Migration Agent Fees in Sydney (2026)

• Registered agent or solicitor. Two kinds of practitioner may lawfully charge for visa help: an agent listed on OMARA's Register, or a solicitor whose practising certificate was granted under Australian state or territory law (Department of Home Affairs). A Sydney solicitor is also bound by the Legal Profession Uniform Law, which limits charges to fair and reasonable costs and requires a written estimate of total costs once the job is likely to exceed $750.
• Students and education agents. Student and visitor matters sit at $560–$2,800 on our table. An education agent can help you weigh up courses, but unless they are registered or are a lawyer, giving you visa assistance is unlawful for them (OMARA). Whoever prepares your visa papers in Sydney should be able to show a MARN or a practising certificate.
• Skilled and employer work. Skilled applications, at $2,250–$5,600, may need groundwork on a skills assessment before lodgement, and some agents bill that as an extra. An employer bringing in a worker pays $3,350–$8,950 for sponsorship, nomination and visa together. Check whether each stage is priced on its own or rolled into one fee.
• Refusals and awkward gaps. Files with a refused or cancelled visa behind them, a health or character issue, or stretches of time that are hard to account for need research and written submissions that a clean first application does not. Tell the agent about these at your first appointment, since a quote built on half the story is likely to grow later.
• People named on the file. The average Greater Sydney household holds 2.7 people (ABS 2021 Census). Where a spouse, children or parents are added to an application, each one brings documents, checks and forms of their own. Some practitioners price per person and others charge one fee for the family, so compare quotes for the same set of names.
• Requests from the Department. Once your practitioner is appointed on Form 956, Home Affairs can discuss the application with them and seek further information through them. Answering those requests takes time that a quote may or may not cover, so ask whether replies to the Department are inside the quoted price or charged by the hour.
• Disputing a solicitor's bill. In NSW, complaints about legal costs are called costs disputes and go to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner. They must be lodged within 60 days after the costs become payable, or 30 days after an itemised bill you requested has been provided. Complaints about a registered agent go to OMARA instead.

Use an OMARA-registered agent or immigration lawyer for partner, skilled and employer-sponsored applications where the non-refundable government charge alone runs into thousands, and for any refusal or review.

Straightforward visitor or working holiday applications with clean histories are routinely self-lodged through ImmiAccount.