Barristers formally registered as Migration Agents under OMARA

08/04/2021

As at 22 March 2021, amendments to the Migration Act 1958 commenced, allowing an Australian legal practitioner to provide immigration assistance in connection with legal practice. This means that a barrister may provide immigration assistance without being a registered migration agent (RMA).

These changes are as a result of the Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Act 2020 which also requires the removal of barristers from the regulatory scheme administered by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA). This means that all work relating to migration will be subject to the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW).

If you are a barrister who intends to maintain your practising certificate and was previously appointed as a RMA under the scheme, please ensure to remove any reference to your capacity as a migration agent from your practice.

The transitional period is from 22 March to November 2021.

For more information about the changes, please see a fact sheet available here.