By Chang Min Park, Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law | Sources checked: 12 October 2026
A polished website, a familiar face or a confident promise does not establish that someone is authorised to advise you. Before paying for Australian immigration assistance, check the actual person handling your matter, their current credentials and the work they are allowed to do. This guide links to the official checking routes in all eight Australian states and territories and to the OMARA migration agent register.
Two legitimate professions, two different checks
An Australian legal practitioner is checked through the relevant legal profession body or regulator. The key is a current practising certificate, not merely a law degree, past admission to a Supreme Court roll or association membership. Admission is not, by itself, current authority to practise.
A registered migration agent (RMA) is checked through the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA). Match the individual’s name to their Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN). A migration agent is not automatically a lawyer.
Do not reject a genuine Australian legal practitioner simply because they have no MARN. Since 22 March 2021, Australian legal practitioners can provide immigration assistance in connection with legal practice without OMARA registration. Home Affairs explains the change.
In Australia, paid immigration assistance generally must be provided by an RMA or Australian legal practitioner. There are limited categories of exempt people who may provide assistance without charging a fee. Do not confuse that exception with permission for an unregistered commercial adviser to charge. Rules for a person operating overseas need separate consideration; this guide does not claim Australian registration rules apply identically worldwide.
How to check lawyers in every state and territory
Start with the issuing jurisdiction shown on the person’s practising certificate, which may differ from your own location. A referral directory and a current practising-certificate register are not always the same thing. Some official tools also list admitted people who do not currently hold a certificate. Read the status, not just the name.
New South Wales: Law Society of NSW
Open the Register of Solicitors, then its search tool. In Find a Solicitor, enter Last Name, adding Other Name if needed. Choose Exact, Contains or Begins with, then Search. Open the name or Details and check Practising Certificate Type and Principal Place of Practice. The admission date is a separate fact.
Some records are withheld from public search. If the result is missing or unclear, ask registry@lawsociety.com.au rather than assuming the person is unlicensed.
Victoria: Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner
Use the regulator’s Register of Lawyers, not only a Law Institute of Victoria referral listing. Enter the name in By keyword, choose Lawyer under I want to find a, then Submit. Match Type, Practising at and the address.
The search includes a No current practising certificate category. A matching name alone is not enough. The Only show individuals with disciplinary action filter is an additional check, not a guarantee that every past disciplinary matter is displayed. Ask VLSB+C about unclear status or conditions.
Queensland: Queensland Law Society
Open the QLS Register of Solicitors. Select Solicitors, enter the name under Keyword (Name, Firm etc), keep Register selected and click Search register. Open the result and inspect Practising Certificate → Type, alongside the name and firm. If validity or conditions are uncertain, contact records@qls.com.au.
QLS search screen captured on 12 October 2026. Use the register to check the individual, not simply a firm’s advertising.
Western Australia: Legal Practice Board of WA
Use LPBWA Lawyer Search. Enter a first name or surname and click Search. Check Certificated: Yes/No, Certificate Category and Primary Law Practice. Open the name to inspect Conditions.
The tool includes admitted lawyers as well as certificate holders, so finding a name is not enough. A person may practise in WA under a current interstate Australian certificate; absence of a WA certificate requires further checking, not an automatic allegation of unlawful practice.
South Australia: Law Society of SA
Use the Register of Practising Certificates. Enter Last Name, click Find, then compare the name, P Code and Practising Certificate Category. Follow the page’s category explanation link.
The register covers SA certificate holders and is updated daily. Do not assume Category C means unrestricted practice: it can include both restricted and unrestricted employed practitioners. For individual conditions, contact Ethics and Practice on (08) 8229 0229.
Tasmania: Law Society of Tasmania
Open Find a Lawyer / Register of Local Practising Certificates, preferably on a desktop. Set Search Type → Search for a Lawyer and filter the Name column. Check Current Practising Certificate Issue Date, Type and Firm. Open Lawyer Details for certificate information, standard conditions and any additional conditions.
Despite its “Find a Lawyer” title, this route provides practising-certificate information. A displayed practice area is not, by itself, specialist accreditation.
Australian Capital Territory: ACT Law Society
Use Find a Lawyer. Enter Lawyer Name, click Search and match the workplace and PC Type. At the date of this guide, results display categories such as Restricted Private 26/27 and Unrestricted Private 26/27.
For complete current status or individual conditions, ask memberconnect@actlawsociety.asn.au. Do not treat self-selected practice areas as accredited specialist status.
Northern Territory: Law Society NT
Open Current NT legal practitioners. Under 2026/27, choose the surname group A–F, G–L, M–R or S–Z, or Barristers. Search the PDF using Ctrl/Cmd+F, matching the name, Type and firm.
