Getting immigration help: registered migration agents and how to check them

Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA)Verified 22 Oct 2026Official pages checked daily

In Australia, immigration assistance, which means advising you about your own visa situation or preparing and lodging your application, can only be given by a registered migration agent, an Australian legal practitioner or a person exempt under the law. Only the first two can charge a fee. Before you use an agent, check their registration number (MARN) on the OMARA public register, and sign a written agreement before they start work. An education agent who is not registered cannot give immigration assistance. NewBee AU only summarises public information and does not give immigration advice.

Key facts

Who can give immigration assistance: In Australia, only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner with an Australian practising certificate, or an exempt person under the law can lawfully give immigration assistance.¹
Who is an exempt person: Your sponsor or nominator, a close family member, a member of parliament, diplomatic or consular staff, members of international organisations, and people helping you prepare a request to the Minister for Home Affairs. Exempt people cannot charge a fee.¹
Education agents: An education agent can help you choose a school or course, but is not an exempt person. It is illegal for an education agent who is not a registered migration agent or a lawyer to give immigration assistance.¹
Who can charge a fee: Only registered migration agents and lawyers can lawfully charge a fee for immigration assistance.⁵
What a registered migration agent must have: Qualifications in migration law and procedure, professional standards of knowledge and character, compliance with the Code of Conduct, and a listing on OMARA's Register of Migration Agents.¹
How to search the register: Search OMARA's Register of Migration Agents by location, name or MARN (migration agent registration number). Australian registered agents who practise overseas are also on the register.⁵
Checking disciplinary action: For serious misconduct, OMARA can caution an agent, suspend or cancel their registration, or bar them from re-registering for up to 5 years. Disciplinary decisions can be checked on the OMARA website.²
A written agreement is required: Before starting work, your agent must give you a written service agreement, and both of you must sign it. It must set out your personal details, the services to be provided, other costs (visa application charges, police certificates, health examinations, skills assessments and so on), when and how you pay, the expected timeframe, and a schedule of fees.³
Initial consultation: You do not need a signed agreement for an initial consultation. Some agents offer it free and some charge; if there is a fee, the agent must tell you in writing.²
Fees: There is no set price list. Fees depend on the visa type, the amount of work, how complex the case is and the agent's experience. Fees must be fair and reasonable, under the rules in the Code of Conduct.²
Legal basis of the Code of Conduct: The Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021, a federal regulation administered by the Department of Home Affairs, sets out an agent's duties to clients, including service agreements, fees and disbursements, invoices and receipts, refunds, keeping client records, and disclosing conflicts of interest.⁶
Consumer guide: When you sign the agreement, your agent must give you a copy of the Consumer guide, which is available in 38 community languages. It covers a summary of the Code of Conduct, what you can expect, what OMARA does and how to complain.³
No guarantees, no fast-tracking: Anyone who claims they can speed up your application or guarantee a visa is misleading you. Using an agent does not make Home Affairs process your application faster, and it does not guarantee a visa. You remain responsible for the truth of the information in your application; false information leads to refusal or cancellation of your visa.⁵
Conflicts of interest: If your agent has a conflict of interest, for example receiving a commission from an education provider they recommend, they must tell you immediately. If the conflict could affect their objectivity or confidentiality, they cannot continue to act for you.³
How to complain about a registered agent: First raise the problem with the agent directly. If that does not resolve it, complain to OMARA online and attach your agreement, receipts, and emails with the agent and Home Affairs. OMARA accepts all complaints about registered agents, but can act only if the agent has breached the agreement or the Code of Conduct. Complaining does not affect your visa application.⁴
What OMARA cannot do: OMARA cannot get you a visa, order an agent to refund money or pay compensation, influence visa processing, or provide legal aid. For a refund, go to the agent directly, or to the court or tribunal in your state or territory. If you are overseas, you can contact ICPEN.⁴
Reporting unregistered agents: Giving immigration assistance without registration is illegal. Report it online through Border Watch on the Home Affairs website. Complaints about lawyers go to the legal services regulator in your state or territory, not to OMARA.¹
Risks of using an unregistered agent: The OMARA website lists these risks: not knowing migration law, giving wrong advice, making false promises, exploiting your situation, mishandling your money (some people have lost large sums), not keeping records, losing your original documents, and not telling you the outcome of your visa. OMARA cannot deal with complaints about people who are not on the register.¹
Free help: Some registered agents work for non-profit organisations and give free help to people who are eligible, but it is not available to everyone. On the register, filter by Non-commercial organisation to find them.⁸
Checking your own visa conditions: Use VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) to check the conditions and expiry date of your current visa and to send the result to an employer, landlord or other organisation. Australian citizens cannot use VEVO to prove their status.⁷
Tell Home Affairs when you appoint an agent: When you appoint a registered agent, the agent completes Form 956 to notify Home Affairs, and you sign it. If you change agents, a new form is needed. The form can also authorise the agent to receive correspondence from Home Affairs on your behalf.⁵
Interpreting: If you do not speak English, call the Translating and Interpreting Service, TIS National, on 131 450.⁵

