Australia’s watchdog for migration agents has pledged to cleanse the profession by eliminating unlicensed “fake agents” following instances of illegal immigration assistance.
In a decisive move described by the government as part of an “ongoing crackdown,” the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) has imposed sanctions on three registered migration agents.
Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, Julian Hill, emphasized the government’s commitment to bolstering oversight of immigration practices.
“When individuals pay for the services of a migration agent, they rightly anticipate that a skilled, certified professional will handle the work, not an inexperienced, unauthorized impostor,” Hill stated in an official release on Tuesday.
“Nobody would tolerate the misuse of registration numbers by doctors, lawyers, or financial planners, and the same principle should apply when engaging a registered migration agent.”
The three cases form part of a broader regulatory push by OMARA.
OMARA’s monitoring team was established in October and “proactively monitored” 85 registered migration agents during 2025-26, identifying 43 instances of non-compliance and addressing them through education, engagement and regulatory action, according to the government statement.
“Alongside the Investigations team, which examines allegations of serious misconduct, OMARA sanctioned 28 registered migration agents in 2025-26,” it added.
‘Front agents’
In three separate cases, registered migration agents permitted unregistered individuals to provide migration assistance under the agents’ Migration Agent Registration Numbers (MARNs), a practice commonly referred to as “front agent” activity.
In the first case, an agent’s registration was cancelled after OMARA determined that hundreds of visa applications submitted through three business ImmiAccounts involved either undisclosed immigration assistance or assistance provided by staff who were not registered migration agents.
ImmiAccount is the Department of Home Affairs’ online portal for lodging and managing visa and citizenship applications.
In the second case, an agent was suspended after acknowledging that his son, who was not a registered migration agent, had provided immigration assistance on the business’s behalf.
The investigation also uncovered allegations that clients had received falsified departmental correspondence intended to give the impression that visa applications had been lodged when they had not.
In the third matter, an agent was suspended after knowingly permitting another business director to lodge visa applications using the agent’s MARN while the director worked towards becoming a registered migration agent.
The government said it has strengthened OMARA’s regulatory capability, with the regulator now using both investigations and proactive monitoring to improve compliance and professional standards.
OMARA said in the release that bad actors will be identified and “removed from the profession”.
“While the vast majority of RMAs [registered migration agent] act with integrity and professionalism, there is a small cohort who intentionally seek to undermine the migration program for personal gain,” it said.
“These actors bring the migration advice profession into disrepute and tarnish the reputation of those RMAs who do the right thing in the best interests of their clients.”
Only registered migration agents, Australian legal practitioners and exempt persons can lawfully provide immigration assistance in Australia.
Consumers can check whether an agent is registered through the migration agents register.