Common patterns
- Unregistered migration agents advertising 'guaranteed' visa outcomes
- Phone calls or emails impersonating Home Affairs or Australian Border Force, threatening arrest or deportation
- Fake sponsor / employer offers requiring upfront fees
- Marriage and partner visa scams
- Identity and passport detail theft for use in other fraud
How to check a migration agent
All registered migration agents in Australia must be listed on the MARA (Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority) register. Search by name or MARN (Migration Agent Registration Number). If they are not in the register, do not take their advice.
If you have been targeted
- Stop all contact with the agent or caller.
- Do not send any further documents, money, or codes.
- Report to Australia's Border Watch (Home Affairs) — link below.
- Report to Scamwatch and, if you lost money or were threatened, to the police.
- If the agent claims to be registered, file a complaint with OMARA.
Verify and report
If English is difficult
TIS National (131 450) provides free 24/7 interpreting in 150+ languages. You can ask them to connect you to Scamwatch, Home Affairs, or police. The Free Translating Service translates personal documents for permanent residents and certain visa holders.
The Department of Home Affairs will never call you and ask for payment in cryptocurrency, gift cards, or by bank transfer to a personal account. Any such call is a scam — hang up and verify through the official Home Affairs number.