MARA-Registered Migration Agents in Gold Coast, 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 Gold Coast agents have quoted that type, so the wider figure is shown. Agents set their own fees.

What a first consultation costs in Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast 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 Gold Coast

• 63 MARA-registered agents list a Gold Coast address on the OMARA register.
• The median agent first registered in 2015 — about 11 years ago.
• 9 have been registered 20 years or longer; 21 registered within the last five.
• Most commonly published practice areas: Student Visa (17), Skilled Visa (16), Family & Parent Visa (14), Employer-Sponsored Visa (12), Partner Visa (8).
• Languages named in agents' own profiles: Russian (1), Spanish (1), Portuguese (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 Gold Coast

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. James Derek MacAnally — registered since 2000 (26+ years, MARN 0005207)
2. Diana Yun Sook You — registered since 2001 (25+ years, MARN 0103820)
3. Gregory Charles Bowler — registered since 2002 (24+ years, MARN 0208753)
4. Darren Andrew Good-Giles — registered since 2003 (23+ years, MARN 0316870)
5. Marjory Johnston — registered since 2003 (23+ years, MARN 0320038)
6. Rodger Owen Jones — registered since 2003 (23+ years, MARN 0317471)
7. Joanne Katherine Crespin — registered since 2006 (20+ years, MARN 0638928)
8. Martin Szilvassy — registered since 2006 (20+ years, MARN 0637125)
9. Xiao Fei Ye — registered since 2006 (20+ years, MARN 0639327)
10. Willem Bastiaan Oostdyck — registered since 2007 (19+ years, MARN 0701537)

Gold Coast agents by visa type

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

Migration agents by suburb in Gold Coast

Every Gold Coast 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.

• Southport (14)
• Surfers Paradise (10)
• Mermaid Beach (6)
• Burleigh Heads (4)
• Varsity Lakes (4)
• Benowa (3)
• Bundall (3)
• Parkwood (3)
• Robina (3)
• Southport Bc (3)

Is Gold Coast a regional area for visas?

The Gold Coast is Category 2, one of the 'Cities and Major Regional Centres' Home Affairs names. Queensland's Category 2 list includes the range 4207 to 4275, and every postal area the ABS places in its Gold Coast region falls inside that range; the next range, 4280 to 4287, is Category 3.

A graduate who studied at a Gold Coast campus and has lived only in designated regional areas for the 2 years before applying can be considered for 1 extra year on the second Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa. Study at a campus in a Category 1 postcode rules the stream out, even with a Gold Coast address.

Most of the Gold Coast doesn't count for working holiday specified work: of 4207 to 4287, Queensland's Regional Australia list includes only 4211, 4270 to 4272, 4275, 4280, 4285 and 4287. The Gold Coast council area is listed as both a bushfire-declared and a flood, cyclone and severe weather area, so recovery work there can count.

No DAMA covers the Gold Coast; Queensland's agreements on the Home Affairs list are for Far North Queensland and Townsville.

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); 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 Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast services give free or low-cost help. Each sets its own eligibility.

• Multicultural Families Organisation (MFO) (Settlement service, 79b Scarborough St, Southport) — Free one-on-one immigration advice on visas, residency and citizenship from volunteer lawyers, alongside settlement support for migrants and refugees. Immigration advice consultations are free and by appointment, held Wednesdays and Fridays 9am to 12:30pm.
• Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast (MCCGC) (Settlement service, Level 1, 60 High Street, Southport; 1 Dominions Road, Ashmore) — Settlement support for refugees and migrants on the Gold Coast, including the Humanitarian Settlement Program and SETS, plus employment help and referrals. SETS supports people who arrived as refugees or on an eligible family visa within the last 5 years; the Humanitarian Settlement Program supports humanitarian entrants within 18 months of arrival.
• 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; RAILS is based in South Brisbane and attends a Gold Coast hub.
• 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 statewide service for women living in Queensland; the Temporary Visa Program is for women on a temporary visa who are experiencing domestic violence.

Department of Home Affairs: no public office is listed in Gold Coast. The Queensland offices are in Brisbane and Cairns, by pre-arranged appointment only. Citizenship tests on the Gold Coast are held at the Biggera Waters Service Centre (Centrelink), 97-99 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters, by invitation. Visa applications are lodged online through ImmiAccount, so an office visit is not part of applying.

Administrative Review Tribunal: no registry in Gold Coast; the nearest is the Brisbane Registry, Level 6, No1 Anzac, 295 Ann Street, Brisbane. Review applications are lodged online, and hearings can be held by video.

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 Gold Coast

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 area, 1,527 approved applicants were waiting, and 84% of them had waited less than 3 months.

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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