Plain-English definitions of 25 terms used every day in an Australian migration practice. Each definition stands on its own, so you can quote it, and links to the official source where one exists. Terms are listed alphabetically.
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws, visa settings and forms change, so check the official source before relying on a definition.
Terms, A to Z
Bridging visa
A bridging visa is a temporary visa that lets a person stay in Australia lawfully while their immigration status is resolved, for example while a substantive visa application is processed. Common types are Bridging visa A (subclass 010), B (020), C (030) and E (050 and 051). According to Home Affairs, only a Bridging visa B lets the holder leave Australia and return during a set travel period.
Source: Home Affairs: travel while your visa is being processed
Client file
A client file is the record a registered migration agent must create and maintain for each client under section 56 of the Code of Conduct. It must hold the application, service agreements and variations, written communications, file notes, invoices and receipts, client documents and evidence that originals were returned. It can be paper, electronic or both, and must be kept for 7 years after the last action.
Source: Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021
Client money account (clients' account)
A client money account is the account with a financial institution into which a registered migration agent must pay client money: fees and disbursement amounts received from a client under a service agreement. Section 50 of the Code of Conduct limits what can be paid in and out, bans paying interest into it or account fees out of it, and requires the agent to show compliance if OMARA asks.
Source: Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021
Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct for registered migration agents sets the rules every registered migration agent must follow to stay on the Register. The current Code has applied since 1 March 2022 and is prescribed by the Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021. It covers dealing with clients, fees, client money, record keeping, other agents, employees and complaints. OMARA can caution, suspend or cancel for breaches.
Source: OMARA: Code of Conduct
Condition 8503
Condition 8503, "No Further Stay", is a visa condition that stops the holder from applying for most temporary and permanent visas while they are in Australia. It can be attached to visitor visas and some other temporary visas. The Department can waive a no further stay condition only in limited circumstances, on request. Related no further stay conditions include 8534, 8535 and 8540. Visa holders can check their conditions in VEVO.
Consumer guide
The consumer guide is a guide produced by OMARA that tells potential clients about the migration advice profession, OMARA's role and the law that regulates agents, what a client can expect from a registered migration agent, and how to complain. An agent must not give immigration assistance until the client has a copy, and the service agreement must say the guide was given. OMARA publishes it in 35 languages.
Source: OMARA: consumer guide
CRM
A CRM (customer relationship management system) is software that keeps a business's contacts, conversations and follow-ups in one shared record. In a migration practice, a CRM usually holds leads and clients, visa applications and their stages, deadlines and visa expiries, tasks, file notes, requested documents and fee records, so every team member works from the same client file instead of separate spreadsheets and inboxes.
Source: none (general business term). See AgentDS features.
Decision-ready application
A decision-ready application is a visa application lodged with all the required information and documents, so the Department can decide it without asking for more. Home Affairs advises applicants to include every required document, translate non-English documents, get police certificates and health checks early, check names match the passport, and respond quickly to requests. Complete applications generally get a faster outcome.
Document checklist
A document checklist is a list of the evidence a client must provide for a particular visa or service, with the status of each item. Practices often keep a reusable checklist for each visa type so every matter starts from the same list. For student visas, Home Affairs offers an online Document Checklist Tool showing which documents to attach. It gives an indication only.
Expression of interest (EOI)
An expression of interest (EOI) is an online submission in SkillSelect telling the Australian Government a skilled worker is interested in being invited to apply for a skilled visa. It records details such as work experience and qualifications, and no documents are uploaded. For visas that use SkillSelect, a person cannot apply until invited, so the EOI must be kept accurate and up to date.
Source: Home Affairs: SkillSelect
File note
A file note is a written record of a conversation, made at the time or straight afterwards. Section 55 of the Code of Conduct requires a registered migration agent to make a contemporaneous written record of oral communications with a client about immigration assistance, including the client's oral instructions and the agent's oral advice. File notes must be kept on the client file.
Source: Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021
ImmiAccount
ImmiAccount is the Department of Home Affairs' online account for visa services. Most Australian visas must be applied for online through ImmiAccount. Applicants and their representatives use it to lodge applications, track progress, see requests for more information, add documents and update contact details. Home Affairs advises checking the ImmiAccount inbox regularly and choosing to receive electronic communication.
Lead
A lead is a person or business who has enquired about migration services but has not yet become a client. A practice usually tracks each lead through stages such as new enquiry, consultation booked, advice given and agreement sent. Under the Code, a service agreement must be in force before immigration assistance is given, apart from advice at an initial consultation.
Source: none (general business term). The service agreement rule is in the Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021 (ss 42, 43).
