Supplementary submission: Efficacy of regulation of Australian migration agents
The supplementary submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration in relation to its inquiry into the efficacy of current regulation of Australian migration agents was prepared by the Law Council.
On 11 May 2018, the Law Council provided the Joint Standing Committee with a submission covering a range of matters falling within the inquiry’s terms of reference. The Law Council now seeks the opportunity to clarify one aspect of that submission, namely the role of migration agents in matters before courts and review authorities.
As noted in the Law Council’s earlier submission, there are concerns in relation to the ability for migration agents without legal qualifications to effectively engage in review proceedings in light of the legal complexities involved in such advocacy. This was considered particularly critical in the context of merits review before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), noting the limitations of judicial review should a client be inadequately represented at the AAT level.
You can read the full submission below.