There are generally five types of visa services offered by agents. These include student visas, tourist visas, work visas, skilled migration, and family-related visas.
The migration agent processing your application has to be registered with the department to submit any applications on your behalf. You can check whether they are registered or not by visiting the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) website.
The agent should also have at least three years of experience in immigration law for submitting professional visa applications on clients’ behalf. They must also be familiar with all relevant government regulations regarding Australian immigration procedures and rules.
If you are still unsure who is suitable for you, you might consider looking up online reviews regarding these service providers before making a decision. However, it is worth noting that even the best service providers cannot guarantee a 100% success rate.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) offers a list of registered agents on its website. In addition, you can find separate lists for migration agents and registered lawyers to provide immigration services in Australia.
To verify if an agent is registered or not, visit the DIAC website at www.immi.gov.au and then click on ‘Services that we provide’ followed by ‘Registered migration agents’. This will take you to the DIAC list of registered agents in Australia, where you can search according to location or name, among other options such as ‘by status’.
Alternatively, go to the ‘Find a lawyer’ section and then search by name or location. You may use the drop-down menu to find details about their registration status, years in practice, languages are spoken, and so on.
If you are searching for immigration lawyers rather than migration agents, then the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website will have an option to filter your results according to the location.
Otherwise, go to www.findalawyer.com.au and enter your city or state under ‘where do you want to search?’ followed by clicking on ‘search’. Then click on the relevant list of immigration lawyers registered with DIAC, found under ‘List A: Lawyers who provide immigration services.
On this page, you will also find a separate list for migration agents operating under the ‘List B: Migration agents who offer immigration services’ category.
Most Australian states have their lists of visa service providers, too, that you can check online.
For example, in New South Wales, visit www.justice.nsw.gov.au and click on ‘Find a Solicitor in the legal help section followed by selecting your location in Australia to see a list of approved migration agents in your geographical area who also deal with employment and family-related matters as well as business visas and citizenship applications.
You can also find more information about seeking legal assistance at this website for people living outside NSW (such as on 457 skilled work visas)
Before you decide to choose an agent, you must ask them for their registration number. This will be either a TOL (Treatment of visa application) or PTR (Provide total Registered Migration Agent services). These numbers are issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and can also be found on their website.
If your agent’s registration details are not available in DIAC’s database, it may signify that they are not registered for this service. If your agent does not have a valid registration number displayed on their website or advertising material, you should avoid them as this may indicate that the agent is not registered with DIAC.
Finally, if you are still unsure about who to choose, you might consider looking up online reviews regarding these service providers before deciding.