MARA-Registered Migration Agents in Brisbane, QLD

Consultation fees by visa type

• Partner visa$220 (Queensland)
• Skilled visa (189, 190, 491)$220 (Queensland)
• Employer-sponsored visa$250 (Australia)
• Student or graduate visa$228 (Australia)
• Visitor or working holiday visa$200 (Australia)
• Refusal, cancellation or appeal$200 (Australia)
• Citizenship$200 (Australia)
• Business or investor visa$250 (Australia)
• Not sure which visa yet$245 (Australia)

The median of each agent's usual first-consultation quote for that visa type, from quotes on real briefs in the twelve months to 2026-11-01. A place in brackets means fewer than five Brisbane agents have quoted that type, so the wider figure is shown. Agents set their own fees.

What a first consultation costs in Brisbane

The median consultation fee quoted to applicants in Queensland is $220. Half of all quotes fall between $220 and $275. Each agent's typical quote counts once, so one very active agent cannot move the figure.

That is the price of a first paid conversation — usually 30 to 60 minutes reviewing your situation, with the pathway, costs and timeline in writing afterwards. A full application engagement is priced separately by the agent and commonly runs from roughly $2,500 for a straightforward student or visitor matter to $4,000–$8,000 for a partner visa file.

Fewer than five Brisbane agents have quoted through Migratio, so these figures cover Queensland: 192 quotes from 7 agents, quoted on real applicant briefs in the twelve months to 2026-11-01. Every quote is written by the agent for a specific applicant; Migratio does not set or suggest fees.

Who practises in Brisbane

• 365 MARA-registered agents list a Brisbane address on the OMARA register.
• The median agent first registered in 2017 — about 9 years ago.
• 33 have been registered 20 years or longer; 125 registered within the last five.
• Most commonly published practice areas: Student Visa (62), Skilled Visa (57), Employer-Sponsored Visa (45), Partner Visa (36), Family & Parent Visa (34).
• Languages named in agents' own profiles: Spanish (7), Mandarin (3), Cantonese (3), Portuguese (3), Vietnamese (2), Hindi (1).

Compiled from the public OMARA register and agents' own published practice details, refreshed with our agent data. Registration year is derived from the MARN prefix. Practice areas and languages are self-published, not verified by Migratio.

Longest-registered migration agents in Brisbane

Registration year is derived from each agent's MARN — the first two digits encode the year they first registered with OMARA. Longer registration means more years practising under the regulator's Code of Conduct, though the right specialisation matters more than tenure alone.

1. Anabelle Buenavista Havelock — registered since 1992 (34+ years, MARN 9253287)
2. Jane Alison Taljaard — registered since 1995 (31+ years, MARN 9581295)
3. Shu-Biu Lee — registered since 1996 (30+ years, MARN 9686159)
4. Emma Swenson — registered since 1998 (28+ years, MARN 9801418)
5. Simon Si Cheng Rong — registered since 1999 (27+ years, MARN 9905699)
6. John Wen-Chan Chen — registered since 2001 (25+ years, MARN 0101286)
7. Xinlei Xu — registered since 2001 (25+ years, MARN 0100976)
8. King Keung Philip Lee — registered since 2002 (24+ years, MARN 0210257)
9. Simon Andre Earles — registered since 2002 (24+ years, MARN 0214055)
10. Stafford Ernest Fallen — registered since 2002 (24+ years, MARN 0209594)

Brisbane agents by visa type

Student Visa agents in Brisbane · Skilled Visa agents in Brisbane · Employer-Sponsored Visa agents in Brisbane · Partner Visa agents in Brisbane · Family & Parent Visa agents in Brisbane · Visa Refusal & Appeal agents in Brisbane · Business & Investor Visa agents in Brisbane · Citizenship agents in Brisbane · Humanitarian Visa agents in Brisbane

Migration agents by suburb in Brisbane

Every Brisbane suburb with its own page, and how many MARA-registered agents list an address there. Most consultations run by video or phone, so a suburb matters only if you want to meet in person.

