It’s extremely likely that scam agents are operating in your community, pretending to be legitimate migration professionals and providing illegal migration advice.
There is a lot of false visa information online and in social media, including fake success stories.
While we continue to target these criminals, we need your help to spread awareness within your community about the dangers of engaging with scam agents. We encourage you to share the following advice with your networks.
The real costs of engaging a scam agent
If someone guarantees you an Australian visa, be careful. Scam agents frequently charge high fees and submit applications with false documents and information. This can lead to detention and removal from Australia for the visa applicant and a large debt to the Australian Government for the cost of being removed, which could be thousands of dollars.
· Never let someone apply for a visa on your behalf without making sure all the information in the application is true and accurate. If you are involved in a visa scam (even if you didn’t realise it), it will stay on your immigration record for life, and you and your family may be refused future visas to Australia. You may also be refused future visas to other countries.
Top 7 ways to spot a migration scam
1. They guarantee you an Australian visa.
2. They ask for large upfront payments or pressure you to act quickly.
3. They charge a lot more for the visa than the cost listed on the Australian Department of Home Affairs website.
4. They falsely claim you can work on a Visitor visa.
5. They say you can easily switch from a Visitor visa to a Student visa.
6. They refuse to give you login details so you can check your visa application in the Australian Department of Home Affairs portal (known as ImmiAccount).
7. They claim to be registered in Australia but do not have a Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN) or are not listed on the Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) website.
Visit the Home Affairs’ visa scams webpage to learn more about ways to protect yourself from visa scams.