From 22 March 2021 Hammond Taylor will operate as a law firm rather than as a migration agency. The reason for this change is that on 22 March 2021 a new law, passed by Federal Parliament, comes into effect. This law removes the requirement for lawyers to hold migration agent registration to practice in the area of immigration law. In our industry this is known as the 'end of dual regulation.'

All our migration agents are already registered lawyers and maintain the highest standard of ethics and professional practice. The removal of the migration agent title does not change our ability to assist you. Our staff remain  qualified and authorised to assist with visa applications, appeals and other migration matters as before.

For you, our clients, the deregulation of our profession will not impact the way we work together. However, you will notice small changes like:

  • new professional services agreement;
  • use of a different bank account, called a Trust Account;
  • removal of references to a Migration Agents Registration Number and being migration agents on our website and email signatures;
  • streamlining of the regulation framework meaning we will only be regulated by the Legal Services Board (Victoria) and removal of the Office of Migration Agents Regulation Authority (OMARA) as a regulator of our practice

We are otherwise still the same people, with the same expertise, providing you with the same advice and service.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.