• Eight Mile Plains (21)
• South Brisbane (11)
• Upper Mount Gravatt (11)
• Woolloongabba (10)
• Calamvale (8)
• Fortitude Valley (8)
• Sunnybank (7)
• Milton (6)
• Toowong (6)
• East Brisbane (5)
• Greenslopes (5)
• Sunnybank Hills (5)
• Macgregor (4)
• Parkinson (4)
• Spring Hill (4)
• Underwood (4)
• West End (4)
• Wilston (4)
• Algester (3)
• Burbank (3)
• Forest Lake (3)
• Greenbank (3)
• Inala (3)
• Kelvin Grove (3)
• New Farm (3)
• Rochedale (3)
• Virginia (3)
• Yarrabilba (3)

Is Brisbane a regional area for visas?

Brisbane is Category 1, the third of the major cities Home Affairs leaves out of the regional areas, but a larger share of its postal areas is regional than in Sydney or Melbourne: Queensland's Category 2 list includes 4019 to 4022, 4025, 4037, 4074, 4076 to 4078, 4300, 4301, 4303 to 4305, 4500 to 4506, 4508 to 4512, 4514 to 4519 and 4521, and Category 3 includes 4124, 4125, 4133, 4183, 4184 and 4507. In all, 52 of the 139 postal areas the ABS places in Greater Brisbane are regional, from Redcliffe (4020) and North Lakes (4509) to Inala (4077) and Forest Lake (4078); most of the Category 2 postcodes were added on 5 March 2022.

Home Affairs lists Brisbane residence as Category 1 for the second Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa, which makes it not eligible. A campus and home in Queensland's listed Category 2 or Category 3 postcodes are assessed on those postcodes: 1 extra year where either is Category 2, 2 extra years where both are Category 3.

Between 4000 and 4206, only 4124, 4125 and 4133 are on Queensland's Regional Australia list for working holiday specified work, and 20 of the postal areas the ABS places in Greater Brisbane are on it, such as Caboolture (4510) and Jimboomba (4280). Recovery work after floods, cyclones or severe weather can also count in declared council areas, which include Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich and Moreton Bay.

No DAMA covers Brisbane: the only Queensland agreements on Home Affairs' list are Far North Queensland and Townsville.

Which outer postcodes and suburbs count: regional postcodes in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

These facts describe the rules, not whether you qualify. Every postcode and both categories are on our guide to regional areas for migration. Sources: Migration (Designated regional areas for certain skilled and temporary graduate visas) Instrument (LIN 22/022) 2022, F2022L00231 (in force); Department of Home Affairs: Designated regional areas (page updated 28 February 2025); Department of Home Affairs: Designated regional area postcodes (page updated 23 September 2024); Department of Home Affairs: Temporary Graduate visa, Second Post-Higher Education Work stream (page updated 13 October 2026); Department of Home Affairs: Specified work, Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) (page updated 12 October 2026); Department of Home Affairs: Specified work, Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) (page updated 12 October 2026); Migration (Specified work and areas for subclass 417 visas) Instrument (LIN 22/012) 2022, compilation 3 (from 5 April 2025); Migration (Specified work and areas for subclass 462 visas) Instrument (LIN 22/013) 2022, compilation 3 (from 5 April 2025); Department of Home Affairs: Designated area migration agreements (page updated 7 October 2026); Explanatory statement to LIN 22/022; Australian Bureau of Statistics: ASGS Edition 3 allocation files (mesh blocks to postal areas, suburbs and localities, and Greater Capital City areas, 2021).

State nomination in Queensland

Migration Queensland runs separate Registration of Interest streams for onshore and offshore applicants, and for the statewide subclass 190 versus the regional subclass 491. Onshore applicants must already be living and working in the relevant part of Queensland for a set period before registering — nine months in the nominated occupation for the 190, six months in regional Queensland for the 491 — and Queensland weighs factors such as qualifications, work experience, salary, location of employment, age, English and partner skills when selecting who to invite from eligible registrations. Queensland maintains its own onshore and offshore skilled occupation lists, separate from the national list.

