# Restriction on charging fees for immigration representations

> act-s282 — as in force on 2026-06-04 — C2026C00232 · Compilation No. 171 — https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026C00232/latest/text

282 Restriction on charging fees for immigration representations
          (1) Subject to subsection (2A), a person who is not a registered
              migration agent must not ask for or receive any fee or other reward
              for making immigration representations.
               Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.
          (2) Subject to subsection (2A), a person must not ask for or receive
              any fee or other reward for the making of immigration
              representations by another person who is not a registered migration
              agent.
               Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.
        (2A) This section does not prohibit:
              (a) an Australian legal practitioner from asking for or receiving a
                   fee or other reward for making immigration representations
                   in connection with legal practice; or
              (b) a person from asking for or receiving a fee or other reward
                   for the making of immigration representations by an
                   Australian legal practitioner in connection with legal
                   practice.
          (3) A person is not entitled to sue for, recover or set off any fee or
              other reward that the person must not ask for or receive because of
              subsection (1).
          (4) For the purposes of this section, a person makes immigration
              representations if he or she makes representations to, or otherwise
              communicates with, the Minister, a member of the Minister’s staff
              or the Department:
                (a) on behalf of a visa applicant about the application for the
                    visa; or
                (b) on behalf of a cancellation review applicant about the
                    cancellation review application; or










                 (c) on behalf of a person nominating (or seeking to nominate) a
                      visa applicant for the purposes of the regulations, about the
                      nomination; or
                 (d) on behalf of a person sponsoring (or seeking to sponsor) a
                      visa applicant for the purposes of the regulations, about the
                      sponsorship; or
                 (e) on behalf of a person who has made (or is proposing to
                      make) a request to the Minister to exercise his or her power
                      under section 351 or 501J in respect of a decision (whether or
                      not the decision relates to that person), about the request; or
                  (f) on behalf of a person who has made (or is proposing to
                      make) a request to the Minister to exercise a power under
                      section 195A, 197AB or 197AD (whether or not the exercise
                      of the power would relate to the other person), about the
                      request; or
                 (g) on behalf of a person who has made (or is proposing to
                      make) a representation to the Minister to exercise a power
                      under subsection 501C(4) to revoke a decision to refuse to
                      grant, or to cancel, a visa (whether or not the decision relates
                      to that person); or
                 (h) on behalf of a person who has made (or is proposing to
                      make) a representation to the Minister to exercise a power
                      under subsection 501CA(4) to revoke a decision to cancel a
                      visa (whether or not the decision relates to that person).
          (5) A person does not make immigration representations in the
              circumstances prescribed by the regulations.