A friend forwards you a voice note. Someone on WhatsApp says they can “push through” a Canada file for a fee, no forms, just trust them. We hear versions of this most weeks in our Dubai office. The reassuring part is that you do not have to rely on gut feeling to sort a genuine consultation from a risky one. Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand each publish, in plain terms, who is allowed to be paid for this advice and how that person should behave with you in the room.
At a glance
- In Canada, only a College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) licensee, a Canadian law society member, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec may lawfully be paid for Canadian immigration advice.
- In Australia, only an OMARA-registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner can lawfully be paid to give immigration assistance.
- In the UK, only advisers registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (formerly OISC), or solicitors, barristers and members of approved professional bodies, may lawfully give paid immigration advice.
- In New Zealand, giving immigration advice without a licence or exemption under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 is an offence, and Immigration New Zealand will return or decline an application handled by an adviser who should have been licensed but was not.
- None of the four countries require you to use a consultant at all — self-filing is always an option, but a registered or licensed adviser brings the protections their regulator has built around the role.
What “genuine” actually means, before anything else
Before a consultation ever gets to strategy or paperwork, there is a simpler question: is this person even allowed to charge you? In Canada, the CICC’s own public register warns that it is an offence punishable by law for someone to provide Canadian immigration advice for a fee without being licensed by the College, a Canadian law society, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. The CICC calls anyone charging outside those categories an unauthorized practitioner. In Australia, the Department of Home Affairs is equally direct: only registered migration agents (RMAs) and Australian legal practitioners can lawfully be paid for providing immigration assistance in Australia. A consultation that starts well is one where the person in front of you can be named, checked, and held to a regulator — not just a business card.
Canada: the CICC register and what it is there to protect
A genuine Canada-focused consultation should not feel like a wall being put up between you and verification. The CICC’s Public Register exists precisely so that anyone can check a consultant’s licensee status, whether they are in good standing, and any disciplinary history before relying on their advice. We have already covered how to run that register lookup step by step in our companion guide on verifying a consultant’s CICC or MARA registration, so we will not repeat the mechanics here. What matters for this piece is the posture: a consultant confident in their standing will not mind you checking, and many will point you to the register themselves.
Australia: OMARA registration and the standard behind it
OMARA’s own consumer guidance states there is only one type of agent who can lawfully provide migration advice in Australia — an OMARA-registered migration agent — who must meet professional standards and act ethically. The same guidance notes migration agents are not interchangeable: each has different skills, so be clear about your visa type and any language needs. The Department of Home Affairs has said OMARA oversees more than 5,400 registered migration agents and has sanctioned 61 of them for misconduct since 2021–22, including 14 in the current financial year. And from 1 April 2026, new legislative instruments require registered agents to complete mandatory annual ethics training and a Code of Conduct refresher — a currently in-force requirement, not a proposal.
UK and New Zealand: two regulators, two bodies both called “IAA”
The UK’s regulator was renamed in 2024: the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is now called the Immigration Advice Authority, and it relaunched its public Adviser Finder and Register in October 2024 so anyone can check whether an organisation or individual is registered before using their services. New Zealand has a separate body that is also abbreviated IAA — the Immigration Advisers Authority — which handles complaints about licensed advisers independently of Immigration New Zealand itself. These are two unrelated regulators in two different countries that happen to share an acronym, and mixing them up is an easy mistake to make.
| Country | Who can lawfully be paid for immigration advice | Public register |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | CICC licensee, a Canadian law society member, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec | CICC Public Register |
| Australia | OMARA-registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner | OMARA register / “Steps to choose” guidance |
| UK | Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly OISC) registrant, or solicitors, barristers and approved professional body members | IAA Adviser Finder and Register |
| New Zealand | Licensed adviser under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, or a New Zealand legal practitioner (exempt under the Act and listed with the New Zealand Law Society register instead) | Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) public register |
New Zealand’s own guidance adds that immigration clients do not have to use an adviser at all, but choosing a licensed one brings the full protection of the Act. Providing immigration advice without a licence or exemption is an offence, and if your adviser should have been licensed and was not, Immigration New Zealand will refuse to accept or will decline the application.