Nominates for: 190, 491

What Migration Queensland (Business and Skilled Migration Queensland), a business unit of Trade and Investment Queensland asks for:

• a nominated occupation on the Queensland Skills List (separate onshore and offshore lists apply)
• at least 65 points on the Department of Home Affairs points test
• at least Competent English as defined by the Department of Home Affairs
• for onshore subclass 190, living and working in Queensland in the nominated occupation for at least 9 months before applying; for onshore subclass 491, at least 6 months in regional Queensland
• a Registration of Interest lodged with Migration Queensland
• a commitment to remain living and working in Queensland for at least 2 years after grant (subclass 190) or in regional Queensland for at least 3 years (subclass 491)

For subclass 491 purposes, regional Queensland is everywhere in the state outside Greater Brisbane. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast carry Category 2 regional status but remain within the regional designation. Brisbane itself is not a designated regional area.

Programme details as at 2026-08-19, from Migration Queensland (Business and Skilled Migration Queensland), a business unit of Trade and Investment Queensland. Nomination criteria and occupation lists change frequently — confirm the current position on the official site before relying on it. Whether a particular situation fits a nomination pathway is a question for a MARA-registered agent.

Where to get help in Brisbane

The agents on this page are private practitioners who charge for their time. If you cannot afford one, or your matter is a protection or refugee claim, these Brisbane services give free or low-cost help. Each sets its own eligibility.

• Refugee and Immigration Legal Service (RAILS) (Refugee legal service, Level 3, 43 Peel Street, South Brisbane) — Free legal help with protection visas, refugee family reunion, visa cancellations and visa options after family violence, for refugees, people seeking protection and migrants. Free for people living in Queensland whose matter involves a humanitarian, protection or refugee visa, refugee family reunion or family violence; each request is assessed on legal merit, deadlines and capacity.
• Women's Legal Service Queensland (Community legal centre, Level 3, 349 Coronation Drive, Milton) — Free legal advice for women; its Temporary Visa Program gives legal and social support, including on migration law, to women on temporary visas experiencing domestic violence. Free for women living in Queensland; the Temporary Visa Program is for women on a temporary visa who are experiencing domestic violence.
• LawRight (Community legal centre, Level 6, Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts, 119 North Quay, Brisbane) — Free help from lawyers with Federal Court cases, including judicial review of protection visa decisions and some visa cancellations. For people in, or considering, Federal Court proceedings who cannot afford a private lawyer and are ineligible for legal aid; it does not help with student or skilled employment visa decisions.
• Multicultural Australia (Settlement service, 28 Dibley Street, Woolloongabba) — Settlement support for refugees and migrants, including the Humanitarian Settlement Program and the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program. SETS support is for humanitarian entrants and eligible permanent migrants and is funded by the Department of Home Affairs.

Department of Home Affairs in Brisbane: Visa and Citizenship office, 299 Adelaide Street, Brisbane. You need a pre-arranged appointment to attend; if the department needs to see you, it sends a letter or invitation with the details. Citizenship tests in Brisbane are held at this office, by invitation. Office details on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.

Administrative Review Tribunal (review of visa refusals and cancellations): Brisbane Registry, Level 6, No1 Anzac, 295 Ann Street, Brisbane (corner of Creek Street). Registry details on art.gov.au. Review deadlines are short and fixed; see refusal and appeal agents.

Checked 2026-10-22 on each organisation's own website, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au and art.gov.au. Migratio has no relationship with these organisations and does not assess eligibility; confirm current hours and criteria with them directly.

Citizenship ceremony waits in Brisbane

After citizenship is approved, you attend a ceremony arranged by your local council (or the Department). Home Affairs publishes, council by council, how many approved applicants had not yet attended a ceremony on 30 September 2026 and how long they had waited since approval. Across the 5 councils listed for Brisbane, 6,195 approved applicants were waiting, and 82% of them had waited less than 3 months (Migratio's applicant-weighted calculation from the Home Affairs figures).

Home Affairs shows counts of 1 to 4 as "<5". Source: Home Affairs ceremony wait times. Every council in Australia is on Migratio's ceremony wait data page.

Common questions

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