Picking a consultant is the first real decision in your migration plan, and a bad one can cost you far more than the fee. Here’s how to do it properly.
First, Check They Are Legally Allowed to Help You
In Australia, only registered migration agents, Australian legal practitioners and a few exempt categories can lawfully be paid to provide immigration assistance. That’s the Migration Act 1958, not a professional courtesy.
Every registered agent has a MARN, a Migration Agents Registration Number. Look it up on the OMARA register. Confirm the name matches the person you’re actually speaking to, and that the registration is current. Do this before any money moves.
If someone can’t or won’t give you a MARN, that’s the end of the conversation.
Understand Who You Are Actually Hiring
Large agencies often have one registered agent and a team of salespeople. You’ll meet the salesperson. Ask who will prepare and lodge your application, whether that person is registered, and whether the registered agent will personally review your file before it goes in.
Also be clear on the difference between an education agent and a migration agent. Education agents earn commission from institutions for enrolling students. Many are perfectly good at helping you choose a university, but they aren’t authorised to advise on migration, and their income depends on your enrolment rather than your outcome.
Ask These Before You Pay
What visa do you recommend for me, and why that one over the alternatives? What are the weaknesses in my case? What’s the total fee, what does it cover, and what isn’t included? Who lodges the application? What happens if I’m refused, and is any part of the fee refundable? Have you handled cases like mine, and what happened?
The answers matter less than the manner. A good consultant will tell you the awkward parts of your case in the first meeting. Someone who only tells you it’s straightforward either hasn’t looked or isn’t being straight with you.
Get It In Writing
You should receive a written services agreement setting out the fee, what it covers and what happens if things change. Government charges are separate from professional fees, so make sure you know which is which and what the total looks like.
Be wary of large up-front payments with nothing documented.
Warning Signs
Guaranteed outcomes. Nobody can promise a visa, because nobody making the promise decides it. Success rates quoted with no evidence behind them. Any suggestion of adjusting documents, inflating experience or using a template statement. Pressure to sign today. Reluctance to put the fee in writing. Advice that contradicts the Department of Home Affairs website.
On that last point: OMARA has sanctioned agents for putting false information into applications and for using templated statements that didn’t reflect the client’s real circumstances. Both are known refusal triggers, and the application has your signature on it, not theirs.
A Last Check
Ask yourself whether you understood the advice. A good consultant explains your case in terms you can follow, because you’re the one who has to live with the decision.