home Affairs status where they apply. A partner, employer-sponsored or student matter can carry several applications on the same client, and a sponsor can sit on the matter.
- Service stages, set by your own workflows. Each service your agency offers has a workflow: ordered stages, with default tasks and required documents. Starter workflows are editable starting points; the visa application one runs from consultation, contract and initial payment, through checklist shared, documents requested, preparation and ready to lodge, to lodged, decision received and closed. Read more about application stages in our glossary.
- Recorded deadlines and private notes. Record the dates that matter to the application and keep private notes on it. Deadline reminder emails go to the owner and the responsible person at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before a recorded application date, and when it falls due.
- Reusable task and checklist templates. Build your own templates for the matters you handle often. Assign one to an application, review the dates, and the tasks and document checklist are created for that matter.
- Suggested next steps by stage. When an application reaches a stage, AgentDS can suggest the usual next task, such as following up outstanding documents or arranging practitioner review before lodgement. Your team reviews each suggestion before it is created.
- Client messages as stages change. Prepare a message for the client when a stage changes and send it from AgentDS. AgentDS keeps a history of what changed, with every email carrying an unsubscribe link.
- Access by assignment. Staff roles and case assignments decide who sees private case work, so practitioners see the matters assigned to them.
How a practice uses it
- Open the matter at engagement. Once the service agreement is signed, add the application, record the subclass and set the stage to contract.
- Assign your template. Pick the template for that visa, review the dates it proposes and assign it. The checklist and tasks appear on the application.
- Work from the dashboard. The dashboard shows applications by stage alongside overdue work, and each figure opens the records behind it.
- Record lodgement. At lodgement, record the date and TRN, move the stage to lodged and prepare the client's lodgement message.
- Watch for quiet files. The owner's daily brief lists applications with no activity for 14 days, so a matter waiting on a client or the Department doesn't drift.
Workflow guides for common matters
Our practice guides set out stages, documents and dates for three common matter types, with the AgentDS set-up for each:
- Partner visa workflow for migration agents: subclass 820/801 and 309/100 matters from enquiry to decision.
- Employer sponsored visa workflow: sponsorship, nomination and visa applications for Skills in Demand 482 and 186 matters.
- Student visa workflow for agencies: course and subclass 500 visa work side by side.
Expiry dates recorded on the client sit next to each application; see visa expiry tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Can one client have more than one application?
Yes. A client can hold several applications at once or over the years, such as a nomination and a visa application, or a temporary visa followed by a permanent one, all on the same client record.
Can I use my own stage names?
Yes. Each service your agency offers has a workflow with your own ordered stages, default tasks and required documents. Starter workflows, such as a visa application running from consultation to decision, are editable starting points.
Who sees an application's private notes?
Staff who can see that application. Staff roles and case assignments control access, and practitioners see private case work when it is assigned to them.
Can I import applications from my old system?
Yes. Applications import with their stage, subclass, TRN, lodgement date and other matter details where your export has them, linked to the right client. You match fields and review everything before it is saved.