Albanese government proposes ban on migration agents in hopeless cases
The federal government will ban migration agents who knowingly help with visa applications with no legal basis.
The Albanese government has announced a crackdown on migration agents gaming the immigration system. Under proposed changes, agents will be banned if they help applications they would reasonably know have no legal basis.
Currently, migration agents can proceed with a failing case if the client agrees in writing to keep pursuing it. Under the new rules, applications will be checked for merit when the agent provides help, not based on the final court outcome.
Assistant Citizenship Minister Julian Hill said migration lawyers have been running ads coaching clients on false claims. These include advising people to claim they are bisexual or to convince officials they face persecution for protection visas.
The government is also tightening student visa rules and will limit onshore student visas to genuine cases.
- Albanese government
- Government
- Sydney
- Location of announcement
- Mid-2027
- Visa transfer system start
Why it mattersDodgy migration agents drain people's money on cases destined to fail. They also undermine the integrity of the visa system.
AustraliaPeople applying for visas will face stricter rules and tighter scrutiny, while agents who exploit vulnerable migrants face penalties.
Corroborated bythenightly.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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