This page compares AgentDS with Migration Manager (MM) at migrationmanager.com.au, the Australian immigration software for immigration lawyers and registered migration agents. It is not about Microsoft's Migration Manager, the tool that moves files into SharePoint and OneDrive.
If you're looking for a Migration Manager alternative for migration agents, the useful question isn't which product is "better". It's which one fits the way your practice works. Everything below about Migration Manager comes from its own website, checked on 28 September 2026, with links to the pages we read. Everything about AgentDS comes from agentds.ai on the same date.
Disclosure. AgentDS is our product. We've tried to describe Migration Manager the way it describes itself, including its strengths. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
The short version
Migration Manager was released in 2005 and describes itself as "the market-leading case management tool built for the Australian Immigration profession". It is a desktop app connected to cloud services, with automated form filling and online lodgement through its eLodge system, certified trust accounting, and a branded client portal. It is sold per licence on 12, 24 or 36-month agreements.
AgentDS is a Sentient CRM for registered migration agents, migration agencies and immigration law firms, built in Australia. It runs in the browser and focuses on the daily view: who needs a follow-up, which dates are coming up, which applications have gone quiet and which invoices are unpaid. It has a 14-day free trial with no card, and you can export all your data as CSV at any time.
Side by side
| Migration Manager (migrationmanager.com.au) | AgentDS | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Immigration lawyers and registered migration agents, "firms of all sizes from sole practitioner through to global mobility and Big 4" | Registered migration agents, migration agencies and immigration law firms |
| How it runs | "Desktop app-based cloud solution". Does not run on Mac OS without a virtual Windows environment | Web browser |
| Leads | Webleads: an assessment tool and enquiry page for your website, turned into matters | Lead stages, assigned responsibility, convert a lead to a client without re-entry, duplicate checks, activity timeline |
| Applications | Matter management with customisable, visa-specific checklists | Service stages, recorded deadlines, private notes, reusable task and document-checklist templates |
| Deadlines and expiries | Snapshot: tasks, file notes, visa and other expiries by day, week, month or custom range, viewable across the team | Dashboard shows visa expiries; morning reminder emails to the owner and responsible person at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days and on the due date |
| Form filling and lodgement | eLodge: automates "over 90 online applications", including ImmiAccount, VEVO, AFP checks, skills assessments and ART | Tracks each application's stages, recorded deadlines and notes |
| Documents | Documents backed up to a location you choose (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and others); client portal document exchange | Document checklists and file uploads on document records, stored privately in Sydney and scanned for malware |
| Invoicing and trust | Deposit requests, tax invoices, statements of service; trust accounting certified by the Law Society of NSW; Export-to-Xero | Invoice records, recorded payments, balance reconciliation and printable invoice copies |
| Import | Batch data import tool; "as little as 5 fields" to create matters | CSV, Excel, TSV, JSON and supported ZIP exports, with field matching and duplicate checks |
| Export | User-defined reports with "the ability to export to Excel" | Export all your data as CSV at any time |
| Where data is stored | Portal data on Microsoft Azure servers in Australia; documents in your own file storage | Practice records and uploads in Google Cloud, Sydney; sign-in processed in the United States |
| Trial | Demo on request; 30-day satisfaction-guarantee period | 14 days, every feature, whole team, no card |
| Pricing | Per licence per month, ex GST: $339 (12 months), $259 (24 months), $239 (36 months), plus a $900 professional fee | Plans are shown when your trial ends |
Migration Manager prices as shown on migrationmanager.com.au/pricing on 28 September 2026.
Who each is for
Migration Manager says it is "for legal practitioners and Registered Migration Agents who take security and compliance seriously", and calls itself "a legal practice management solution with a focus on immigration law". Its home page says it is "trusted by over 2000 lawyers & agents" and names firms from sole practitioners to BDO.
AgentDS is built for the people who run a migration practice day to day: the principal who wants to see what's slipping, and the team who need one place for clients, applications, dates and fees. It is a CRM, so it is strongest at the relationship and follow-up side of the work.
Clients and leads
Migration Manager's Webleads adds an assessment tool and general enquiry page to your website, with questions tailored to the matter types you handle. Its Snapshot view alerts you to new enquiries, and you turn good leads into matters.
In AgentDS, a lead has its own stages and a responsible person. Calls, emails, follow-ups and notes sit on an activity timeline, and when the lead signs, you convert them to a client without re-entering anything. The timeline carries over. Duplicate checks help keep one record per person.
Applications and stages
Migration Manager's matter management uses "customisable and visa-specific check lists", which you can re-order, edit, share with other users and replicate across matter types. Team members can be assigned any part of the workflow, and an analytics dashboard shows the caseload by stage, per user or across the firm.
AgentDS tracks each application's service stage, recorded deadlines and private notes. You build reusable task and document-checklist templates, review the dates, and assign them to an application. The owner's daily brief flags applications with no activity for 14 days. See visa application tracking.
Deadlines and visa expiries
Migration Manager's Snapshot summarises "tasks, filenotes, visa and other expiries", viewable by day, week, month or a custom range. Owners and managers can view it for other team members or the whole team, which helps when someone is away.
