MARA-Registered Migration Agents for Dubai Clients
A MARA agent is a migration agent registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), the Australian Government body that keeps the public register of migration agents. Cosmos works with MARA-registered agent Andrew John Kerr (MARN 1069227). You can check his entry on the official register yourself, and you should check anyone else the same way before you pay them.
The MARA-registered agent Cosmos works with
Cosmos works with MARA-registered agent Andrew John Kerr (MARN 1069227). His register entry shows his business, Network Migration Services, in South Africa, and lists Cosmos Immigration, Dubai as an associated business.
| Name on the register | Andrew John Kerr |
|---|---|
| MARN | 1069227 |
| Status | Registered |
| His business on the register | Network Migration Services, South Africa |
| Associated business on the register | Cosmos Immigration, Dubai |
Don't take our word for it. Open the official register search on portal.mara.gov.au and search MARN 1069227. The register is the live record, so if it ever differs from this page, the register is right.
Last checked on the register: 22 September 2026.
What MARA and a MARN are
OMARA, the Migration Agents Registration Authority
OMARA is the regulator for registered migration agents in Australia and is part of the Department of Home Affairs. It registers agents and keeps the public register. It does not license them, and registration belongs to a person rather than a company. As a Home Affairs ministerial release puts it, OMARA only registers people who meet strict qualification and character standards.
Staying on the register takes ongoing work. An agent must complete 10 continuing professional development (CPD) points each year to stay registered, and the Code of Conduct requires them to hold professional indemnity insurance or work for an organisation that holds it. OMARA can caution an agent, or suspend or cancel their registration, if they break the Code.
What a MARN is and where you'll see it
MARN stands for Migration Agent Registration Number. Each registered agent has one, and it is the quickest way to find them on the register. You will often see it on an agent's website, emails or paperwork. The Code of Conduct also requires agents to take reasonable steps so that nobody uses their MARN to make someone else's work look like theirs.
Registered agent or Australian legal practitioner
Two groups can lawfully be paid for immigration assistance in Australia: registered migration agents and Australian legal practitioners. The Department of Home Affairs defines a legal practitioner as someone who holds an Australian legal practising certificate, whether restricted or unrestricted, granted under a law of an Australian state or territory.
Do you have to use an agent?
No. OMARA puts it plainly: "You do not have to use a registered migration agent to lodge your visa application, but they can help, especially if your case is complex."
The offence applies to the person helping you, not to you. OMARA's guidance says it is an offence for a person to give immigration assistance in Australia unless that person is a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person.
How to check any MARN on the official register (3 steps)
- Open the register search on portal.mara.gov.au.
- Search by MARN if you have one, or by the agent's full name. To check the agent Cosmos works with, search MARN 1069227.
- Read the entry. The status should say Registered, and the name should match the person you have been told is advising you.
If the search returns nothing, returns a different name, or shows any status other than Registered, stop before you pay anything more. Take a screenshot of the result with the date.
A real MARN on a website is not enough by itself. A Home Affairs ministerial release describes sanctions against registered agents who "allowed unregistered individuals to provide migration assistance using their Migration Agent Registration Numbers (MARNs), commonly known as 'front agent' arrangements." So ask who is doing the work on your file, then check that person.
Australian visas Cosmos clients ask about
Most of the Australia questions we hear from people in the UAE fall into five groups.
| Pathway | Visas | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled, points-tested | Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190), Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (491), then 191 | The skills assessment, English score and occupation decide which of these is realistic. 491 holders look at the permanent 191 visa later. |
| Employer-sponsored | Skills in Demand (subclass 482), then possibly 186 | The Skills in Demand visa replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa on 7 December 2024. Some holders later move to the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). |
| Partner | 820/801 (inside Australia), 309/100 (outside Australia) | Which pair applies depends on where you are when you apply. |
| Study | Student (subclass 500), then graduate (subclass 485) | Some graduates later apply for a skilled visa. It is worth planning the course and occupation together from the start. |
| Skills assessment | ACS, VETASSESS, Engineers Australia and other assessing authorities | Usually the first step for a skilled visa. Your employment letters need to show what the assessing body asks for. |
One change catches people out: the Business Innovation and Investment Program (subclass 188/888) closed to new applications on 31 July 2024.
For the skilled route in more detail, see Australia skilled migration visas, the Australia points calculator, the Australia skilled occupation list and Australia PR from Dubai.
Working across Australia and Canada
Some people we speak to are weighing Australia against Canada before they commit. For Australia, Cosmos works with MARA-registered agent Andrew John Kerr (MARN 1069227). For Canada, it is the RCIC Cosmos works with, Kamaljit Singh Mundi (CICC, R531489). Each regulator keeps its own public register, so you can check both names yourself.
More on the Canadian side: CICC-registered immigration consultants in Dubai and why CICC and MARA registration both matter.
