How to check if a migration agent is registered

Short summary

In Australia, only a registered migration agent, an Australian lawyer, or an exempt person can lawfully charge you for immigration assistance. Checking that someone is genuinely registered takes about two minutes on the official register, and it is the single best protection against unregistered operators.

How to check a migration agent

1. Ask for their Migration Agents Registration Number (MARN). Every registered agent has one. It is seven digits, and a legitimate agent displays it on their website, emails, and documents. If someone will not give you a MARN, stop.
2. Go to the official register at mara.gov.au, run by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), which sits within the Department of Home Affairs.
3. Search by the agent's name, business name, or MARN.
4. Check that the details match: the name, the business, and that the registration is current. While you are there, you can also see whether the agent has any disciplinary decisions recorded against them.

If the person is not on the register, or the number they gave you does not match their details, do not proceed. It is against the law to charge for immigration assistance without being registered, a lawyer, or exempt.

How to check an immigration lawyer

Lawyers are not registered with OMARA. Since 22 March 2021, Australian lawyers with an unrestricted practising certificate give immigration assistance under their practising certificate instead. To check a lawyer:

1. Ask which state or territory they practise in.
2. Search the register of legal practitioners for that state or territory, usually run by the law society or legal admissions body. Each state has a public register.
3. Confirm they hold a current practising certificate.

Some immigration lawyers also hold Accredited Specialist status in immigration law, which is a further credential you can verify with the relevant state law society.

Check even if they came recommended

A recommendation from friends or your community is a good starting point, but it is not verification. Unregistered operators often work through word of mouth inside communities, precisely because people trust a recommendation and skip the check. The register check takes two minutes. Do it regardless of who recommended the person.

What to do if something is wrong

If someone is offering paid immigration assistance and is not registered, you can report them to the Department of Home Affairs. If you have a problem with a registered agent, raise it with the agent first, and if that fails you can complain to OMARA. A complaint does not affect your visa application.

What to do next

Every professional listed on VisaMatch is drawn from the official public registers, and each listing shows the credential to check: the MARN for agents, or the practising credential for lawyers. Even so, registrations can lapse or change, so always confirm current status on the official register before you engage anyone.