Assistant Citizenship Minister Julian Hill used his keynote at the National Migration Conference to warn that lawyers and agents who exploit loopholes or lodge “baseless” protection or employer-sponsored applications will face prosecution and deregistration. The remarks, published on 6 October, highlight a new Home Affairs compliance task-force that is already auditing high-risk caseloads. Hill cited examples of practitioners coaching clients to fabricate sexuality-based asylum claims and of clustered employer-sponsorship applications lodged through shell companies. He argued that such misconduct inflates backlogs, erodes public trust and disadvantages genuine applicants whose processing times blow out. The crackdown will involve tighter competency standards for registered migration agents and potential legislative amendments to hold lawyers to equivalent obligations when lodging primary visa applications. Fake or “ghost” agents operating without registration will also be a focus, with Home Affairs dedicating investigators to online advertising channels. Corporate mobility teams should review their panels of external advisers and ensure due-diligence checks on sub-agents. Companies found to have relied on fraudulent advice risk sponsorship-bar sanctions and brand damage. Internal relocation managers are advised to keep detailed file notes and ensure that all supporting documents – especially for employer-sponsored TSS and Global Talent visas – can withstand forensic scrutiny. For migrants, the message is to verify an agent’s registration on the OMARA database and to demand written service agreements outlining realistic prospects of success.
Source: PS News
