Migration agents in Australia must be registered. Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) have the Code of Conduct clearly displayed in their office and will make it available to you on request.
An RMA will:

• be honest with you about your chances of securing the visa you are applying for
• keep you informed about the progress of your application and any changes that may affect it
• be contactable during business hours and tell you if they change their contact details
• within the law, your best interests, and your instructions, and, protect your confidentiality
• declare any interest they have that may affect your application and not act for you where there is a conflict
• provide you with a written statement, before starting work, of the services to be provided, the fee and other costs and a similar statement at the end with services actually performed and fees charged
• charge a reasonable fee and, if you pay in advance, keep this in a separate bank account
• provide timely and correct advice and tell you in writing about the result of your application as soon as possible

While you should not experience problems with the service offered by your RMA, if you do, you should try and resolve it directly with them. If you can’t, then contact the MARA. You might then be asked to complete a formal complaint form that could be sent to the agent during the MARA investigation, which will be fair and impartial.

If you would like to check on the registration of your agent, or find out more about complaints procedures, please go to the MARA website www.themara.com.au.

Under the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Agents Regulations 1998, the MARA:

• registers new migration agents and reregisters existing agents
• approves the agent entry course and continuing professional development activities for agents
• monitors the conduct of RMAs
• investigates complaints against RMAs and disciplines them where appropriate

However, the MARA cannot help you with your application/sponsorship or order a refund from your RMA.