QUICK ANSWER
Migration advice depends on precise facts, status and dates. Bring complete official correspondence, disclose earlier applications or refusals and verify the professional status of the person giving advice.
Key takeaways
- Keep official notices complete and in date order.
- Disclose previous applications and refusals.
- Verify who is authorised to advise you.
Build a complete status timeline
List current and previous visas, application dates, travel periods and major status changes. Use the dates shown on official records rather than relying only on memory.
Identify any response deadline, hearing, interview, expiry or planned travel. Tell the office about the earliest date when requesting the appointment.
Bring the whole correspondence chain
Provide complete notices and attachments, not cropped screenshots. Keep file names meaningful and preserve the sender, date and reference number.
- Passport identity pages and relevant travel records
- Current and previous visa grant notices
- Applications, refusals and review correspondence
- Qualifications, relationship or employment evidence relevant to the question
Verify role, scope and assumptions
Confirm whether the person advising you is an Australian legal practitioner, registered migration agent or another provider, and check the relevant public register.
Ask what the first meeting can establish, which facts need evidence, whether another professional is required and what future work would be included in the quoted scope.
TURN PREPARATION INTO A USEFUL SEARCH
Find providers connected to this guide.
Browse published services, then confirm the individual’s experience, availability, scope and fees directly.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Useful answers before you start.
Should I hide an earlier refusal if it seems unrelated?
No. Give the adviser an accurate application history and let them assess relevance. Missing information can undermine the usefulness of the advice.
Can a lawyer guarantee a visa outcome?
A provider can explain options and process but cannot control a government decision. Be cautious about guarantees.
Is a consultation the same as preparing an application?
Usually not. Ask what the consultation includes and obtain a separate written scope for any application or representation work.