MARN
A MARN (Migration Agent Registration Number) is the unique number OMARA issues to each person when they become a registered migration agent. Anyone can use it to look up an agent on the Register of Migration Agents. The Code requires the MARN in every service agreement and requires an agent to tell a client their MARN at an initial consultation held without a service agreement.
Matter or application stage
An application stage is the point a client's matter has reached in the practice's workflow, for example consultation, agreement signed, documents requested, lodged, further information requested and decided. Tracking stages shows the whole team where each matter stands and what happens next. The Code requires agents to tell clients in writing when an application is lodged and to report material developments promptly.
Source: none (general practice term). Lodgement advice duty: Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021 (s 39).
Nomination
A nomination is a step in some visa programs where a third party puts the applicant forward. For employer-sponsored visas, Home Affairs describes nomination as identifying a position in a business to be filled by an overseas skilled worker. For some skilled visas, such as subclass 190, a state or territory government agency nominates the applicant.
OMARA
OMARA is the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority, which regulates registered migration agents in Australia. It registers agents, keeps the public Register of Migration Agents, oversees continuing professional development and deals with breaches of the Code of Conduct. If a breach is found, OMARA may caution an agent, suspend or cancel registration, or bar a person from re-registering for up to 5 years.
Source: OMARA: Code of Conduct
Registered migration agent (RMA)
A registered migration agent is a person registered by OMARA to give immigration assistance in Australia, such as preparing visa applications and advising on them. Registered agents appear on the public Register of Migration Agents with their MARN, must follow the Code of Conduct, and must hold professional indemnity insurance and complete continuing professional development to re-register.
Service agreement
A service agreement is the written agreement between a registered migration agent and a client for immigration assistance. Under section 42 of the Code of Conduct it must be signed by both sides and include client details, the agent's name and MARN, the work to be done, fees and disbursements, a refund policy, a statement that the consumer guide was given, and what happens to the file.
Source: Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021
Skills assessment
A skills assessment is an independent check, by a relevant Australian assessing authority, that a person's skills and qualifications meet the standard for their nominated occupation. Many skilled and employer-sponsored visas require a suitable skills assessment. It must come from the assessing authority listed against the occupation. Applicants contact that authority directly and may have to pay a fee.
Source: Home Affairs: skills assessment
Statement of services
A statement of services is a document a registered migration agent gives the client setting out each service performed and the charge for each. Under section 313 of the Migration Act, an agent is not entitled to a fee for immigration assistance without one. Regulation 42 of the Migration Agents Regulations 2026 sets a 28-day period for it, starting on the decision date or when the service agreement ends.
Source: OMARA: legislative changes for registered migration agents
Subclass
A visa subclass is the number that identifies a particular Australian visa, shown next to its name, for example Visitor (subclass 600) or Skilled Nominated (subclass 190). Each subclass has its own eligibility rules, documents and conditions, and some are divided into streams. Searching the Home Affairs website by subclass number leads to that visa's step-by-step guide.
VEVO
VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) is the Home Affairs service that shows a person's current visa details and conditions. Visa holders use it to check their own conditions and send proof to employers, landlords or others. Registered organisations, such as employers and education providers, can check a visa holder's details with their permission. VEVO cannot be used to confirm Australian citizenship.
Visa condition
A visa condition is a rule attached to a visa that the holder must follow, identified by a four-digit number. Conditions can limit work or study, require a person to keep meeting the visa criteria, or stop further applications in Australia, such as condition 8503. Conditions appear on the grant letter and in VEVO, and a registered migration agent should check them before advising on any new application.
Visa expiry
Visa expiry is the date a temporary visa stops being in effect. A person still in Australia after their visa expires, without another visa, becomes unlawful. Home Affairs advises that anyone whose visa has expired must leave Australia or apply for a Bridging visa E immediately. Practices record each client's expiry date and plan follow-ups well before it.
How AgentDS uses these terms
AgentDS is a Sentient CRM for registered migration agents, migration agencies and immigration law firms. It keeps leads and clients, application stages, visa expiries, document checklists, file notes on the activity timeline, and invoices and recorded payments on one client record. For the rules behind client files and file notes, read the record keeping checklist and file notes guide.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What does MARN stand for?
Migration Agent Registration Number. OMARA issues a unique MARN to each registered migration agent, and you can use it to look the agent up on the Register of Migration Agents.
What is OMARA?
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority, which registers and regulates registered migration agents in Australia and enforces the Code of Conduct.
What does condition 8503 mean?
It is the "No Further Stay" condition. It stops the visa holder from applying for most other visas while in Australia unless the Department waives it.
Where does the Code of Conduct for migration agents come from?
It is prescribed by the Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021 and has applied since 1 March 2022.
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