Migration agent fees and written agreements

There is no official fee range for migration agents or lawyers. What the rules do give you is a set of rights: a written agreement, a fee estimate, itemised invoices, a client money account and a refund policy.

No government body publishes a fee range or fee schedule for registered migration agents, and none was found for migration lawyers either. This site will not give typical prices, because there is no official figure to cite. What exists instead is a legal standard: an agent's fees must be fair and reasonable, and the Code of Conduct sets out what you must be told before you pay.

The OMARA says fees depend on the type of visa, the time needed to prepare the matter, and the services you need. Each agent sets their own fees in the signed agreement. To compare quotes, use the written agreement as the common yardstick, with the questions to ask as a prompt.

Source: OMARA, Steps to choose a registered migration agent (checked 16 October 2026)

The written service agreement

Under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct, a registered agent must not give immigration assistance unless a service agreement covering that assistance is in force. It must be in writing and signed by you and the agent. It must include your details, the agent's name, MARN and contact details, details of the services, a statement that the consumer guide was given, what happens to your file when the work ends, and the fee terms.

The Code also says an agent must not receive fees or disbursement amounts from you until a service agreement covering the work is in force. The one exception is the fee for a permitted initial consultation, which must be reasonable. Only the first consultation on a matter counts as initial.

Source: Code of Conduct Regulations 2021, ss 42, 43 and 51 (checked 16 October 2026)

How fees must be set out

The agreement must state fees as either an hourly rate or a fixed total amount, including any GST. If it is an hourly rate, it must include a reasonable estimate of the time. Under the Code, an hourly-rate client is not charged beyond the estimate unless exceptional circumstances arise and the client agrees in writing to an updated estimate. Rates and fixed fees cannot be varied except in exceptional circumstances.

Disbursements are costs such as visa charges. The agreement must list the likely disbursements with an amount or a reasonable estimate for each. You cannot be charged more than the actual amount or the stated estimate, and any overcharge must be refunded. Increases above the stated amount need written notice and your agreement.

The ART's application fee is a separate cost paid to the tribunal, not to an agent. See the ART application fee explained. The ART also says it cannot pay for any representative costs.

Source: Code of Conduct Regulations 2021, ss 46 and 47 (checked 16 October 2026)

Invoices, client money and statements of services

Itemised invoice: an agent must not charge a fee or a disbursement unless you have been given an itemised invoice describing the work or services it relates to. After you pay, you must get a receipt.
Client money account: money you pay in advance is client money and must go into an account used only for that purpose. The Code does not call it a trust account.
Statement of services: under the Migration Act, a registered agent is not entitled to be paid unless they give you a statement of services setting out each service performed and the charge for each. If you paid without getting one and still do not receive it, the Act allows you to recover the payment as a debt.

Source: Migration Act 1958, s 313; Code of Conduct Regulations 2021, ss 49 and 50 (checked 16 October 2026)

Refunds, documents and ending the agreement

The agreement must include a refund policy for fees and disbursements, and the policy must be fair and reasonable. Refunds owed must be paid no later than 14 days after they become payable. If the agreement ends, the agent must give you written notice, and if client money remains they must tell you how much was received, paid out and left, and that the rest will be refunded unless you instruct otherwise.

If you ask in writing, an agent must return documents you are entitled to within 14 days, and generally cannot hold them as security for unpaid fees. Before any of this, check the agent is registered.

Source: Code of Conduct Regulations 2021, ss 52, 54 and 57 (checked 16 October 2026)

Lawyers' fees

The Law Council of Australia's directory says different lawyers charge different fees, and that there are two main ways lawyers charge: fixed fees or time-based fees. It gives no dollar figures. Cost-disclosure rules for lawyers come from state and territory law. A Legal Services Council sheet from July 2022, covering NSW, Victoria and Western Australia, says an estimate from a lawyer is not a quote, so it is worth asking what is fixed and what can change.

Source: Law Council of Australia directory, Immigration time and costs (checked 16 October 2026; page still refers to the former AAT)

If something goes wrong

The OMARA can investigate a breach of the contract or the Code, but it cannot order a refund or compensation. For a money dispute, the OMARA points to a tribunal or local court, and Home Affairs also mentions your state or territory consumer protection office. See migration agent vs migration lawyer for where lawyer complaints go.

One timing point: if you are weighing up a review, the time limit in your decision letter keeps running while you compare quotes, and signing with an agent does not extend it. This page describes the rules in general and is not legal advice.

Source: OMARA, Before you make a complaint (checked 16 October 2026)