Checking a migration agent's registration before you pay
Verify a migration agent's MARN on OMARA, match the person to the engagement and check written services, fees and complaint arrangements.
If someone offers to act as your registered migration agent, check the individual on the official OMARA register before paying. A business directory entry, an impressive visa story or a company name does not answer that registration question. This guide connects the register check with the written services and fees you should receive, while recognising the separate position of Australian legal practitioners and exempt people.
First establish which professional role is being offered
OMARA's Consumer guide distinguishes registered migration agents from Australian legal practitioners and exempt people. It explains that the latter groups do not always need migration-agent registration to provide immigration assistance in Australia. If someone is acting as a lawyer, check the relevant legal-practitioner authority rather than assuming absence from OMARA proves misconduct. This guide addresses people representing themselves as registered migration agents. Ask for the name of the individual who will assist you, not only the business brand.
Professional roles, standards, fees and complaint routes; the currently linked guide is dated July2021.
OMARA: Consumer guide for registered migration agentsSearch the official register using the person's details
OMARA says registered migration agents have a unique Migration Agents Registration Number, or MARN. Obtain it and search the official register. The register also offers name and business search fields. Compare the result with the person named in the proposed engagement and ask about any mismatch before paying. A company employing an agent is not the same thing as every employee being registered. If another person will take over, ask who is responsible and repeat the appropriate check. The register is for verification, not permission to copy agents' contact details into unsolicited marketing lists.
The official register and its search fields.
OMARA: search for registered migration agentsRead the engagement before comparing the fee
The Consumer guide says registered agents must give a written statement before starting work describing services, estimated fees and other costs, and provide an invoice for completed services. Ask which application stages are included, what information you must supply and what additional work would require another fee. Separate the agent's professional fee from application charges, translations or other external costs. Ask how communication, deadlines and a change of agent are handled. For the current detailed standards, use the Code of Conduct linked from the official guide rather than treating this article as individual migration advice.
Guide, Code of Conduct context and language versions.
OMARA: Consumer guide and current official linksWorked check: brand name versus the responsible individual
Hypothetical example. A website advertises "Harbour Visa Help" but the agreement names a particular agent. You search that individual's MARN, compare the official result with the name and business information, then check that the agreement identifies the same responsible person. If the number belongs to someone else, or the explanation is unclear, pause and ask OMARA how to verify it. Do not pay simply because the website displays a registration number. No real business, person or MARN is represented in this example.
Keep registration separate from the visa outcome
The OMARA Consumer guide states that no person helping with an immigration matter can guarantee a visa. Registration is a professional-status check, not a promise about your circumstances or an application decision. Keep the agreement and invoices. The guide advises raising a problem with the agent first, then using OMARA's complaint process if it cannot be resolved; it also explains that OMARA cannot decide a visa application or order a fee refund. Seek advice through the appropriate channel for the issue you actually need resolved.
Outcome limits and the regulator's role.
OMARA: consumer protections and complaintsA translation credential is a separate check from migration-agent registration.
Checking a NAATI translatorYour quick checklist
Tick these off as you go. This checklist resets when you leave.
Useful starting points
General information to help you ask questions. Check requirements for the particular service and your state or territory.