Last updated: 30 March 2026

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Migration Agent

A migration agent handles one of the most consequential administrative processes in your life. The quality of their preparation, their knowledge of your specific visa pathway, and their communication throughout the process can directly affect whether your visa is granted, refused, or delayed. That makes the hiring decision worth taking seriously — and it means the initial consultation is your opportunity to evaluate the agent, not just for the agent to present their services.

This page gives you 15 specific questions to ask any migration agent before you sign an agreement. The questions cover MARA registration, case experience, fees, communication, and realistic expectations. If an agent deflects, gives vague answers, or reacts badly to questions about their qualifications or track record, that is useful information.

Before the Consultation: Verify MARA Registration First

Before investing time in any consultation, check the agent’s registration on the OMARA public register at mara.gov.au.

A current, active MARA registration means the agent holds the required migration law qualification, maintains professional indemnity insurance, completes ongoing professional development, and is bound by the Code of Conduct for Registered Migration Agents. An expired, suspended, or cancelled registration means the agent is not legally permitted to provide migration advice for a fee.

This verification takes under two minutes. Do it before your first meeting, not after. If you cannot find the agent on the register, do not proceed.

Question 1: What Is Your MARA Registration Number?

This is the first question. A registered agent should give you their MARA number without hesitation — it is public information and they are required to display it on client-facing materials.

Once they provide it, verify it at mara.gov.au yourself. Confirm the registration is current, the name matches, and the status shows as registered rather than suspended or cancelled. Review any disciplinary history displayed on the register.

What a credible answer looks like: Immediate, unprompted provision of a specific registration number and no unusual history when you verify it.

Question 2: How Many Applications Like Mine Have You Lodged in the Past 12 Months?

Experience with your specific visa type is more relevant than general experience. An agent who primarily handles partner visas may not have current, active knowledge of state nomination processes or SkillSelect strategy. An agent based outside your target state may not be current on that state’s nomination program.

Ask for a number. “I have extensive experience in skilled migration” is not as useful as “I lodged approximately 25 state nomination applications through the WA portal in the past year.” If your situation involves a specific occupation or assessing body, ask whether they have recent experience with that body’s requirements.

What a credible answer looks like: A specific number and specific visa types, with familiarity with the relevant occupation groups or assessing bodies.

Question 3: Who Will Actually Work on My File Day-to-Day?

In many migration agencies, the senior registered agent conducts the initial consultation but junior staff, student assistants, or unregistered support workers prepare the actual application. You may believe you are engaging an experienced senior practitioner, but day-to-day work on your file may be handled by someone far less experienced.

Ask directly: who prepares the application documentation? Who reviews it before lodgement? Who signs off? If you need to call with a question mid-application, who will you speak to?

What a credible answer looks like: Transparent disclosure of who manages each stage of the file, what their qualifications are, and confirmation that a MARA-registered agent reviews all work before lodgement.

Question 4: What Are Your Full Fees and What Do They Cover?

The Code of Conduct for Registered Migration Agents requires them to provide a clear, written fee agreement before accepting payment. Before you leave the initial consultation, you should understand:

• The total professional fee for the service
• Whether state nomination assistance is included or charged separately
• Whether the fee covers secondary applicants (partner, dependent children), or whether they are priced additionally
• What happens to the fee if your circumstances change after engagement — for example, if your skills assessment is delayed, you change employers, or the government changes the visa requirements
• Whether the fee covers merits review or Administrative Appeals Tribunal representation if your application is refused

Some agents bundle all services into a single flat fee; others charge separately for each stage. Neither model is inherently better, but you need to understand which model applies and what is and is not included.

What a credible answer looks like: A specific fee amount or range, a willingness to provide written quotes, clear itemisation of inclusions and exclusions, and a commitment to put the agreement in writing before any payment is accepted.

Question 5: What Weaknesses or Risks Do You See in My Application?

A credible agent will identify the risks in your specific case. This might include a borderline English language score that could be strengthened, a skills assessment that may need supplementary evidence, an occupation that is marginal on the relevant skills list, a gap in your employment history that needs documentation, or a prior visa condition that requires explanation.

An agent who reviews your circumstances and sees no issues at all is rare. If the initial consultation ends without the agent identifying any concerns or complications, they may be telling you what you want to hear rather than giving you a realistic picture.

What a credible answer looks like: Specific identification of one or more issues in your application and a clear explanation of how the agent plans to address each one.

Question 6: What Is a Realistic Timeline for My Application?

Government processing times vary by visa type, applicant volume, and individual application circumstances. A competent agent should give you a realistic processing range based on current Home Affairs benchmarks and your specific situation.

Specific promises about timelines (“your visa will be granted in eight months”) should be treated with caution — processing times are outside the agent’s control. But vague non-answers (“it takes as long as it takes”) are also not useful. What you want is a range based on published processing benchmarks, with honest identification of what factors might accelerate or delay your case.

What a credible answer looks like: A realistic range, reference to current Home Affairs processing data, and identification of any aspects of your case that might affect timing.

Question 7: What Happens if My Application Is Refused?

Refusals occur even with thoroughly prepared applications. Ask the agent how they handle refusals:

• Will they represent you at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) if the refusal is merits reviewable?
• Is that representation included in the original fee, or charged additionally?
• What are the most common grounds for refusal in applications similar to yours, and how do they address those risks in the preparation stage?

Understanding the refusal process — and the agent’s role in it — before you start gives you a clear picture of your full cost exposure and what happens if the Department does not grant the visa.

What a credible answer looks like: Clear explanation of the review pathway, transparent disclosure of whether AAT representation is included or additional, and specific examples of how the agent’s preparation reduces common refusal grounds.

Question 8: How Do You Communicate With Clients and How Often?