This is a dated list, not a live individual search. The list available when checked was as at 9 October 2026. For current validity and conditions, ask pcapp@lawsocietynt.asn.au. An interstate certificate may also authorise practice in the NT.
What if the person is a barrister?
The NSW and Queensland links above are solicitor registers. For barristers, start with the NSW Bar Association directory or Bar Association of Queensland search and confirm current certificate status with the issuing Bar Association. These directories are not exhaustive: Queensland’s online directory is opt-in, and its complete current-certificate register is available for public inspection at its premises. Contact qldbar@qldbar.asn.au if needed.
Not found? Do not jump straight to “unlicensed”. Check spelling, the person’s full registered name, solicitor versus barrister status, the issuing jurisdiction and any publication restrictions. Ask the regulator to confirm. Equally, do not proceed on a vague assurance if current authority remains unverified.
How to check a migration agent on OMARA
Go directly to the official OMARA register, rather than a screenshot supplied by the adviser.
- Enter the MARN if you have it. OMARA’s guide says you do not need other fields when searching by MARN.
- Otherwise use Agent’s given name, Agent’s family name, Business Name or Business location, then select Search. You do not need to fill every field.
- Open the result using the Family name link. Match the person, MARN, business and contact details, and check current registration information, including any expiry information shown. Recheck close to engagement rather than relying on an old search.
- Review OMARA disciplinary decisions as an additional check. Confirm who is actually advising you and taking responsibility for the matter.
OMARA search screen captured on 12 October 2026. A MARN identifies an individual agent, not a blanket licence for every person in the business.
Someone else’s MARN is not a licence for your adviser. In August 2026, Home Affairs reported sanctions against registered agents who enabled unregistered people to provide immigration assistance through “front agent” arrangements. Ask who provides the advice and who is appointed on your matter, not merely whether the business can quote a registration number. Official announcement.
Why regulated professionals matter
Registration is a baseline, not a trophy. It connects the professional to a framework of entry requirements, professional obligations, ongoing training, oversight and complaints or disciplinary processes. RMAs must comply with the Code of Conduct, including professional indemnity insurance requirements. Lawyers operate under their legal profession’s rules and applicable insurance requirements. None of this guarantees a visa, a good outcome or automatic compensation.
An unauthorised adviser is not subject to the same professional registration, renewal and disciplinary controls. You cannot safely assume their claimed qualifications, training or insurance have been checked. That gap can make careless advice, hidden conflicts and unlawful shortcuts harder to detect or address. It does not mean they are beyond all criminal or consumer law, or that every unregistered person is a fraudster.
Home Affairs warns that scam agents may give incorrect advice, make false promises, take money without lodging applications or submit false documents. “We can hide that”, “borrow this MARN” and “approval is guaranteed” are reasons to stop and obtain independent advice, not clever strategies. False information can put your visa and future applications at risk.
If something goes wrong, compensation is not automatic
An unlicensed provider may lack the professional insurance and regulatory accountability available through authorised practice. Recovering money can be difficult, especially if the provider disappears, operates overseas or has no assets. But it is inaccurate to say there is never a legal remedy: depending on the facts, consumer, contract, negligence or fraud remedies may still be available.
For an RMA, use OMARA’s complaints route. OMARA cannot order an agent to refund your fees, and a disciplinary complaint is not a compensation claim. Insurance coverage and any civil recovery depend on the facts, policy and applicable law. For a lawyer, contact the relevant state or territory legal complaints regulator. Report suspected unlawful immigration assistance through Border Watch.
Keep the agreement, invoices, payments, messages and application records. Get independent advice promptly on any visa, review or court deadline: a complaint does not extend it.
Before you pay: six questions
- Is the actual adviser’s current registration or practising certificate independently verified?
- Does the certificate’s category and any supervision or employment condition permit this work in this arrangement? A restricted certificate is not automatically an invalid certificate.
- Who is responsible for my matter, and what work will they personally do?
- What relevant experience do they have? If specialist accreditation is claimed, can it be separately verified?
- Are the scope, fees, disbursements and refund or termination terms in writing?
- Will I receive copies of my application, supporting documents and decisions, and is there a clear complaints contact?
Choose on verified authority, relevant experience and clear advice, not the loudest promise. If you need an assessment of your immigration matter, contact Park & Co Lawyers to ask about availability, scope and fees. An enquiry alone does not create an engagement or protect a deadline.
General information only, not advice on an individual case. Search interfaces and status can change. Check the current official register and seek clarification where necessary. This guide develops the consumer-checking theme of my earlier Korean discussion of lawyers and migration agents, with updated official checking routes.