Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA): Australia's Migration Agent Regulator

What the Migration Agents Registration Authority Does

The Migration Agents Registration Authority is the umbrella name for Australia's migration agent regulatory framework. It is administered by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) — the operational regulator within the Department of Home Affairs. The Migration Agents Registration Authority has four core functions. It registers migration agents who meet the legislated education, character, and competence requirements. It maintains the public Register of Migration Agents — searchable at mara.gov.au — so visa applicants can verify any agent's status. It investigates complaints about registered migration agents under the Code of Conduct for Registered Migration Agents. And it disciplines agents who breach the Code, including suspension and cancellation of registration. Australia has had a registration regime for migration agents since the Migration Act 1958 was amended in 1992, with the current Migration Agents Registration Authority framework administered by OMARA since 2009. Migration agents who charge fees without being registered are committing an offence under section 280 of the Migration Act.

How to Search the Migration Agents Registration Authority Register

The Migration Agents Registration Authority maintains a public, searchable register at mara.gov.au. The Register of Migration Agents is the single authoritative source for whether any person is currently a registered migration agent. You can search by the agent's name, their Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN), or the business they work for. Each register entry shows: the agent's full legal name; their MARN (typically seven digits); the registration status ('Current', 'Suspended', 'Cancelled', or 'Not Currently Registered'); the business or firm name; and contact details where the agent has chosen to publish them. The Register is updated daily. Before you sign a fee agreement or pay a deposit, verify the MARN against the live Register — searches are free and take about a minute. If a person calls themselves a migration agent but their name and MARN do not return a 'Current' status on the Migration Agents Registration Authority register, do not engage them — paid migration advice without current registration is a criminal offence.

How an Agent Becomes Registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority

Registration with the Migration Agents Registration Authority is rigorous and ongoing. To become registered, a migration agent must complete a Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice (or hold an equivalent qualification approved by the Migration Agents Registration Authority); pass the Capstone assessment administered by the College of Law (the entry knowledge test); satisfy a character assessment, including a National Police Check and overseas police clearances where relevant; pay the annual registration charge (currently approximately AUD 1,760 for commercial agents); hold professional indemnity insurance at the prescribed minimum cover; and complete 10 hours of approved continuing professional development each year. Registration is renewed annually and is not automatic — the Migration Agents Registration Authority reviews each renewal for ongoing eligibility and any complaints record. Australian legal practitioners who are admitted lawyers do not require Migration Agents Registration Authority registration to provide migration advice because they are regulated under the legal profession framework instead. Some lawyers choose to hold both.

The Code of Conduct the Migration Agents Registration Authority Enforces

Every agent registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority is bound by the Code of Conduct for Registered Migration Agents. The Code is legislated under the Migration Agents Regulations and is the enforceable standard the Migration Agents Registration Authority applies to complaint investigations. The Code requires registered agents to act in the client's best interests; provide honest assessments of visa prospects without guaranteeing outcomes; give a written fee agreement before starting work; charge fees only for work performed; keep client information confidential; hold client money in a separate trust account; respond promptly to client communications; maintain proper case file records; and disclose any conflict of interest. Specific Code obligations prohibit pressuring a client to proceed with an application the agent believes is unlikely to succeed, misleading a client about prospects, and charging for services that were not actually delivered. If a registered agent breaches the Code, the Migration Agents Registration Authority can caution, suspend, or cancel their registration. Serious breaches can also lead to civil penalty proceedings or prosecution.

How to Make a Complaint to the Migration Agents Registration Authority

If you believe a registered migration agent has breached the Code of Conduct, you can lodge a complaint with the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Complaints are made through the OMARA complaint form at mara.gov.au and can be submitted online or by post. The Migration Agents Registration Authority will normally acknowledge a complaint within a few business days and start an assessment. If the complaint discloses a possible breach, the Authority can request information from the agent, review the case file, and decide what regulatory action is appropriate — ranging from a warning to suspension or cancellation. Common complaint categories include fee overcharging, failure to lodge an application as agreed, failure to communicate, mishandling of client money, and providing misleading advice about visa prospects. The Migration Agents Registration Authority cannot order an agent to refund fees or pay compensation — that is a separate civil matter — but its findings can be evidence in a small claims action or fee dispute. Complaints can also be made about people providing paid migration advice without being registered, which the Authority investigates under its unregistered-practice powers.

