Check migration agent Tanzania: two register searches to run before a shilling moves
Tips · 2026-11-13 · 8 min read
To check a migration agent in Tanzania, search two public registers: the Register of Migration Agents run by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) for Australia, and the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) register for New Zealand. If the person is not on the right register, do not pay, send your passport or sign anything. A WhatsApp profile, an office in Dar es Salaam or a friend's recommendation proves nothing.
The cost of skipping a five-minute search
Many people who give visa advice to people in Tanzania are outside the country, and you may never meet them. That is exactly why a register search matters. It takes a few minutes and it is the one check that does not depend on what the agent tells you.
The stakes are real. Home Affairs warns that people who engage in visa fraud through a scam agent risk visa refusal or cancellation and a ban from Australia for up to 10 years. Anyone promising a visa, permanent residency or citizenship is misleading you, because an Australian visa outcome cannot be assured by anyone.
Australia: finding a MARN on the OMARA register
Anyone giving immigration assistance with an Australian visa must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person. Registered agents must be listed on the Register of Migration Agents on the OMARA website, and each one has a Migration Agents Registration Number (MARN). Someone who claims to be an agent but has no MARN or OMARA listing is not legitimate.
Start on the OMARA page that explains who may help with a visa and who is not registered, then search the register by name or MARN. Home Affairs gives the same rules on its page about who can help with your application.
Exempt persons are the one group that is neither an agent nor a lawyer. A sponsor, a nominator or a close family member may help with your application, but they must not charge a fee. If a "helper" calls themselves exempt and asks for money, that is a red flag.
New Zealand: the IAA licence is a different thing
New Zealand works differently. By law, anyone giving New Zealand immigration advice must be licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority unless exempt, and it is a criminal offence for anyone else to give it. The IAA's public register shows whether a person is currently a licensed immigration adviser. Start on the IAA page for migrants.
The two systems do not cover each other. An Australian registered migration agent is not automatically a New Zealand licensed adviser, and the reverse is also true. If someone says they handle both countries, check both registers separately.
You are also not required to use an adviser at all for a New Zealand visa, and Immigration New Zealand will not prioritise an application because an adviser was used. Read the INZ page on protecting yourself from immigration scams before you hire anyone.
Side by side: who may help, and where to look
| Country | Who may give visa help | Where to check | Not legitimate if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person | Register of Migration Agents on the OMARA website | No MARN or OMARA listing |
| New Zealand | Licensed immigration adviser, unless exempt | IAA public register | Not currently licensed and not exempt |
| Both | Nobody can promise a visa outcome | Official government sites only | Offers a visa, residence or a "work permit" outright |
Six steps to verify the person on your phone
- Ask for the person's full name and, for Australia, their MARN. A real agent gives it without fuss.
- Type the official register address into your browser yourself. Do not follow a link sent to you on WhatsApp or by email.
- Search the name on the OMARA register for Australian visa help, or on the IAA register for New Zealand.
- Compare what the register shows with the person you are dealing with, including their name and business name.
- Ask what they will do in writing, and what any payment covers, before you pay.
- If anything does not match, stop and ask your questions through the official sites or a person you can verify.
Warning signs from Home Affairs, Scamwatch and INZ
The Scamwatch warning signs for job scams are a useful checklist: unexpected contact on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram, a quick hiring process with no interview, and being asked to pay a "recruitment fee" or for training materials before starting. Scamwatch also advises never sending your passport or identity documents to an employer or recruitment firm unless you are certain they are genuine.
Some Australian rules are easy to remember. Australia does not issue "work permits", visa labels or Labour Market Impact Assessments, so anyone offering one is running a scam. You cannot work in Australia on an Electronic Travel Authority or a Visitor visa. ImmiAccount is the only official website for applying for an Australian visa, and a visa grant that cannot be found in VEVO is probably fake. Emails claiming to be from Home Affairs whose address does not end in .gov.au are scams.
New Zealand has its own signs. INZ never asks for visa fees to be paid into a bank account. Official INZ email addresses end with immigration.govt.nz or mbie.govt.nz. New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party. INZ will also decline an AEWV application if the applicant or their agent offered or promised money to the employer in exchange for a job offer.
Our guides on checking a job offer letter and on a New Zealand job offer from Tanzania go through the paperwork side, and the 482 sponsorship explainer shows what a real employer does for you.
Common mistakes
- Trusting a certificate or logo. A framed document or a polished website is not a register entry.
- Mixing up the two countries. Australian registration is not a New Zealand licence, so each country needs its own check.
- Paying first and checking later. Once money has gone through mobile money or a transfer, getting it back is hard.
- Sending a passport scan to an unverified person. Hold it back until you are certain who they are.
- Believing a sure thing. A promise of a visa, residence or a job is itself the warning sign. Our look at visa rule changes and small print shows why the rules move and why nobody can promise an outcome.
What this site does and does not do
JobsAbroad is a job platform, not a migration agent, and it does not give visa advice. When a job ad states that an employer offers sponsorship, you apply to that employer. Browse the current jobs or read our visa guides for the general picture. If you want personal advice on your case, you can contact Red Migration, who work with registered migration agents (MARA) in Australia and licensed immigration advisers in New Zealand. Even then, check the register entry of whoever handles your case.
Other sites in the region cover the same check for their readers: see how JobsAbroad Uganda explains the two registers and the Zimbabwe version of the same search.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a migration agent is registered for Australia?
Search the Register of Migration Agents on the OMARA website by name or MARN. Registered agents must be listed there, and someone with no MARN or listing is not legitimate.
Is an Australian registered agent also licensed for New Zealand?
No. New Zealand immigration advice must come from someone licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority unless they are exempt. Check the IAA register separately from the Australian one.
Do I have to use an agent or adviser to apply?
For New Zealand, you are not required to use an adviser, and INZ does not prioritise an application because one was used. For Australia, you may apply yourself or get help from a registered agent, a lawyer or an exempt person.
Can a friend or relative help me with my application?
An exempt person such as a sponsor, a nominator or a close family member may help with an Australian visa application. They must not charge a fee for doing so.
Can an agent make sure I get a visa?
No. Home Affairs says no one can assure an Australian visa, and anyone promising a visa, permanent residency or citizenship is misleading you. Scammers also tend to overstate how likely New Zealand residence is after a temporary visa.
Key takeaways
- Check Australian agents on the OMARA register and New Zealand advisers on the IAA register.
- Australian registration is not a New Zealand licence: check each country separately.
- No agent can assure a visa, and a claim to do so is a warning sign.
- Exempt helpers, such as a sponsor or close family member, must not charge a fee.
- Never send your passport or pay a recruitment fee to someone you have not verified.
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Cost of moving to Australia from Tanzania: AUD 4,015.00 for the visa, and the bills your employer must carry
Salary in Australia for Tanzanians: a $26.44 floor, a $79,423 visa line and what you keep
English requirement for Australia from Tanzania: speaking English daily is not proof