Guide for agencies
How to respond to client reviews as a migration agent
A good reply is short, calm and says nothing about the client's matter. Here is how to handle praise, criticism and reviews that cross the line.
By Louise Harding, Migration content author
Checked against OMARA and Home Affairs sources · Updated
Why bother replying to reviews at all?
The person your reply is really for is not the reviewer. It is the next prospective client reading your reviews and deciding whether to get in touch. They will forgive a mixed review. What they notice is how you behave when someone is unhappy: whether you are defensive, whether you take it seriously, and whether you respect your clients' privacy.
For a migration agent the stakes are higher than for most businesses. Clients trust you with passports, relationship histories, health and character information, and a decision that may shape their whole family's future. A reply that leaks any of that, even to defend yourself, is a far bigger problem than the original review.
A good reply is written for the next client, not the last one, and it never tells anyone anything about a client's matter.
Where do replies actually appear?
Your migrationagent.review profile shows two kinds of review: reviews from your Google Business Profile, and reviews clients leave here through an invite you send from your dashboard. You can see both together on the Reviews page of your agency dashboard, and the listing owner gets an email when a new site review is published.
Replies to Google reviews are posted on Google, through your Google Business Profile, and live there. Reviews left on migrationagent.review don't currently carry a public owner reply, so for those the right response is usually private: contact the client through your normal channels if there is something to resolve, and let the improvement show up in the reviews that follow.
How should we reply to a positive review?
Briefly. Thank the person, mention something general about your service if it is natural, and stop. The temptation with a glowing review is to add detail — the visa subclass, how quickly it was granted, how difficult the case was. Don't. Even when the client has shared those details themselves, repeating or adding to them in your voice is a disclosure by you, and it reads like advertising built on someone else's matter.
A positive reply
- Thanks the client by first name only, or not at all
- Stays general — "we're glad the process felt clear" rather than anything about their visa
- Doesn't mention outcomes, timeframes or subclasses
- Doesn't sell — no fees, offers or "contact us for a free assessment"
- Is signed by a real person, with their role
How do we handle a negative review without breaching confidentiality?
The Code of Conduct for registered migration agents includes obligations to keep client information confidential, and those obligations don't switch off because a client has criticised you in public. You may be completely right about what happened. You still can't set the record straight by explaining the client's circumstances, their documents or the department's decision.
- 01Wait before you write
Read the review, check the file, and draft the reply the next day. A reply written in the first hour is almost always longer and sharper than it should be.
- 02Acknowledge the experience
Something like "We're sorry to hear you were unhappy with our service" accepts that the experience was real without admitting or disputing any fact.
- 03Don't argue the details
No timelines, no account of what the client did or didn't provide, no mention of the visa or the decision. If it is about a specific matter, the detail belongs in a private conversation.
- 04Offer a direct line
Give the name of a senior person and invite the reviewer to contact the office. That shows the next reader you deal with problems properly.
- 05Follow through privately
If they do get in touch, handle it through your normal complaints process and keep a record.
| Don't write | Write instead |
|---|---|
| "Your application was refused because you didn't provide the police check we asked for." | "We're sorry you're unhappy. Please contact our principal directly so we can talk it through." |
| "We have emails showing we replied within 24 hours." | "Responsiveness matters to us and we'd like to understand what went wrong." |
| "This person was never charged the amount they claim." | "We'd welcome the chance to go through our fees with you directly." |
| "We got this client's partner visa granted in four months." | "Thank you for taking the time to share your experience." |
What to leave out, and what to say instead
What if a review is unfair, abusive or not from a client?
Some reviews are simply wrong, and a few are not from clients at all — a competitor, a rejected prospect, or someone confusing you with another firm. Reply once, calmly, without confirming whether the person was a client: "We can't find a record matching this description. If you've dealt with our office, please contact us directly so we can look into it." That protects you if they were a client, and signals to readers that something is off if they weren't.
For Google reviews, use Google's own reporting tools for reviews that are fake, abusive or off-topic. If a review on migrationagent.review contains personal information, abuse or is clearly not from a client, tell us through the contact page with the agency name and the review, and we will look at it. A review being negative is not, on its own, a reason for it to come down.
What if the review is really a complaint?
Sometimes a review is the first sign of a complaint: a fee dispute, an allegation that the client wasn't told about a risk, or a claim that a deadline was missed. Treat it as one. Move it into your complaints process, respond privately and in writing, and keep notes. A client who feels they have been heard is far less likely to escalate.
Clients can also complain to OMARA about a registered agent's conduct, and we explain that process to applicants in our guide on making a complaint about a migration agent. Knowing what that path looks like from the client's side is a good reason to handle the issue well early. Your public reply should never reference a complaint, an investigation or a fee dispute.
How do replies fit with the rest of your listing?
Replies work best alongside a steady flow of new reviews. One critical review among a dozen recent, genuine ones reads as an outlier; the same review on a profile with three reviews from 2022 defines you. Our guide on getting more client reviews covers a routine that keeps reviews coming in without breaking any rules.
A complete, claimed profile does the same job: a clear description, your specialisations, office hours and languages give readers context that one bad review can't. Search for your agency below to see how complete your listing is and what is missing.
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Frequently asked questions
Do we need to reply to every review?
No, but replying to most of them, including the positive ones, shows you are paying attention. Prioritise negative and mixed reviews, and reply to those within a few days.
Can we ask a client to change or take down their review?
You can resolve the underlying problem and leave it to the client whether they update their review. Asking them to remove it, or offering anything in return, risks breaching consumer law and looks bad if it becomes public.
What if we can't identify the reviewer as a client?
Reply politely without confirming or denying anything, and invite them to contact the office. If you have good reason to think the review is fake, report it to the platform it is on rather than arguing in public.
Can a negative review lead to an OMARA complaint?
A review is not a complaint, but an unhappy client can also complain to OMARA. A careful, private resolution of the issue is the best protection either way, and a public reply that discloses client information could create a problem of its own.
Should the agent named in a review reply personally?
It often reads better coming from the principal or practice manager, signed with their name and role. Whoever writes it, follow the same rules and don't reply while you are annoyed.
General information only, not migration advice. For advice on your situation, speak to a registered migration agent.