Who are migration agents?
Migration agents are the authorised bodies who provide you with information related to migration, help you with your visa application lodgement and act as your representative during visa processing.
Who are immigration lawyers?
Immigration lawyers also perform all the activities as migration agents but are not limited only to migration.
Some of the differences between migration agents and immigration lawyers are:
Qualification
| Migration Agent | Immigration Lawyer |
| Completed a minimum of 6 months of training. | A minimum of 3 years of qualification, at least a Bachelor of Law degree. |
| Holds a valid certificate | Must have taken practical legal training (PLT) |
| OMARA registered. | Admission as a lawyer in the supreme court |
| Holds a practising certificate from the legal practise board of the state. | |
| Registration with OMARA |
Services provided
| Migration Agent | Immigration Lawyers |
| Assisting in visa application process | Advising in migration related areas, including other aspects relevant to the case like employment, taxation, and so on. |
| Assisting in migration related areas. | Broader range of legal scope. |
| Full legal representation in court in case of necessity. | |
| Also, legal assistant on family law, corporate and commercial law. |
Standards of conduct
| Migration Agent | Immigration Lawyers |
| OMARA code of conduct | The legal provision act |
| The legal professional conduct rules | |
| The law society ethical and practice guidelines and | |
| The OMARA code of conduct |
Legal Professional Privilege
| Migration agents | Immigration lawyers |
| Under investigation, migration agents are obliged to provide the client’s information to the respective personnel. | Under investigation, immigration lawyers can only practice legal professional privilege i.e., they are not bound to provide client’s information |
Hence, the above mentioned are some of the differences between migration agents and immigration lawyers. Both have their own set of benefits. So, before deciding who to go with, consider what you want first.
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