Prior to 22 March 2021, anyone who provides immigration assistance in Australia must be registered as a migration agent with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA).  This means all Australian lawyers practising migration law were required to register as migration agents and hold practising certificates issued by their relevant state or territory legal board at the same time. 

The old regulations require Australian immigration lawyers to obtain and maintain two registrations from different governing bodies on a yearly basis, and be subjected to regulation by both OMARA and state or territory legal board.

Major Transformation in Migration Advice Industry

There is a major transformation in Australian migration advice industry from 22 March 2021.  Australian immigration lawyers holding unrestricted legal practising certificate (ULPC) are no longer required to register as migration agents with OMARA.  The new regulation allows Australian immigration lawyers with ULPC to provide immigration assistance in connection with legal practice.  

The current regulations remove unnecessary administrative burden and dual regulation of immigration lawyers who are already subjected to a strict professional regulatory regime. 

Immigration Lawyer at Hong Legal

We are a legal practice specialising in Australian immigration law.  Our principal lawyer is a legal practitioner with ULPC. The former migration agent registration number 1170774 has been removed from the Register of Migration Agents by the OMARA since 22 March 2021.

From 22 March 2021, when a person is looking for a migration representative (immigration lawyer or migration agent), it is important to check out from both local law society’s website for immigration lawyers and OMARA’s website for registered migration agents. Our principal lawyer, Chik Hong Chua is listed as immigration lawyer on the Law Institute of Victoria’s Migration Lawyers Directory.

To find out more information about the removal of dual regulation for Australian immigration lawyers, the media release of Assistant Minister Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs, Jason Wood is available here.

如何寻找移民代表？移民律师或移民代理

2021年3月22日是澳大利亚移民咨询业的重大日子！2015年经过政府与各组织、机构的审查后，决定通过立法将持有无限制牌照的律师不再受双重监管也不能同时选择注册成为移民代理。经历了几年的国会立法程序，新法律于2021年3月22日正式生效。正在考虑寻找移民代表的读者也必须了解这项重大的变更具体对您有什么影响。

寻找移民代表

旧法律规定任何提供移民协助服务的人士必须持有移民代理（Migration Agent）牌照。移民代理必须在 OMARA (Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority) 登记注册后受监管。2021年3月22日以前，澳大利亚的移民律师除了持有律师牌照以外，也必须同时持有移民代理牌照才可以提供移民协助给予大众。消费者在寻找移民代表时，只需要查询OMARA网页就可以同时寻找合适的移民律师和移民代理。

在新法律实行后，消费者在寻找移民代表时，除了查询原有的OMARA网页以外，也应该查询当地律师公会的网页。OMARA网页只能寻找到还未完成2年监督期的律师和移民代理，而维州律师公会（Law Institute of Victoria）网页提供维州移民律师的名单和联系方式给消费者选择。　

废除不必要的双重监管

新法律的主要目的是废除对移民律师不必要的双重监管。新法律也允许持有无限制牌照的律师提供移民协助服务并且仅受州或领地的法律服务委员会监管。根据OMARA的数据，全澳共有约2200位移民律师在新法律实行后不再受双重监管，无需OMARA的注册就能够提供移民协助服务。

新法律实行后

新法律实行后，本律所的律师将继续持有无限制律师牌照为大家提供移民协助和法律服务，移民代理号1170774于2021年3月22日起停止使用。大家只能通过维州律师公会（Law Institute of Victoria）的网页搜索本律所移民律师的信息。这里再次提醒读者们在寻找移民代表时，请确认该移民代表是持有无限制牌照的律师（通过当地/维州律师公会网页查询）或是注册移民代理（通过OMARA 网页查询）。