How to Choose a Registered Migration Agent: A Checklist That Protects You

Start with the register, not the reviews

If you are looking for the service itself rather than the checklist, our migration agent Brisbane page sets out who we are, what we are registered to do, and how to verify it independently.

Anyone choosing a migration agent is really asking a different question: how do I avoid a bad one? The answer starts in a place most people never look — the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) register at mara.gov.au.

In Australia it is a criminal offence under section 280 of the Migration Act 1958 for an unregistered person to give immigration assistance for a fee, unless they are an Australian legal practitioner or fall within a narrow set of exemptions. Every registered agent has a Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN) you can check in seconds. If a person offering visa help for money will not give you a MARN — or the MARN they give is not on the register — stop there.

The five-minute verification

1. Ask for the agent's full name and MARN
2. Search the register at mara.gov.au — it shows registration status, how long they have been registered, and any disciplinary decisions
3. Check the name on the register matches the person you are actually dealing with — not just a name on the website
4. If they claim to be a lawyer instead, verify a current practising certificate with the state law society
5. Keep a copy of what you checked and when

Warning signs the register cannot show you

• "Guaranteed approval" or "100% success rate." No registered agent or lawyer can guarantee an outcome — the decision belongs to the Department of Home Affairs. A guarantee is not confidence; it is a compliance breach or a lie, and either should end the conversation
• "We know people at the Department." There is no inside track. Claiming one is a mark of an operator, not an agent
• No written agreement. The Code of Conduct requires a written agreement covering services and fees before work begins. An agent who starts work on a handshake is already breaching the code
• Pressure to sign today. Visa criteria do not expire overnight; discounts that vanish by Friday are a sales tactic, not migration advice
• Vague fees. Government charges and professional fees must be shown separately. If you cannot tell which is which, ask elsewhere
• Someone else lodges "as you." Being told to say the application was self-lodged, while an unregistered person prepares it offshore, removes every protection the register gives you

What a good agent actually does

A registered agent cannot change the criteria you must meet — and will say so plainly. What they control is preparation:

• Confirming you are applying for the right subclass before money is spent on the wrong one
• Testing the weak points of your case against the legislation before lodgement, when problems can still be fixed
• Evidence that addresses what the Regulations actually require, not what a template says
• Responding properly when the Department raises concerns — a section 56 request for information or a section 57 natural-justice letter is where prepared cases and improvised ones part ways
• Telling you when a pathway is not viable — before you pay a non-refundable application charge to find out

That last one is the real test of quality. An honest "no, and here is why" costs an agent a fee today and is worth more than any promise.

Questions worth asking in a first consultation

1. What is your MARN, and how long have you been registered?
2. Which visa subclass do you recommend for me, and why not the alternatives?
3. What are the weak points of my case?
4. What are the government charges, and what are your professional fees, in writing?
5. What happens if the Department refuses the application — what are my review options and deadlines?
6. Who will actually work on my file?

An agent comfortable with question 3 is an agent worth considering. An agent who answers question 2 with only good news is selling, not advising.

Agent or immigration lawyer?

For most standard applications the practical work is the same, and a registered agent is usually the more cost-effective choice. Lawyers add value in court litigation and some complex review work. The comparison has its own guide: migration agent vs immigration lawyer.

Brisbane, or anywhere

Migration law is Commonwealth law — the criteria are identical in every city, and consultations work as well by video as across a desk. A Brisbane-based agent adds local value mainly on Queensland state nomination, where knowing the state's occupation lists and how its programs actually run matters. If your pathway involves a subclass 190 or 491 through Queensland, local familiarity earns its place. For a partner visa, the agent's postcode is close to irrelevant — pick on quality, not proximity.

About Migration Vision

Migration Vision is the practice of Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, OMARA-registered migration agent, MARN 2619525 — check it on the register at mara.gov.au; that is what it is for. We work with clients across Australia and overseas, with a Brisbane office, and the first enquiry is free. What we offer is the model this page describes: written agreements, government charges shown separately, and an honest assessment before you commit — including "this pathway is not viable," when that is the truth.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a migration agent is registered?

Search their name or MARN on the OMARA register at mara.gov.au. It shows current status, registration history and any disciplinary decisions. An agent who will not give you a MARN is the clearest warning sign there is.

Is it illegal to use an unregistered migration agent?

Section 280 of the Migration Act makes it an offence for an unregistered person to give immigration assistance for a fee, unless they are an Australian legal practitioner or exempt. The offence is theirs — but the damage from bad advice lands on your application, and a penalty against someone overseas does not get a refused visa back.

Can any agent guarantee my visa will be approved?

No. The decision rests with the Department of Home Affairs. What an agent controls is whether the application is the right subclass, properly evidenced and professionally argued — never the outcome.

How much does a migration agent cost?

Professional fees vary by visa type and complexity and are separate from the Department's application charges. The Code of Conduct requires both to be set out in a written agreement before work begins — treat the written agreement as non-negotiable.

Do I need an agent at all?

Not always, and an honest agent will tell you so. A straightforward case with clear evidence can be self-lodged. Where agents earn their fee is subclass selection, complex histories — refusals, health, character, the section 48 bar — and responding to Department concerns properly. Our guide to whether you need a migration agent sets out the cases on each side.

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 22 August 2026 — section 280 position verified against the Migration Act 1958 and the OMARA register description against mara.gov.au on that date. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.