Two Sydney women have been sentenced to conditional good behaviour bonds after pleading guilty to unlawfully providing fake immigration advice and assistance to large numbers of mainly Chinese nationals.
Despite advertising their migration services and charging fees ranging from $1,500 to $2,000, neither of the women were registered migration agents. Investigators found that they provided immigration assistance to at least three travellers who were found to be in possession of fraudulently obtained identity documents.
“It is unlawful to charge a fee when providing immigration assistance in Australia unless you are registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA),” ABF Commander of Investigations, Graeme Grosse said.
We strongly urge people seeking professional advice with their Australian visa applications, to check the legality of your immigration advice and check that the organisation providing that advice is a Registered Migration Agent (RMA).
