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Migration Agents
What is a Migration
Agent?
Will my application be processed
sooner if I use an agent?
Can an agent influence the outcome
of my application?
Can agents help with asylum matters?
How do I find a migration agent?
What if I am unable to afford
a migration agent?
What is a Migration Agent?
A migration agent is anyone who uses knowledge of
migration procedures to offer advice or
assistance to a person wishing to obtain a visa to enter or remain
in Australia, or to those wishing
to propose or sponsor someone for a visa.
All migration agents in Australia must be registered with the Migration
Agents Registration Authority (MARA).
This means that all Australian migration agents are obligated to
provide a professional service and
abide by the Code
of Conduct.
Do not use an unregistered agent.
Will my application be processed sooner if
I use an agent?
No, your application will not receive priority processing. However,
using a migration agent can help ensure your application is lodged
with all the information needed to process it quickly and this will
ensure that the decision on your application is not delayed by requests
for further information.
Can an agent influence the outcome of my application?
No. A migration agent cannot influence the outcome of your application.
Any migration agent that tells you that they can influence the
outcome is breaching the Code of Conduct and you should complain
to the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) by either
writing to them or using its complaint
form.
The decision on your application will depend whether all of the
relevant documentation and
information has been provided within the set time limits, and on
your application meeting the
criteria for the visa applied for.
Can agents help with asylum matters?
Yes. A migration agent can assist with any visa or migration matter.
How do I find a migration agent?
You can find the contact details of a registered migration agent
by using:
• The list of registered migration agents on the MARA
website
• The list of migration agents who are members of the Migration
Institute of Australia which can be found on the MIA website
• The Yellow Pages under the heading Migration
What if I am unable to afford a migration agent?
Some visa applicants may be able to get immigration advice and help
in lodging a visa application free
of charge through the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance
Scheme (IAAAS), including at the merits review stage.
IAAAS services are not, however, provided where an applicant appeals
to the Federal Court or where
an applicant seeks the Minister's intervention under section 417
of the Migration Act 1958.
Eligibility is subject, primarily, to an assessment of the applicant’s
ability to pay.
If you are assessed as being able to pay for advice you may be asked
to seek immigration advice from
a fee paying migration agent.
However, if
• you are of non-English speaking background and have great
difficulty with English,
• live in a remote location,
• have suffered physical or psychological disability or harm
from torture, trauma or domestic violence,
you may also be able to get financial help under the IAAAS program.
IAAAS assistance and advice is funded by the Commonwealth at no
cost to the applicant, and is
delivered by 21 service providers throughout Australia. To learn
more about the IAAAS click
here.
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