Search for how to choose migration agent software and most results are guides for visa applicants choosing an agent, or vendor lists. This page is a checklist you can take to any vendor, including us: 15 questions, a scoring table and a two-week trial plan built around your real work.
If you want to see how named products compare on published prices and terms, read our comparison of migration agent software in Australia.
Before you talk to any vendor
Write down three things: how many people will use the system (and how many are registered agents), the two or three visa types that make up most of your work, and the one problem that made you start looking. Measure every vendor answer against that problem.
15 questions to ask every vendor
Ask for the answers in writing.
Your data
- Where are client records, uploaded documents and backups stored, and which companies process them? Ask for countries or regions, not just "the cloud". Ask whether any feature sends data outside Australia. The Australian Privacy Principles cover cross-border disclosure and the security of personal information (APP 8 and APP 11, OAIC).
- Can I export all my data myself, at any time, and in what format? Check whether export covers clients, applications, notes, invoices and documents, whether it needs a support ticket, and whether it still works after you cancel.
- Can you import from my current system, and who does the work? Ask which formats are accepted, whether duplicates are checked before saving, and whether import is self-serve or a paid service.
- How long do you keep my data after I leave?
Commercial terms
- How long is the trial, does it include every feature, and do you need a card?
- How long is the contract, and how do I cancel renewal? Month to month and multi-year agreements suit different practices. Know which one you're signing.
- What exactly will I pay in year one? Get the price per user, per registered agent or per plan, whether support staff are charged, whether GST is included, and any setup, training, migration or add-on fees. If the price isn't published, ask for a written quote for your headcount.
Daily work
- How are visa expiries and deadlines turned into reminders, and who receives them? Ask at what points before a date reminders arrive, whether they come by email or only inside the app, and whether they go to the responsible person.
- How does the system handle one client with several applications over the years? Look for stages, deadlines and document checklists per application, without duplicate client records.
- How are file notes, communications and changes recorded? Record keeping obligations apply to every client file. Our record keeping checklist lists what a file should hold.
Access and security
- Does each person get their own sign-in, and can I limit who sees which clients? Shared logins make it impossible to know who did what.
- Is two-step sign-in available, and can I require it?
Support and AI
- How do I get help, how fast do you reply, and is support included in the price?
- Do you use AI in the product? If so, which provider, what data does it see, and can I switch it off?
- Is any identifiable client data used to train AI models, yours or anyone else's? Ask for the answer in the privacy policy or terms, not only in a sales email.
A scoring table you can copy
Give each question a weight from 1 (nice to have) to 3 (essential) based on your own practice, then score each vendor from 0 (no or unclear) to 5 (clear, written, fully meets your need). Multiply and add up.
| # | Question | Weight (1 to 3) | Vendor A score (0 to 5) | Vendor A weighted | Vendor B score (0 to 5) | Vendor B weighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data location and processors | |||||
| 2 | Self-serve export | |||||
| 3 | Import from current system | |||||
| 4 | Data kept after leaving | |||||
| 5 | Trial terms | |||||
| 6 | Contract length and cancelling | |||||
| 7 | Year-one cost, all fees included | |||||
| 8 | Expiry and deadline reminders | |||||
| 9 | Multiple applications per client | |||||
| 10 | File notes and history | |||||
| 11 | Individual sign-ins and access control | |||||
| 12 | Two-step sign-in | |||||
| 13 | Support | |||||
| 14 | AI use and control | |||||
| 15 | No training on client data | |||||
| Total |
Treat any unclear answer as zero until the vendor clarifies it in writing. If the totals are close, let the trial decide.
A two-week trial plan
Trial no more than two products side by side. Use real (or realistic) matters, not the vendor's sample data.
Days 1 to 2. Import. Export 20 to 30 clients from your current system or spreadsheet and import them. Note how long it takes, what needed fixing and whether duplicates were caught.
Days 3 to 4. Set up your most common visa type. Create the stages, a document checklist and the key dates for one application. Add two more clients' applications using the same set-up.
Days 5 to 6. Test the dates. Record expiries at different distances, including one about 90 days away and one within a week. Check what reminders arrive, when, and to whom.
Days 7 to 8. Run a full day in the system. Take enquiries, record file notes and book appointments there only. Note every time you went back to email or a spreadsheet.
Days 9 to 10. Fees. Create an invoice, record a part payment and check the outstanding balance is right.
Day 11. Access. Add a second person with limited access. Turn on two-step sign-in for both accounts.
Day 12. Export. Export everything and open the files. Check that you could rebuild your practice from them.
Days 13 to 14. Score and decide. Fill in the table above, and ask each vendor about anything still unclear before the trial ends.
How AgentDS answers these questions
We'd like you to hold us to the same checklist. Practice records and uploaded files are stored in Sydney, Australia, with sign-in accounts processed in the United States; the details are on our security page. You can export all your data as CSV at any time. Imports accept CSV, Excel, TSV, JSON and supported ZIP exports, including Agentcis and Zoho, with duplicate checks before saving. The trial is 14 days, every feature, for your whole team, with no card, and you can cancel renewal at any time. Plans are shown when your trial ends; see how the trial and plans work.
Reminder emails go to the owner and the responsible person at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before a recorded date, and when it falls due. Each person has their own account, staff roles and case assignments control access, and two-step sign-in with an authenticator app is available. AgentDS's sentient features follow clear rules on your own records. When AI features arrive, the practice owner decides whether they're switched on, the provider is named first, and identifiable client records are kept out of AI training.
For side-by-side detail, see AgentDS vs Agentcis and AgentDS vs Migration Manager. Working alone? Read CRM for sole migration agents, or see the FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important question to ask a migration software vendor?
Whether you can export all your data yourself, at any time, in a format you can open. It protects every other decision.
How long should a software trial be?
Long enough to import real clients, run a full working day and test reminders and export. Two weeks is usually enough if you follow a plan.
Should I choose migration-specific software or a general CRM?
Migration work runs on applications with stages, deadlines, expiries, documents and fees. Migration-specific software handles these without custom set-up.
What should I check about AI in migration software?
Which provider is used, what data it sees, whether you can switch it off, and whether identifiable client data is ever used to train models.