How to make a complaint about a migration agent

If a registered migration agent has acted unprofessionally, breached the OMARA Code of Conduct, or misled you, you can lodge a formal complaint with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority at no cost. Before you do, decide what outcome you actually want: if your issue is really about a refund or fee dispute rather than professional conduct, raising it directly with the agency in writing first — referencing your services agreement — sometimes resolves it faster than a formal complaint, and doesn't prevent you from escalating afterward if it doesn't.

OMARA can investigate, and where warranted, caution, suspend, or cancel an agent's registration. It does not act as a small claims tribunal — it won't order a refund on your behalf. For money disputes that a direct conversation doesn't resolve, your state or territory's civil and administrative tribunal is the usual next step.

OMARA will acknowledge your complaint and assess whether it falls within its remit — that is, whether the conduct concerns a registered agent and a matter OMARA can investigate. Not every dispute qualifies: a pure fee dispute with a registered agent is generally a tribunal matter rather than an OMARA matter, while conduct that breaches the Code of Conduct — misleading you about your prospects, failing to provide a services agreement, or mishandling your documents — is squarely in scope.

Expect the process to take months rather than weeks. Investigations involve giving the agent a chance to respond, gathering evidence, and reaching a finding. OMARA will update you as the matter progresses, and its possible outcomes range from no further action, through a caution, up to suspension or cancellation of registration. You will usually need to do nothing beyond responding promptly if more information is requested.

OMARA assesses complaints on the specifics, so precision beats volume. A complaint that says "they were unprofessional" without dates or documents is much weaker than one that says "on 12 March they told me my application was lodged, but the department has no record of it, and my invoice shows the fee was paid on 9 March". Write the complaint as a timeline, attach the documents that support each entry, and state clearly what outcome you're seeking.

Two things will make the process smoother. First, respond to any request for clarification promptly — a stalled request is the most common reason a complaint drags on. Second, keep a copy of everything you submit. If the matter ever moves to a civil tribunal for a refund, that same evidence file becomes the foundation of your case there.

Set your expectations to months, not weeks. The sequence is: acknowledgment of your complaint, an assessment of whether it falls within OMARA's remit, the agent's opportunity to respond, and then the investigation itself. A simple, well-documented complaint will move faster than a complex one, and a complaint that requires OMARA to gather records from third parties will take longest of all.

You can help the process along without nagging: respond to every request quickly, and don't add new material unless it's genuinely new. Chasing updates every week rarely speeds anything up and can burn goodwill; a reasonable check-in every four to six weeks is enough. If your real priority is recovering money rather than holding someone to account, run the refund path through the civil tribunal in parallel — OMARA's timeline doesn't need to gate your recovery.

This is a different, more serious matter — providing immigration assistance for a fee without registration is a criminal offence. Report it to OMARA and consider reporting to the police, and keep every piece of documentation you have. If the MARN check that exposed this happened here, our guide on what to do when a MARN doesn't check out covers the steps in order.