Communication quality is one of the most common sources of client dissatisfaction with migration agents. Before you engage, establish clear expectations:

• How often will you receive proactive updates, and through what channel?
• What is the standard response time for emails or phone calls?
• Do you have a named contact person, or do messages go through a general inbox?
• How will significant developments — a Department of Home Affairs request for information, an invitation to apply, a decision — be communicated and by whom?

What a credible answer looks like: A specific communication policy — for example, “we respond to all client messages within one business day” — and a named contact person who is your primary point of contact throughout the process.

Question 9: Do You Have Experience With My Specific Occupation or Assessing Body?

For skills-based visas, the agent’s familiarity with your occupation’s assessing body matters in practice. An ICT professional applying through ACS benefits from an agent who understands how ACS structures its assessment, what evidence it requires, and where applications commonly fall short. A nurse applying through ANMAC benefits from an agent who has submitted ANMAC applications recently.

If your pathway involves employer sponsorship, ask whether the agent has handled applications in your industry sector. Resources, construction, and healthcare employers in Australia each have specific employment documentation conventions that an experienced agent will already be familiar with.

What a credible answer looks like: Specific reference to prior applications in your occupation or with your assessing body, with substantive familiarity with that body’s current requirements.

Question 10: Are You Current on State Nomination Requirements for My Target State?

If state nomination is relevant to your pathway, the agent needs current knowledge of the specific program you are targeting. State programs change annually and sometimes mid-year. Information from six months ago may not be accurate for the current program cycle.

Ask: Is the 190 or 491 program for your target state currently open? What occupations is the state nominating, and what points threshold is currently competitive? If you are considering migration agent evaluation in Perth, ask specifically about WA’s current program conditions, WASMOL status, and DAMA options.

What a credible answer looks like: Current, specific information about the state program relevant to your case — not hedged generalities or references to conditions from the previous program year.

Question 11: Do You Hold Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Professional indemnity insurance is a MARA registration requirement. It protects you financially if the agent makes an error that causes you loss — for example, lodging an application with incorrect information that leads to a refusal.

While the requirement is built into MARA registration, asking directly confirms the agent is maintaining their registration obligations. A registered agent should confirm this without hesitation.

What a credible answer looks like: Immediate confirmation of current professional indemnity coverage and its insurer.

Question 12: Have You Had Any Complaints Lodged With OMARA?

Many applicants skip this question because it feels confrontational. It is worth asking anyway, and you can verify the answer on the OMARA register independently — disciplinary history is publicly displayed.

Some agents have historical complaints that were investigated and dismissed. Others have more serious histories. An agent who is honest about a minor resolved complaint is operating more transparently than one who is defensive or evasive about the question.

What a credible answer looks like: An honest answer. Evasion or hostility toward the question is itself informative.

Question 13: What Is Your Refund Policy if I Need to Withdraw My Application?

Circumstances change. You might receive a better job offer requiring a different visa type, face a family change, or need to put migration plans on hold. Before you engage, understand what happens to your fees in those scenarios.

Some agents retain the full fee regardless of circumstances; others offer partial refunds for work not yet completed. Some charge fixed fees with no refunds; others bill hourly and refund unused amounts. Neither model is inherently unreasonable, but you need to understand the policy before you commit.

What a credible answer looks like: A clear, written refund policy that is reflected in the client agreement you sign.

Question 14: What Is Your Current Case Load — How Many Clients Are You Managing?

An agent carrying an unusually heavy case load may be stretched in ways that affect communication quality and attention to your file. While there is no objective ceiling on how many cases a good agent can manage, asking the question and watching how the agent responds is informative.

An agent who is proud of their practice and has managed caseload thoughtfully will answer directly. An agent who is defensive about the question may be managing capacity issues they would prefer not to discuss.

What a credible answer looks like: A direct, specific answer with some context about how they structure their practice and manage workload.

Question 15: How Do You Approach a Case Where the Outcome Is Uncertain?

Not every application has a clear, predictable outcome. Understanding how an agent approaches uncertainty tells you a great deal about their practice philosophy.

Ask: How do you structure an application where the points score is marginal, or where the skills assessment outcome is not certain? How do you advise clients when the most legally accurate answer to a question works against them? How do you balance the client’s goal with the requirements of the law?

What a credible answer looks like: A thoughtful answer that acknowledges real-world complexity and emphasises accurate, complete preparation over optimistic presentation.

Warning Signs to Watch For

During the evaluation process, the following patterns warrant caution:

• Outcome guarantees. No agent can guarantee a visa grant. Any representation to the contrary is a warning.
• Pressure to sign immediately. A credible agent gives you time to consider. Urgency to commit before you are ready is a manipulation technique.
• Vague fee structures. The Code of Conduct requires written fee disclosure. An agent who cannot produce a written fee schedule before accepting payment is not operating within their obligations.
• No MARA number on the register. If verification fails, disengage.
• No identification of risks. Applications without any complications or weaknesses are uncommon. An agent who sees no issues in any case may not be looking carefully.
• Hostility to questions. An agent who treats your due diligence as unreasonable or suspicious is not acting in the spirit of a professional relationship.

Whether you are looking for a migration agent in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, or anywhere else in Australia, this evaluation framework applies uniformly. A MARA-registered agent who answers these questions with confidence, specificity, and transparency is operating as a professional should.

After You Engage: Stay Informed

Once you have hired an agent, maintain your own records throughout the process. Keep copies of all documents you provide, all correspondence, and all lodgement confirmation receipts. The visa application is yours — the agent acts on your behalf, but you remain the responsible applicant. Staying informed and keeping your own documentation protects you if any dispute arises and helps you respond quickly if the Department requests additional information.