Green flags: what a genuine consultation actually includes
Across the four regulators, a consistent picture of good practice emerges. UK guidance on unregulated advice sets out several standards directly: a registered adviser must be open and honest about your prospects of success and should only advise you to proceed if you have a realistic chance of it being granted. A registered UK adviser also has a 10-digit registration number you can check on the official register, keeps any advance payment in a separate client account until the service is delivered, retains your records for six years, operates an established complaints scheme, and carries insurance against giving poor advice. The same green flags hold everywhere: the person is named and checkable on an official register, candid about difficulty rather than universally upbeat, and transparent about how your money and documents are handled.
Red flags: what should make you walk away
The regulators are equally direct about what should concern you. UK guidance states a registered adviser should not claim to be able to influence or predetermine the outcome of your application, or arrange priority processing — hearing either claim is a signal to stop and ask questions. A consultant who cannot or will not give you a name and registration number you can check against an official register (CICC, OMARA, the UK’s IAA, or New Zealand’s IAA) is not offering the protections those registers exist to provide. And because none of the four countries require you to engage a consultant at all, pressure to sign quickly, “before the rules change,” is worth treating with caution.
From the UAE: what this means for you
Most of the people we sit with in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are already juggling attestation queues, reference letters and language tests long before a consultation even starts, and it is tempting to leave the “who is this person” question for later, once the relationship feels comfortable. We would flip that order. Checking a consultant’s registration against the official CICC, OMARA, UK IAA or New Zealand IAA register — covered step by step in our companion piece on verifying CICC and MARA registration — takes minutes, costs nothing, and is far easier before you hand over attested certificates or sign an engagement letter. If you are exploring Canada, Australia, the UK or New Zealand pathway, the same register-first habit applies regardless of which country’s process you are starting.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use a registered consultant at all?
No. New Zealand’s guidance is explicit that clients are not required to use an adviser and can submit an application themselves. Choosing a licensed adviser simply adds their regulator’s protections.
Are the UK’s Immigration Advice Authority and New Zealand’s Immigration Advisers Authority the same organisation?
No. They are separate regulators in different countries that share the same abbreviation. The UK’s IAA is the renamed Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner; New Zealand’s IAA licenses advisers and handles complaints under its own Act. They should not be conflated.
What should a genuine consultant tell me about my chances?
Per UK guidance on unregulated advice, a registered adviser should be open and honest about your prospects of success and should only advise you to proceed if you have a realistic chance of the outcome you want — never claim to be able to influence or predetermine the result.
What to do next
If you want a second opinion on a consultation you have already had, or you are starting from scratch, we offer a free eligibility assessment and a 20-minute review where you can ask us directly about registration, scope and process. Call us on 04 357 7796 or start online through our contact page. We do not promise outcomes on any application, and any consultant who does should be treated as a red flag in itself.
Sources
- College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) — Public Register — accessed 13 September 2026.
- Australian Government Department of Home Affairs — New legislation strengthens regulation of registered migration agents — accessed 13 September 2026.
- Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) — Steps to choose a registered migration agent — accessed 13 September 2026.
- GOV.UK — Risks of unregulated immigration advice — accessed 13 September 2026.
- GOV.UK — Relaunch of OISC Adviser Finder and Register — accessed 13 September 2026.
- Immigration New Zealand — Make a complaint or provide feedback — accessed 13 September 2026.
- Immigration New Zealand — INZ 1017 Visitor Visa Application form — accessed 13 September 2026.
- Immigration New Zealand — Internal Administration Circular, Implementation of the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 — accessed 13 September 2026.
- GOV.UK — Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (now Immigration Advice Authority) — accessed 13 September 2026.
Not sure which route fits you? Book a free eligibility assessment with our Dubai or Abu Dhabi team. No obligation.
Call +971 4 357 7796WhatsApp us
