Migration Agent
Migration agents advise people on which visa fits their situation, then prepare, lodge and manage the application with the Department of Home Affairs on the client's behalf.
- Median salary
- $113,800
4.3%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 2,800
3.7%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +26.6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Migration agents work through visa options with clients, assemble the supporting evidence a case needs, and deal directly with the Department of Home Affairs while a decision is pending. They must be registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) and hold professional indemnity insurance, and most work solo or in small specialist practices rather than large firms. The role is often confused with a solicitor's: a migration agent doesn't need a law degree, though admitted lawyers can also practise immigration law without separate OMARA registration.
How much do migration agents earn?
The median full-time salary for a migration agent is $113,800 per annum, before tax, up $24,000 since 2018.
Pay is set by the practice or firm rather than one award, so it moves with the number and complexity of cases you carry and with whether you are paid a salary or a share of fees. Agents who run their own practice carry the overheads and the risk, but keep the fee income, which is why practice owners often earn more than employed case managers. Specialising in a demanding visa category or in corporate sponsorship work tends to pay better than handling general enquiries.
What does a migration agent do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Working through a client's circumstances to work out which visa pathway fits their timeline and goals
- Assembling the supporting evidence for an application that can run to hundreds of pages
- Lodging applications through the IMMI Account and answering requests from Home Affairs case officers
- Managing client expectations while a decision that will reshape their life sits in a processing queue
- Tracking changes to legislative instruments and policy directions so advice given months ago still holds up
What skills do migration agents need?
Employers look for regulatory and administrative law, drafting and contracts, regulatory compliance, backed by IMMI Account (DHA portal) fluency and strong client relationships and advisory.
Specialist skills
- Regulatory and administrative law
- Drafting and contracts
- Regulatory compliance
Software and tools
- IMMI Account (DHA portal)
- Legal practice management software
- Document management systems
- Client relationship management (CRM) platforms
- Immigration law research databases
General skills
- Client relationships and advisory
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 2,800 people work as migration agents in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 26.6% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a migration agent?
Here's the path most migration agents take, step by step.
- 1Check that you meet the registration requirements
Applicants must be at least 18 and be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen holding a special category visa, and they must satisfy character, English and fit and proper person checks.
- 2Complete the Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice
This is the qualification registration requires, usually about a year of full-time study or longer part time, and it is widely offered online. Most entrants already hold a bachelor degree, and around 60% of the migration agent workforce holds a postgraduate qualification.
- 3Apply to OMARA for registration
Once the qualification, English and character requirements are met, OMARA registers you as a migration agent and you renew each year after completing continuing professional development.
- 4Take out professional indemnity insurance
Insurance is a condition of registration, and it is worth reading the policy before you take on a large or unusual case because cover limits and exclusions vary between insurers.
- 5Already admitted as a lawyer? Then there is a different path
Australian legal practitioners can give immigration advice as part of legal practice without separate OMARA registration, which is how solicitors usually move into migration law.
Ready to apply as a migration agent?
Whether you're working toward becoming a migration agent or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a migration agent move to?
Moving into Legislative Drafter typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $11,000 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative Drafter Migration agent brings legislative interpretation and submission drafting, and a short course prepares for drafting bills and regulations. | +$11,000 | 50% | short course |
| Patents Examiner Migration agent brings regulatory assessment and client case management, while a short course adds patent examination expertise. | −$9,800 | 59% | short course |
| Compliance Officer Migration agent brings regulatory compliance and investigation skills, and a short course adapts to broader compliance frameworks. | −$26,400 | 50% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a migration agent?
The typical migration agent is 42 years old; 55% are women, 62% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 42
- Median age
- 55%
- Female share
- 62%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a migration agent?
The work runs on cases rather than a daily routine: a file moves through assessment, lodgement and months of waiting, so most agents juggle several cases at different stages. Much of the week goes into evidence and correspondence, with quiet stretches broken by a case officer's request that has to be answered quickly. It suits someone who likes reading rules closely, explaining them patiently to people under pressure, and keeping detailed records.