Migration Agents Registration Authority vs DIY Lodgement

You are not legally required to use a migration agent to lodge an Australian visa application. The Department of Home Affairs accepts applications lodged directly by the visa applicant through ImmiAccount. For simple, low-risk applications — visitor visas, ETAs, well-evidenced partner visas with no complicating history — many applicants self-lodge successfully. Where the Migration Agents Registration Authority framework matters most is when something has the potential to go wrong: prior visa refusals that must be disclosed and addressed; character or health issues; complex relationship evidence; skills assessment disputes; ART (Administrative Review Tribunal) appeals; employer sponsorship that involves multiple parties; and points-tested skilled applications close to the invitation threshold. A registered migration agent is professionally accountable to the Migration Agents Registration Authority for the advice they give — that accountability is the practical reason most applicants in difficult cases choose to engage one.

Are MARA Agents the Same as Australian Government Approved Migration Agents?

Yes. 'Australian Government approved migration agent' is informal language for the same thing as a MARA-registered migration agent. There is no separate Australian Government approval scheme that operates outside the Migration Agents Registration Authority framework. Anyone you see described as a 'government approved migration agent', 'government registered migration agent', 'government authorised immigration agent', or similar phrasing is — if the description is accurate — a migration agent registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority. The verification step is the same regardless of the phrasing the practitioner uses: search the public Register at mara.gov.au by their name or Migration Agent Registration Number and confirm the 'Current' status. If a practitioner describes themselves as 'government approved' but their name does not return a current MARA registration entry, the description is misleading and you should not engage them. Australian legal practitioners who provide migration advice under their legal practice authorisation are also lawfully authorised — that authorisation is administered by state legal regulators rather than by the Migration Agents Registration Authority.

Finding a Migration Agent Registered Under the Authority

There are several paths to finding a migration agent registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority. The Authority's own Register at mara.gov.au lists every currently registered agent — it is the source of truth for verification, but it is not designed for choosing between thousands of agents (no reviews, no specialisation filter, no language filter). The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) operates a member directory at mia.org.au — MIA members are all registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Migratio is a matching service for visa applicants: you describe your situation once and are matched with up to 3 agents who each have their MARN verified against the live Migration Agents Registration Authority register. Each agent on the Migratio platform reviews your brief and responds with their consultation fee. Whichever path you use, always do the final verification step yourself — open mara.gov.au, search the agent's MARN, and confirm the 'Current' status before signing.

What is the Migration Agents Registration Authority?

The Migration Agents Registration Authority is Australia's regulator for migration agents. It is administered by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), which sits within the Department of Home Affairs. The Authority registers migration agents, maintains the public register at mara.gov.au, investigates complaints, and disciplines agents who breach the Code of Conduct.

Is the Migration Agents Registration Authority the same as MARA or OMARA?

The terms refer to the same regulatory framework. 'MARA' is the shorter name for the Migration Agents Registration Authority. 'OMARA' is the operational regulator — the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority — that administers the framework. In practice the three terms are used interchangeably. The official register is at mara.gov.au.

How do I check if a migration agent is registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority?

Go to mara.gov.au and search the public register using the agent's name or their Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN). Confirm the status shows as 'Current'. If the agent's name does not return a 'Current' status, they are not currently registered and cannot legally charge fees for migration advice.

Is it mandatory for migration agents in Australia to be registered?

Yes. Any person who provides paid migration advice in Australia must be registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority, unless they are an Australian legal practitioner regulated under the legal profession framework. Providing paid migration advice without registration is a criminal offence under section 280 of the Migration Act 1958.

Can the Migration Agents Registration Authority order a refund?

No. The Authority does not have the power to order an agent to refund fees or pay compensation. It can discipline agents for Code breaches — including cautioning, suspending, or cancelling registration — and its findings can be used as evidence in a separate civil claim or small claims action. For fee disputes, the practical pathway is usually a written demand for refund, followed by a complaint to a state consumer affairs body or civil claim if necessary.

What is the difference between the Migration Agents Registration Authority and the Migration Institute of Australia?

The Migration Agents Registration Authority is the government regulator that maintains the official register and enforces the Code of Conduct. The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) is a private professional association that migration agents can voluntarily join — it offers training, professional development, and a member directory, but it is not the regulator. All MIA members are registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority, but not all registered agents are MIA members.