AgentDS records visa expiries on the client profile and shows them on the dashboard. Each morning it emails the owner and the responsible person when a recorded visa, passport, document, application or task date is 90, 60, 30 or 7 days away, or falls due. It also suggests follow-up tasks, which you review before anything is created. See visa expiry tracking.
Form filling and online lodgement
Migration Manager's eLodge system fills Department PDF forms and automates "over 90 online applications", including visa applications in ImmiAccount, AFP clearances, single and batch VEVO checks, skills assessments with several assessing authorities, and ART applications. Migration Manager says this works because it runs as a desktop app. AgentDS tracks each application's stages, recorded deadlines and notes.
Documents
Migration Manager maps its desktop app to your own file storage, so documents sit in a location you choose, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive. Its branded client portal handles document exchange, questionnaires and encrypted messaging, and captured emails are filed against the matter.
AgentDS records requested documents, checklist status and case notes with the client's work, and lets you attach files to document records. Files are stored privately in Sydney, checked for malware before anyone can open them, and only staff who can see that record can open its files. See document checklists.
Invoicing, payments and trust accounting
Migration Manager's accounts module covers deposit requests, tax invoices and statements of service, and it says its trust accounting is "certified as compliant by The Law Society of NSW". It lists bank reconciliation, time recording, AML/CTF preferences and an Export-to-Xero function.
AgentDS creates invoice records, records money received, reconciles balances and prints an invoice copy. Unpaid invoices appear in the owner's daily brief. See invoices and recorded payments.
Data import and export
Migration Manager's "Moving to MM" page describes a batch data import tool, where you report from your existing system and match fields. Its features page says reports can be built "from almost any piece of data recorded" and exported to Excel.
AgentDS imports CSV, Excel, TSV, JSON and supported ZIP exports. You match fields, and AgentDS checks duplicates and linked records before anything is saved. You can export all your data as CSV at any time, not only when you leave. If you're moving across, our guide on moving from Migration Manager walks through it.
Where data is stored
Migration Manager says client data collected through its portal is "stored on Microsoft Azure servers in Australia", and documents are backed up to the file storage you choose. It says it is ISO 27001 certified, encrypts files at rest with AES-256, uses TLS in transit, has regular independent penetration testing, and is a member of AusCERT.
AgentDS publishes its arrangements on its security page: practice records in Google Cloud Firestore in Sydney; uploaded files in Google Cloud Storage in Sydney; sign-in accounts through Firebase Authentication, which processes sign-in data in the United States; the app on Vercel's Sydney region; email delivered by Resend. Backups run daily and are kept for 35 days. No AI model is used in AgentDS today, and identifiable client records are never used to train AI.
Trial, pricing and terms
Migration Manager publishes its prices: $339 per licence per month on a 12-month agreement, $259 on 24 months and $239 on 36 months, excluding GST, plus a $900 professional fee. The fee includes installation, configuration, a welcome call and training, including sessions with an accountant on trust accounting. An optional MM Templates add-on is listed at $1,800 ($1,400 with a 24 or 36-month agreement), with $50 a month shown for automatic legislation and policy updates. Migration Manager says licences can be shared across users, so a five-person firm "may only need two or three licences". It offers demos on request and a 30-day satisfaction-guarantee period.
AgentDS gives you every feature for your whole team for 14 days, with no card. When the trial ends, you choose a plan and everything stays switched on, or you download all your data as CSV and leave. You can cancel renewal at any time. Plans are shown when your trial ends.
Choose Migration Manager if
- You want ImmiAccount lodgements, Department forms, VEVO checks, skills assessments or ART applications filled automatically.
- You hold client money and need trust accounting certified by the Law Society of NSW.
- You want a branded client portal for questionnaires, messages and document exchange.
- Your team works on Windows and is comfortable with a desktop app and a 12 to 36-month agreement.
Choose AgentDS if
- You want a browser-based CRM your whole team can try for 14 days, with no card.
- Your main problem is follow-up: expiries, quiet applications, client concerns and unpaid invoices that nobody is chasing.
- You want morning deadline reminder emails to the owner and the responsible person at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days.
- You want to export all your data as CSV whenever you like, with no lock-in.
Some practices keep Migration Manager for lodgement and trust, and try AgentDS for the day-to-day follow-up. The free trial is the simplest way to see whether that works for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is this about Microsoft's Migration Manager?
No. This page compares AgentDS with Migration Manager at migrationmanager.com.au, the Australian immigration case management software.
Does AgentDS record invoices and payments?
Yes. AgentDS creates invoice records, records money received, reconciles balances and prints an invoice copy.
How much does Migration Manager cost?
On 28 September 2026 its site listed $339, $259 or $239 per licence per month (ex GST) on 12, 24 or 36-month agreements, plus a $900 professional fee. Check migrationmanager.com.au/pricing for current prices.
Can I move my Migration Manager data into AgentDS?
Yes, as files. Export reports to Excel, upload them to AgentDS, match your fields and check duplicates before import. Our step-by-step guide covers it.
Is there a free trial of AgentDS?
Yes. Every feature is free for 14 days for your whole team, with no card needed.
See AgentDS with your own work
Start a 14-day free trial, bring in a sample of your clients and see your practice in AgentDS. No card needed.
Product names are trademarks of their owners. AgentDS is not affiliated with them. Details checked on 28 September 2026; check each vendor's site for current information. Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.