What people like
- You see the decision come through. Lodging the application is only the middle of the story, and the agent who prepared the case is usually the first person the client calls when the visa is granted.
- The rules reward close reading. Migration law is published in detail, so time spent on a criterion or a policy direction shows up in the quality of the advice rather than disappearing into opinion.
- The client base is genuinely varied. A week can run from a partner visa for a couple in Melbourne to a corporate sponsor relocating a team of engineers, so the subject matter keeps changing.
- Running your own practice is realistic. Registration belongs to the individual rather than the firm, so experienced agents can set up with a small team and build their own client base, which is a common long-term path.
What people find hard
- Processing times are out of your hands. A client's job offer, study start date or family plans can stall for months in a queue, and the agent absorbs most of the frustration about it.
- The rules change mid-case. Legislative instruments and policy directions are updated during the year, so a strategy that was sound at the first meeting can need reworking before lodgement.
- The paperwork is heavy. Evidence files run to hundreds of pages of identity documents, employment records, statements and certified translations, all of which have to be checked against the criteria.
- Clients under pressure call often. People making a life decision want reassurance, so part of the week goes to updates and explanations that don't move the case forward.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ migration agents?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of migration agents, followed by Other Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Other Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Postgraduate | 60% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 30.7% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 3.5% | |
| Year 12 or below | 2.7% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 0.6% |
Will AI replace migration agents?
Migration agents work with documents and published rules, both of which AI handles well, so exposure is moderate rather than low. Drafting, summarising client files and monitoring legislative updates are already being sped up by software, and the IMMI Account portal has standardised lodgement. What the tools don't do is read a client's circumstances against a visa criterion and decide what to argue, which is still the agent's work.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Drafting submissions and preparing supporting evidenceDrafting tools produce a usable first version of a statement or submission letter in minutes, which leaves the agent to check it against the evidence and the current criteria.30%high
- Assessing a client's situation and choosing a visa pathwaySoftware can list which visas a client might qualify for, but weighing a messy employment history or a previous refusal against the criteria is a judgement call.25%moderate
- Keeping up with visa rule and policy changesAI summaries make it quicker to scan new legislative instruments, but they can miss how a change interacts with a case already in progress.25%moderate
- Corresponding with Home Affairs on a live caseAnswering a case officer's request usually turns on the specifics of that file, and a generic reply can cost a client the application.20%low
Common questions about becoming a migration agent
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do migration agents earn?
The median full-time income for migration agents is $113,800 per year before tax. That figure is a median across the occupation, so pay in a small suburban practice sits some distance from pay in a corporate immigration firm or a practice the agent owns.
How do you become a migration agent in Australia?
You complete the Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice, then apply to OMARA for registration, which requires English, character and fit and proper person checks plus professional indemnity insurance. Registration is renewed each year and continuing professional development is part of keeping it.
Are migration agents in demand?
Migration agents are currently not in shortage, and employment across the occupation is projected to grow 26.6% over the decade to 2035. Visa demand follows migration policy settings rather than the domestic business cycle, so the mix of work in a practice can shift between years even when the total number of agents holds steady.
Will AI replace migration agents?
AI tools are already useful for drafting submissions, summarising client documents and scanning legislative updates, which is why exposure here is moderate rather than low. Deciding which pathway suits a client, and answering a case officer's specific concerns, still rests on an agent reading the file and the current criteria.
What can a migration agent move into?
Registered agents who move into law typically become solicitors, a step that needs minimal retraining because the casework and client management carry across, and solicitors earn $6,200 more. Others move into broader compliance work, where the pay difference is $26,400 less and the shared skill is reading regulations and managing a case file, usually after a short course. Many agents instead stay and grow by running their own practice, which is often where earnings grow.
Do you need a law degree to be a migration agent?
No. Registration requires the Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice rather than a law degree. Admitted lawyers can give immigration advice as part of legal practice without separate OMARA registration, which is why some immigration practices are run by solicitors and others by registered agents.
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