Compare Immigration Lawyers in Australia
Shortlists of immigration and migration law firms in 5 cities, for visa applications, refusals, cancellations and appeals. Every lawyer we name was checked on a state register, accredited specialists are confirmed on the official lists, and first-consultation fees are shown where firms publish them.
What we check
- Lawyers only. Every firm has named lawyers doing migration work. Migration agencies with no lawyer named are left out. We checked 265 firms and migration businesses to build these lists.
- Every lawyer on a register. Each person named on a listing was found on the register kept by a state law society or legal practice board.
- Specialists confirmed. A lawyer is only shown as an accredited immigration law specialist if they're on the accrediting body's official list.
- Fees from the firm. First-consultation fees come from the firm's own website, with the date we checked. Where a firm's site gives two different answers, we say so.
Before you call a firm
Check your deadline first. Time limits to challenge a visa refusal or cancellation can be short. For example, an application to the Federal Circuit and Family Court for review of a migration decision must be filed within 35 days of the decision, according to the court. Your decision letter sets out your review rights.
Ask about fees in writing. A lawyer's fees are separate from the visa application charge paid to the Department of Home Affairs.
Free help exists. Community legal centres and refugee legal services help people who qualify. Each city page lists the local ones.
Immigration lawyer or registered migration agent?
Only three kinds of people can lawfully give immigration assistance in Australia: registered migration agents, legal practitioners (lawyers), and a short list of exempt people such as close family members who don't charge.
- Registered migration agent
- Registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), bound by a code of conduct and listed on the OMARA register. Agents can advise on visa options, prepare and lodge applications, deal with the Department of Home Affairs and represent you before a review tribunal.
- Immigration lawyer
- A lawyer with a current Australian practising certificate can give immigration assistance as part of their legal practice without registering as a migration agent, so many immigration lawyers don't have a MARN. A lawyer can also act for you if a matter goes to court, for example judicial review of a tribunal decision, because only qualified lawyers can engage in legal practice.
This site lists law firms only. A registered migration agent may suit a simple application; a lawyer may suit a matter that could end up in court. Either way, check the person before you pay: lawyers on the state register, agents on the OMARA register, which also lists disciplinary decisions.
Sources: OMARA, Getting help from someone who is not a registered migration agent and How registered migration agents can help; Federal Circuit and Family Court, Migration: overview; Legal Profession Uniform Law, section 10. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
Top10 Immigration Lawyers is an information and comparison site published by Steven Piper. We aren't a law firm or a migration agent, we don't give advice, and a firm's place on a shortlist isn't a recommendation for your situation. More about the site.