Migration Agent Fees in Australia — What They Actually Cost

What a Consultation Actually Costs (Real Data, Not Estimates)

As at September 2026, Migratio held 686 consultation-fee quotes from 57 different MARA-registered agents responding to real applicant cases. Counting each agent once — taking each agent's own median quote, so that one agent quoting on many cases doesn't move the figure more than an agent who quoted once — the median initial consultation quote is $220, and the middle half of agents quote between $150 and $275. Treat this as an indicative range from agents quoting on Migratio, not a regulated or official fee.

A consultation is the initial appointment in which the agent learns about your situation and explains the realistic pathway; it is not the work of preparing your case. An agent who quotes $220 for a consultation is quoting for that conversation only — the fee for actually preparing and lodging your application is a separate quote you receive after the consult, once the agent understands your case.

What Full Case Representation Costs on Top

Once you engage an agent to prepare and lodge your application, the professional fee is separate from the consultation fee. There is no official schedule of migration agent fees, and Migratio does not hold enough full-engagement quotes to publish a reliable range. What drives the quote is the visa category and the complexity of your individual case: a prior refusal, evidence that could be read more than one way, a sponsorship or nomination to coordinate, or a review before the ART all add work. The Code of Conduct requires whatever fee the agent sets to be "fair and reasonable" (section 46(3)).

Some agents credit the consultation fee toward the full engagement fee if you go ahead with them — this varies agent to agent, so it is worth asking directly rather than assuming. Our guide to migration agent costs covers what goes into a full-case quote by visa category.

Fixed Fee or Hourly — What to Expect

The Code of Conduct allows two ways of setting a fee. Under section 46 of the Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021, your service agreement must state the fee "as either an hourly rate or a fixed total amount", including any GST, and that rate or amount "must be fair and reasonable". A fixed fee tells you the total upfront. If an agent proposes hourly billing, the agreement must also include a reasonable estimate of the time the work will take, and section 46(4) requires the agreement to provide that you won't be charged for time beyond that estimate unless exceptional circumstances arise after signing, you are given an updated estimate in writing, and you agree in writing to the work continuing.

What the Code of Conduct Legally Requires Agents to Tell You About Fees

This is the part most fee guides skip, and it is directly useful before you pay anyone. Under the Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021 (the instrument made under the Migration Act 1958), a registered migration agent must not give you immigration assistance unless a service agreement is in force — section 42 requires it to be in writing and signed by both you and the agent. The one exception is an initial consultation: section 43 lets an agent give advice at the first consultation on a matter without a service agreement, but any fee for it must be reasonable, the agent must tell you their MARN, and the invoice and receipt rules below still apply.

The service agreement must include the fee details (section 42(3), read with the fee provisions in section 46) and the payment terms — including any interest charged on unpaid fees (section 48). Before the agent actually charges you a fee or disbursement, section 49(a) requires them to give you an itemised invoice setting out the work or service the charge relates to; after you pay, section 49(b) requires a receipt that identifies the invoice and the work it covers. Separately, section 313 of the Migration Act 1958 says an agent is not entitled to be paid unless they give you a statement of services setting out the particulars of each service performed and the charge for it.

In practice: if an agent asks you to pay for work beyond an initial consultation before giving you a signed service agreement, or cannot produce an itemised invoice for a charge, that is a Code of Conduct matter you can raise directly with OMARA.

What's Not Included — the Government's Own Charge Is Separate

Every figure above is the agent's professional fee only. The Department of Home Affairs charges its own visa application charge on top, paid directly to the government and generally non-refundable regardless of the outcome. As at 1 July 2026, the base charge is $6,135 for the subclass 189 and $6,140 for the 190 or 491. For a partner visa (subclasses 820/801 onshore or 309/100 offshore), the base charge is $11,710, covering both stages. Other visa categories carry their own separate charges.

On top of both the agent fee and the government charge, budget for costs the agent doesn't control: a health examination, police certificates where the Department asks for them, document translation and certification, an English test if required, and — for skilled visas — the skills assessment fee charged by the relevant assessing authority. These are separate government or third-party charges that apply whether or not you use an agent at all.

