Migration agent fees: what a consultation costs and what comes after

A 30 minute telephone consultation with one of our registered migration agents costs $80. In person it’s $110. A 30 minute consultation with our Principal Migration Agent is $150, and an hour is $250.

Those are the actual numbers. You can book without ringing to ask what it costs.

Most migration agencies leave fees off their website entirely, which means the first real conversation you have is about money rather than your visa. We’d rather you knew what you were committing to before you got in touch.

Amanpreet Bhangoo, Principal Migration Agent (MARN 1573884)

Neha Kaushal (MARN 2518964), Sumit Goyal (MARN 2519003) and Dimpee Bhardwaj (MARN 2518821)

All amounts in Australian dollars.

30 minutes is enough if you want to confirm you’re eligible for a visa, check you’re on the right track with an application you’re preparing yourself, or get a second opinion on advice you’ve already had. Most straightforward skilled, partner and student visa enquiries fit comfortably in half an hour.

Book 45 minutes or an hour if any of the following apply to you:

• You’ve had a visa refused or cancelled
• You’re subject to a section 48 bar
• You need to meet Schedule 3 criteria
• Your visa carries condition 8503, no further stay
• You’ve received a section 57 natural justice letter
• You have a health condition or criminal history that could affect the outcome
• You’re weighing up several different visa pathways at once

Complex histories take time to work through properly. A 30 minute appointment on a matter that needs an hour helps nobody, and we’d rather you booked the right length than left with half an answer.

Telephone appointments cost less than in person or Zoom because there’s less preparation involved. If you have documents you need us to read beforehand, book in person or by Zoom instead.

Not sure which to book? Call (07) 3519 7009 and reception will point you to the right agent and the right length. That conversation is free.

The consultation is advice, not a sales pitch. In that time we’ll:

• Go through your immigration history and current status
• Identify which visas you’re realistically eligible for
• Flag anything in your background likely to cause a problem
• Explain what evidence you’d need to gather
• Give you a rough timeframe
• Tell you honestly if we think you don’t need an agent

That last point is deliberate. If your matter is straightforward and you’re capable of lodging it yourself through ImmiAccount, we’ll say so. Plenty of visitor and student visa applications don’t need professional help, and paying for something you don’t need isn’t a good outcome for anyone.

Send your documents through beforehand. Previous applications, refusal letters, grant notices, your passport bio page, any correspondence from Home Affairs. If we’ve read it before you arrive, the appointment is spent on your options rather than on background.

The consultation fee covers the consultation. If you engage us to prepare and lodge an application, that’s quoted separately.

Professional fees depend on what the matter actually involves. A straightforward visitor visa and a schedule 3 waiver with a refusal history are not comparable pieces of work, and quoting a single number for both would be misleading.

What you can rely on:

You get a written costs agreement before any work starts. It sets out the fee, what’s included, what isn’t, and the payment schedule. This is required under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct, not a courtesy we’re extending.

The fee doesn’t change unless the scope does. If something unexpected comes up that adds work, we tell you before doing it, not afterwards on an invoice.

Home Affairs charges are separate. Visa application charges are set by the Department and paid to the Department. They’re not part of our fee and we don’t mark them up. Current charges are published at homeaffairs.gov.au and change on 1 July most years.

It’s a fair question and it’s worth answering properly.

Registered migration agents carry costs that unregistered “consultants” don’t. Professional indemnity insurance. Annual OMARA registration. Continuing professional development every year. The Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice and the Capstone assessment before you can register at all.

More to the point, migration law changes constantly. Occupation lists get revised, income thresholds move, policy shifts. Keeping current is most of the job, and it’s the part clients never see.

If someone quotes you dramatically less than everyone else, check the Register of Migration Agents at mara.gov.au before you pay. Unregistered operators are cheaper because they’re not carrying any of those costs, and they’re not carrying any accountability either. If it goes wrong there’s no regulator to complain to and no insurance behind them.

Use these on us and on anyone else you’re considering.

1. What’s your MARN, and is your registration current?
2. Is the quote fixed or an estimate?
3. What exactly is included, and what would cost extra?
4. Are Home Affairs charges included or separate?
5. What happens to your fee if the application is refused?
6. Do you charge separately for responding to a request for further information?
7. Would an appeal be quoted separately?
8. When do payments fall due?
9. Will I get a written costs agreement before work starts?
10. Who will actually be handling my file, and are they registered?

Question 10 catches more problems than the other nine combined. Some businesses advertise a registered agent’s name while the work is done by unregistered staff.

Appointments are available in person at Buranda House, 2/154 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, by Zoom, or by telephone. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.

We work with clients across Queensland and Australia-wide. Most matters never require you to be in the room.

Book online or call (07) 3519 7009. You can read more about what a registered agent does on our immigration agent Brisbane page, meet the team on our team page, or contact us with a question first.