Who is this for, and what are the requirements?

You are planning to apply for an Australian visa and are thinking about using an agent or consultant.
You already use a migration agent and want to check whether they are registered, or want to complain.
Someone has promised you a guaranteed or fast-tracked visa and you want to know whether they are legitimate.
You want to check your own visa conditions and know where to find official information.

How do I do it? Steps and process

Start with Home Affairs for official information, and use VEVO for your own conditions
Visa requirements are set out on the Department of Home Affairs website. Check the conditions and expiry date of your current visa in VEVO; it is free. Anyone can show you public information or translate it for you; this does not count as immigration assistance.
Need advice about your own situation? Use a registered agent or a lawyer
If you want someone to assess your situation, advise you, or prepare or lodge your application, you need a registered migration agent or a lawyer with an Australian practising certificate. Education agents and employers who are not registered can only show you public information. Australian registered agents who practise overseas are also on the register, so whether the person is in Australia or in your home country, check the register first.
Check the OMARA register and disciplinary record
Search the Register of Migration Agents on the OMARA website by name, location or MARN, and check that the name and business match. Then check OMARA's disciplinary decisions. Even if someone recommends an agent to you, check for yourself. Lawyers are not on this register; check their practising certificate with the law society in their state or territory.
Ask about experience and language, agree the fees, then sign the agreement
Ask the agent which visa types they have handled, how they would approach your case, and how they assess your chances, and ask for the answer in writing. Before any work starts you must sign a written agreement that sets out the services, fees, other costs, and how and when you pay. Read it until you understand it and keep a copy. When you sign, the agent must give you the Consumer guide.
Have the agent lodge Form 956 with Home Affairs
Once you appoint an agent, the agent completes Form 956 and you sign it; only then will Home Affairs discuss your application with them. If you change agents, complete a new Form 956 and use Form 956A to change who receives your correspondence, or the old agent keeps receiving your letters.
Problems? Talk first, then complain or report
If you are unhappy with a registered agent, raise it with them first. If that fails, complete OMARA's online complaint form and attach your agreement, receipts and correspondence; complaining does not affect your visa application. For a refund, go to the agent or to the court or tribunal in your state or territory. If the person is not registered at all, report them through Border Watch on the Home Affairs website.

What should I watch out for?

Finding a name on the register is not enough. Check that the MARN, business name and contact details match, because some people use a registered agent's name without permission.
Before signing, ask whether the initial consultation is free or charged; if charged, the fee must be given to you in writing. Payment times and methods must be written in the agreement.
Your agent must keep your money in a separate account until the service is completed, and must tell you about any conflict of interest, such as referral fees or commissions.
OMARA cannot order a refund, so keep your agreement and receipts. Refund disputes go to the court or tribunal in your state or territory.
Reporting an unregistered agent or complaining about a registered agent does not affect your visa application.
Whoever helps you, you are responsible for the truth of the information in your application. False information leads to visa refusal or cancellation.
NewBee AU only summarises public information and does not give immigration advice. For questions about your own visa, ask the Department of Home Affairs, a registered migration agent or a lawyer. This page is not immigration or legal advice.