Consult, Full Engagement, or DIY?

Not every case needs full representation. A straightforward application — a clear-cut visa category, no prior refusals, strong documentary evidence, no character or health complications — is something some applicants lodge themselves through ImmiAccount. The consultation fee data above is useful here even if you plan to self-lodge: a single consultation (the middle half of agents quoting on Migratio charge $150 to $275) to have a MARA-registered agent sanity-check your strategy before you lodge costs far less than full representation.

The cases where applicants most often choose an agent: a prior refusal, evidence that could be read more than one way (common in partner visa cases), employer-sponsored visas that require coordinating sponsorship and nomination with a business, or anything that could end up in front of the ART. A refusal costs the non-refundable government charge and time, and later application forms ask about previous refusals. Our detailed comparisons — migration agent vs DIY and do I need a migration agent — walk through this decision case type by case type.

How to Compare Quotes Properly

Because consultation fees sit in a fairly narrow band (the middle half of agents quoting on Migratio charge $150 to $275), the more useful comparison is what's included in the full engagement, not the consult price. Ask each agent for a written scope: does the fee cover both stages of a partner visa, or just the first? Is skills assessment guidance included or billed separately? What happens, cost-wise, if the Department asks for more information after lodgement? Two agents quoting different headline numbers for what turns out to be different scopes of work are not actually comparable.

The most direct way to see this in practice is to compare quotes from more than one agent on the exact same case. Through Migratio, you describe your situation once and MARA-registered agents who handle your visa type — whether it's a skilled visa, a partner visa, an employer-sponsored visa, or something else — review the same case brief and quote their consultation fee against it, so you're seeing real numbers for your case rather than a published range. You can also browse agents by specialisation directly, including agents who work in skilled visas, partner visas and employer-sponsored visas.

How much does a migration agent charge for an initial consultation?

Migratio's own data — 686 quotes from 57 MARA-registered agents, as at September 2026 — puts the median at $220 (counting each agent once), with the middle half of agents quoting between $150 and $275. These are indicative figures from agents quoting on Migratio, not an official fee.

Is the consultation fee the same as the full case fee?

No. The consultation fee covers the initial appointment only. Preparing and lodging the actual application is quoted separately afterwards and depends on the visa type and the complexity of your case; there is no official range. Some agents credit the consult fee toward the full fee if you proceed with them — ask directly.

What must an agent give me before I pay anything?

For an initial consultation, section 43 of the Migration Agents Code of Conduct Regulations 2021 requires any fee to be reasonable, the agent to tell you their MARN, and an itemised invoice before you're charged. For work beyond that, the agent needs a written service agreement signed by you and the agent, stating the fees and payment terms (sections 42, 46 and 48), and must give you an itemised invoice before charging any fee (section 49(a)).

Do government visa fees come out of the agent's fee?

No, they're entirely separate and paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs. As at 1 July 2026 the base charge is $6,135 for the 189 ($6,140 for the 190 or 491) and $11,710 for a partner visa. These are generally non-refundable regardless of the outcome and sit on top of whatever the agent charges.

Do migration agents charge hourly or a fixed fee?

The Code of Conduct allows either: the service agreement must state an hourly rate or a fixed total amount, including GST, and it must be "fair and reasonable". For hourly billing, the agreement must include a time estimate and, under section 46(4), you can't be charged beyond it unless exceptional circumstances arise and you agree in writing to an updated estimate.

Can I do my own visa application instead of paying an agent?

Yes — applicants can lodge themselves through ImmiAccount, and some do for straightforward cases. Prior refusals, evidence that could be read more than one way, and employer-sponsored cases are where applicants more often use an agent. See our migration agent vs DIY comparison for a case-by-case breakdown.

What can I do if an agent won't put their fees in writing?

Outside an initial consultation, the Code of Conduct requires a written, signed service agreement covering fees before an agent can provide immigration assistance. An agent unwilling to do this can be raised directly with OMARA.