24/06/2026
# # Blue Ocean Immigration
# # # Client Notice: Immigration Advice
Australian immigration law is complex and constantly changing. Clients should seek immigration advice **only from a Registered Migration Agent or an Australian Legal Practitioner**.
A **Registered Migration Agent** is registered with the **Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA)**. An **Australian Legal Practitioner** is a qualified lawyer admitted to practise law in Australia.
Receiving immigration advice from an unregistered or unqualified person can put your visa application, migration status, and future options at serious risk.
Clients should not rely on immigration advice from friends, relatives, education agents, employers, social media groups, community pages, unregistered consultants, or people who “help with forms” but are not authorised to give immigration advice.
General information is not the same as immigration advice. Proper immigration advice considers your personal circumstances, visa history, documents, eligibility, risks, and legal options.
Before relying on advice, clients should check whether the person is listed on the **OMARA Register** as a Registered Migration Agent or is an **Australian Legal Practitioner** authorised to provide legal services.
For your protection, always ask for the adviser’s **MARN** if they are a migration agent, or confirmation of their legal practitioner status if they are a lawyer.
**Blue Ocean Immigration strongly recommends that all clients obtain immigration advice only from authorised professionals. This helps ensure that the advice is accurate, lawful, confidential, and tailored to your individual circumstances.**
It’s that simple.
If you’re charging people for immigration assistance in Australia without being a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner, you are committing a serious criminal offence.
The penalties are severe. You could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment and significant financial penalties. And if you’re also a non-citizen, you risk detention and removal from Australia.
We are actively tracking visa applications and targeting people who facilitate visa fraud, including submitting false or non-genuine Protection visa applications.
Don’t risk your future by giving illegal immigration advice.
Anyone with information about individuals or businesses facilitating immigration fraud is encouraged to make a report online to Border Watch: https://www.borderwatch.gov.au