Australia’s Home Affairs has pledged to improve oversight and timeliness in regulating migration agents by June 2025, after an audit exposed major flaws.

The Department for Home Affairs expects that all ANAO recommendations will be implemented by 30 June 2025.
The Australian National Audit Office released a report in May, in which it raised serious concerns regarding the processes of the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority - an office within the Department of Home Affairs.
The report found the department’s regulation of migration agents to be ineffective, stating that “appropriate arrangements are not in place to support the regulation of migration agents” and that migration agents in Australia are not currently “effectively regulated”.

As of June 2023, there were 4883 registered migration agents in Australia, according to ANAO. There were 299 complaints received in 2022-23 in respect to 244 agents which translates to 5% of agents.
However, the report found that complaints have not been actioned in a timely and effective manner.
A number of case studies were presented to provide evidence of such failures, including an example which claims that an automated system for assessing agent registration applications has allowed a number of agents to continue operating despite having open complaints against them.
The report went on to reveal that the regulation of agent continuing professional development has also not been effective, showing that between 2019 and 2023, some 267 registered agents - 1% of total agents - were automatically re-approved by the department, despite not meeting the professional development requirements.

Furthermore, it found there to be an “absence of regulatory action to monitor the activities of registered agents”.

In the report, some 11 recommendations were made - all of which Home Affairs has agreed to.

Recommendations include actions to improve timeliness, as well making greater use of the powers provided to it by the Migration Act 1958 to investigate complaints.
The report also said the department should take steps to assure itself that the automated approval of applications for registration of migration agents is supported by the same act, among other recommendations.

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs told The PIE News that it expects that all of the ANAO recommendations will be fully implemented by 30 June 2025.

“The department agrees with the 11 recommendations outlined in the ANAO report, which correspond to significant improvements the department had already initiated to enhance the capabilities of the OMARA across its regulatory functions,” they said.

As part of the reforms, OMARA is increasing staff levels to 50 full time employees, and has committed to better triaging, assessing and investigation of complaints, as well as improved record keeping practices, particularly around critical decisions.

Better peer review and enhanced

quality assurance processes are part of the department’s improved processes and the spokesperson added that additional improvements are also being made to compliance and monitoring, governance, use of data and timeliness of decision making.

“This work will go to further bolstering the OMARA’s firm focus on ensuring inappropriate conduct is dealt with at the earliest opportunity and that only those people who meet the character requirements and high professional standards expected of the profession are registered as migration agents.”

The reforms are already producing results, they said, with 10 sanction decisions and 11 registration refusal decisions being made since 1 July 2023.

“The department is satisfied that the significant work undertaken to date, the work currently underway and the future work planned to strengthen the OMARA’s regulatory capabilities will be evident in the OMARA’s future performance and regulatory outcomes.”
This work will go to further bolstering the OMARA’s firm focus on ensuring inappropriate conduct is dealt with at the earliest opportunity
Departmental spokesperson, home affairs
Meanwhile, Shayaz Khan, CEO of Bluesky Immigration and Students Consultancy Services told The PIE the government’s agreement to all 11 recommendations is a “a positive step” but said it is “crucial” that these changes be implemented by an independent entity to ensure their effectiveness.

Khan is therefore calling for an independent body to manage the OMARA instead of the Department of Home Affairs.

“The ANAO report has highlighted significant failings within OMARA under the current management, which has led to prolonged and ineffective oversight of migration agents,” he told The PIE.

“The key issues identified in the ANAO report are deeply concerning. Poor record-keeping, inadequate compliance monitoring, and slow responses to complaints are critical failings that compromise the integrity of Australia’s migration system.

“The fact that OMARA rarely used its full powers to investigate allegations against migration agents and dismissed investigations without thorough scrutiny is unacceptable.”

Khan believes an independent body managing OMARA would provide a more “transparent, accountable and efficient regulatory environment”.
“Such a body would be solely focused on the oversight of migration agents, free from the broader responsibilities and potential conflicts of interest inherent in the Department of Home Affairs.

“This could lead to more timely and effective investigations, better compliance monitoring, and a higher standard of professional conduct among migration agents.” V.5485

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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