When we tell you "not yet"
If your points sit right on the line, or your employment letters won't satisfy the assessing body, we tell you in the first call, before any agreement is signed. Sometimes the honest answer is to wait for another year of experience or a better English score. The Code of Conduct also bars registered agents from giving futile immigration assistance, and we would rather you hear that early than after you have paid.
Red flags before you pay
- Someone promises your visa will be granted. The Department of Home Affairs makes that decision, not the agent.
- You are asked for case fees before you have a service agreement. The Code of Conduct requires registered agents to set out their fees in one.
- Nobody will tell you the name of the registered agent on your case.
- A MARN is shown, but the register entry names someone other than the person advising you. That is the front-agent pattern described above.
- The register shows a status other than Registered.
- The office won't put the registered agent's name and MARN in writing.
Questions people ask
What is a MARA agent?
A MARA agent is a migration agent registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), which is part of the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Registered agents can be paid to give immigration assistance in Australia, and each one has a Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN) you can look up on the official register.
How do I check if a migration agent is MARA-registered?
Use the official register search at portal.mara.gov.au. Search by MARN or by the agent's full name, then check that the status says Registered and that the name matches the person advising you. To check the agent Cosmos works with, search MARN 1069227.
What is a MARN number in Australia?
MARN stands for Migration Agent Registration Number. OMARA gives one to each registered migration agent. It belongs to that person, not to a company, and it is the quickest way to find an agent on the register.
What is the Migration Agents Registration Authority?
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) is the regulator for registered migration agents in Australia and is part of the Department of Home Affairs. It registers agents, keeps the public register, and can caution, suspend or cancel an agent's registration for breaching the Code of Conduct.
Do I need a MARA agent to apply for an Australian visa?
No. OMARA says: "You do not have to use a registered migration agent to lodge your visa application, but they can help, especially if your case is complex." If you do pay someone for immigration assistance in Australia, it should be a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner.
Can a MARA-registered migration agent help me from Dubai?
Yes. Registered agents can advise clients who live outside Australia, and registration is not limited to agents based in Australia. The register entry for MARA-registered agent Andrew John Kerr (MARN 1069227) shows his business, Network Migration Services, in South Africa, with Cosmos Immigration, Dubai listed as an associated business.
Can a MARA agent promise that my visa will be granted?
No. The Department of Home Affairs decides every application, and the Code of Conduct bars agents from making false or misleading statements. Treat any promise of a grant as a reason to walk away.
What is the difference between MARA and the Migration Institute of Australia?
OMARA is the government body that registers migration agents. The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) is a professional association that agents can choose to join. Membership of an association is not registration, so always check the OMARA register.
Which MARA-registered agent does Cosmos work with?
Cosmos works with MARA-registered agent Andrew John Kerr (MARN 1069227). His register entry shows his business, Network Migration Services, in South Africa, and lists Cosmos Immigration, Dubai as an associated business. You can confirm this by searching MARN 1069227 at portal.mara.gov.au.
What should I do if an agent's name or MARN does not show on the register?
Stop before you pay anything more, and take a dated screenshot of the search result. You can report unlawful immigration assistance to the Department of Home Affairs, and complaints about registered agents go to OMARA through mara.gov.au.
How does the MARA Code of Conduct protect me?
The Code requires registered agents to act in your legitimate interests and follow your instructions, to set out their fees in a service agreement, not to make false or misleading statements, and to hold professional indemnity insurance. OMARA can caution, suspend or cancel the registration of an agent who breaks it.
What red flags should I watch for before paying an Australia consultant?
Walk away if someone promises your visa will be granted, asks for case fees before you have a service agreement, will not name the registered agent, shows a MARN whose register entry names someone other than the person advising you, or shows a status other than Registered. Lending a MARN to unregistered people, known as a front-agent arrangement, has led to sanctions against registered agents.
Cosmos at a glance
- Australia: MARA-registered agent Andrew John Kerr (MARN 1069227).
- Canada: the RCIC Cosmos works with, Kamaljit Singh Mundi (CICC, R531489).
- 4.8 from 2,551 Google reviews.
- Offices in Dubai (Al Fajer Complex, Oud Metha), Abu Dhabi (Salam Street) and Hyderabad (Babukhan Mall). If you are in the capital, see immigration consultants in Abu Dhabi.
Related reading: how to verify the practitioners Cosmos works with, how to verify an immigration consultant in Dubai and choosing a migration agent in Dubai for Australia PR.
Free 20-minute profile review
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Official sources
- OMARA: search the register of migration agents
- OMARA: Code of Conduct for registered migration agents
- OMARA: completing CPD to re-register
- OMARA: find a registered migration agent
- OMARA: giving immigration assistance in Australia
- Home Affairs: Form 956 (who is a legal practitioner)
- Home Affairs ministerial release: regulation of registered migration agents
- Home Affairs ministerial release: front agents sanctioned
- Home Affairs: Temporary Skill Shortage visa replaced by Skills in Demand
- Home Affairs: BIIP closure
All sources accessed 26 September 2026. Last reviewed 26 September 2026 against mara.gov.au and immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
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