Common questions

How do I check that a migration agent in Australia is genuine?

Search the Register of Migration Agents on the OMARA website by name, location or MARN (migration agent registration number), and check that the name, business name and contact details match. Then check OMARA's disciplinary decisions. Australian registered agents who practise overseas are also on the register. Lawyers are not on it; check their practising certificate with the law society in their state or territory. Even if someone recommends an agent, check for yourself.

Does a migration agent have to be registered? Can a lawyer handle my visa?

Yes. In Australia only a registered migration agent, a lawyer with an Australian practising certificate, or an exempt person under the law can lawfully give immigration assistance, and only the first two can charge a fee. A lawyer can handle your visa but is not on the OMARA register; complaints about lawyers go to the legal services regulator in their state or territory. Exempt people, such as your sponsor, close family or a member of parliament, cannot charge.

Can my education agent help me with a work visa or PR?

Not unless they are registered. An education agent can help you choose a school or course, but is not an exempt person, and it is illegal for an education agent who is not a registered migration agent or a lawyer to give immigration assistance. For advice on your own situation or help preparing a work visa or PR application, use a registered migration agent or a lawyer, and check the OMARA register first.

What can happen if I use an unregistered agent for my visa?

The OMARA website lists the risks: they may not know migration law, give wrong advice, make false promises, exploit your situation, mishandle your money (some people have lost large sums), fail to keep records, lose your original documents, or not tell you the outcome of your visa. OMARA cannot deal with complaints about people who are not on the register. You remain responsible for the truth of your application; false information leads to refusal or cancellation. Report unregistered agents through Border Watch on the Home Affairs website.

Is there a standard fee for migration agents, and do I need a contract?

There is no set price list. Fees depend on the visa type, the amount of work, how complex the case is and the agent's experience, but they must be fair and reasonable under the Code of Conduct. Yes, you need a contract: before starting work, the agent must give you a written service agreement that both of you sign, setting out the services, other costs, when and how you pay, the expected timeframe and a schedule of fees. An initial consultation does not need a signed agreement, but any fee must be given in writing. When you sign, the agent must give you the Consumer guide.

How do I complain about my migration agent, and can I get my money back?

Raise the problem with the agent first. If that does not work, complain to OMARA online and attach your agreement, receipts and correspondence; complaining does not affect your visa application. OMARA cannot order a refund or compensation, so for your money back go to the agent directly, or to the court or tribunal in your state or territory. Keep your agreement and receipts. If you are overseas, you can contact ICPEN.

How do I check my own visa conditions and expiry date?

Use VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) on the Department of Home Affairs website. It is free and shows the conditions and expiry date of your current visa, and you can send the result to an employer, landlord or other organisation. Visa requirements are set out on the Home Affairs website. If you do not speak English, call TIS National on 131 450.

Is there any free immigration help?

Yes, but not for everyone. Some registered agents work for non-profit organisations and give free help to people who are eligible; on the OMARA register, filter by Non-commercial organisation to find them. Some agents also offer a free initial consultation; if there is a fee, they must tell you in writing. Anyone can show you public information or translate it, which does not count as immigration assistance.

Answers are based on the verified content of this page — the official source always prevails.

Where can I check the official information?

Getting help from someone who is not a registered migration agentOffice of the Migration Agents Registration Authority · mara.gov.au
Steps to choose a registered migration agent – Step by stepOffice of the Migration Agents Registration Authority · mara.gov.au
What your agent must doOffice of the Migration Agents Registration Authority · mara.gov.au
Before you make a complaintOffice of the Migration Agents Registration Authority · mara.gov.au
Using a registered migration agentDepartment of Home Affairs · immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021Federal Register of Legislation · legislation.gov.au
Check visa conditions online (VEVO)Department of Home Affairs · immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Types of registered agentsOffice of the Migration Agents Registration Authority · mara.gov.au

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