| ONSHORE AGENTS | OFFSHORE AGENTS |
|---|---|
| Have to be registered with the Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA). | Do not need to be registered. |
| Only satisfactory persons are registered. | Cannot by closely governed by any authoritative body including the office of MARA or the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. |
| Hefty registration fees of $1500 per year with the Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority. | Do not have to pay for registration under the Migration Act. |
| Have to complete professional development courses each year. | Do not have migration training. |
| Maintain correct knowledge enabling them to provide detailed and exact advice to customers and are kept updated of regulation changes and informed by the office of MARA or immigration news makes them absolutely prepared to prepare and lodge a visa application with full knowledge of the current regulations. | Their knowledge might not be up-to-date with regulation changes or visa structures. |
| Have a professional indemnity insurance. | Do not require insurance by law. |
| Have to pass strict English language testing requirements. | Do not need to proof their English proficiency. |
| Have to follow the Code of Conduct. | Are not obligated to operate by the Code of Conduct. |
| All complaints about the service of registered migration agents are promptly judiciously addressed. | Have been known to present a false profile to consumers in the past; when this happens the Australian Government cannot take action. |
If you’re still outside of Australia and looking for a way to get here, we would advise you to contact an Australian migration agency.
You can contact us by email, phone, Skype, LinkedIn, Facebook or WeChat. We are constantly looking at ways to better accommodate international clients.
If you’ve been quoted lesser fees offshore by a non-Australian migration agent, while these quotes may seem appealing, we advise you to express extreme caution as these deals are often too good to be true.
If you like this article, you might be also interested in What is a Registered Migration Agent and Benefits of a Registered Migration Agent.
