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Migration Agent Check: Verify Credentials and Avoid Visa Scams
Updated: 6 days ago
A professional-looking website and a registration number are not enough to establish that the person contacting you is legitimate. A scammer can copy a real adviser’s details. Verification should connect the individual, registration and contact information before you send money or sensitive documents.
Information checked on 10 October 2026. Use official registers directly rather than relying on a screenshot supplied by the person you are checking.
Check a migration agent’s MARN
Search the OMARA register using the individual’s name or Migration Agents Registration Number. Compare the result with the name, business and contact details you have been given.
If something does not match, pause and clarify it through independently obtained contact information. A genuine registration belonging to someone else does not authorise the person who has approached you.
Lawyers use a different professional system
Australian legal practitioners can provide immigration assistance without being registered migration agents. Therefore, absence from the OMARA register is not, by itself, evidence that an immigration lawyer is unauthorised.
Check the relevant legal profession register and current practising status. The Australian Legal Profession Register is one official resource; use the relevant jurisdiction’s regulator where needed.
Ask who will actually give advice. A business can employ both lawyers and agents, and their professional details are individual.
Confirm the communication channel
Find a telephone number independently and call to confirm an unexpected request, particularly a changed bank account or urgent payment demand.
Do not verify suspicious contact by using only the number or link in the suspicious message. That can send you straight back to the impersonator.
An illustrative example: a client receives an email that uses their adviser’s logo and asks for payment to a new account. Even if the name and case details are correct, the safer step is independent confirmation before transfer.
Recognise warning signs
Be cautious about:
Guaranteed visas, jobs or permanent residence.
Claims of special influence over government decisions.
Requests to sign blank forms or provide false information.
Refusal to identify the individual adviser.
Pressure to pay before receiving a clear scope.
Unexpected bank-detail changes.
Refusal to provide copies of lodged documents.
Requests for passwords or security codes without a clear legitimate basis.
A warning sign is a reason to investigate; it is not proof that every service or payment arrangement is fraudulent.
Read the agreement and keep records
Check the services, fees, payment stages and business details before signing. Keep invoices, receipts, correspondence and copies of applications.
Review forms before they are submitted in your name. If something is wrong, raise it promptly and keep a written record of the correction. Paying a representative does not make false information harmless.
What if you suspect a scam?
Stop further payments while you verify the situation. Preserve messages, bank records, receipts and relevant website details. Contact your bank promptly if money has been transferred and explain the circumstances.
Home Affairs provides channels for reporting suspected visa scams and suspicious immigration activity. Concerns about a registered agent or lawyer should also be directed to the appropriate regulator.
If an application may have been lodged without your knowledge, get independent advice about checking and correcting the immigration position. Reporting a scam does not itself resolve visa validity or deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
Does a MARN on a business card prove the sender is genuine?
No. Check the official record and independently confirm the person’s identity and contact details.
Is an Australian company registration enough?
No. A company record is not the individual’s authority to provide immigration assistance.
Does a directory listing replace credential checks?
No. Use Top10Migration to discover providers, then verify credentials independently. Listing placement is not an endorsement or outcome guarantee.
Should I publicly accuse the person immediately?
Preserve evidence and use official reporting and advice channels. First establish the facts and protect your finances and immigration position.
Related guides
Find professional assistance
Use Top10Migration to discover providers, then independently check credentials, relevant experience and the scope of the service before engaging an adviser.
Official sources
General information only, not advice about your individual circumstances. Rules and program settings can change. Check the official guidance and seek an assessment from a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner before acting.
