Refugee Council of Australia
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Legal or migration advice

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Most people who want to come to Australia need to get help. The law is confusing and changes quickly.

Applying to be a refugee

Choosing a person to help you is an important decision. This page gives you information about how to find legal or migration advice for refugee applications.

You need to use a registered migration agent

In Australia, you can only get advice about your refugee claim from a person who is a ‘migration agent’. This person must be registered.

Read about giving immigration assistance in Australia

What you should understand about a migration agent

Migration agents have to act in a professional way. You should read about what migration agents are expected to do before you pay one.

This information is published by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority, which regulates migration agents.

All registered migration agents must give you a Consumer Guide (in English) before they start working with you. This tells you what you can expect, how migration agents are regulated, and how you can complain about them.

You can read this information in different languages. You can also get tips on how to use a migration agent (also in different languages).

In some languages, you can also get information about:

  • how to choose a migration agent
  • the fees they may charge
  • getting help with your application
  • what can happen if you use someone who isn’t registered.

You can get all this information by choosing the language you speak using the link below.

Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority, ‘Consumer Guide’

The Refugee Council of Australia also has a library of information for refugees in different languages. You can find all the information on our website in this library, by language and topic.

Information for refugees in Australia