Don’t get caught in a visa scam

​​​​​​If you’re applying for an Australian visa, be careful of scam migration agents who attempt to deceive and exploit applicants.

These scams often happen through social media. Scam agents may charge excessive fees, use fraudulent documents, make false promises, or encourage you to work illegally in Australia.

In Australia, it is illegal for anyone to give immigration advice for money unless they are:

• a registered migration agent with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA)
• an Australian legal practitioner.

If you are applying from outside of Australia, it is best to use a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner.

You can check if an agent is registered by using the OMARA search tool and user guide available on the OMARA website. Every registered migration agent has a Migration Agents Registration Number (MARN). Always ask the agent for their MARN and confirm it on the OMARA website.

If you use a scam agent, you could risk:

• losing money
• having your visa cancelled
• being ineligible for future visas
• being refused entry or banned from Australia
• being left stranded or sent back to your home country.

To learn more about how to identify a scam, visit the What you need to know about visa scams page .

If you know about visa fraud or believe you have been scammed, report it on the Border Watch page.

You can find more information on the Visa scams page.

 Link to the Department’s website, click here.