MARA and QEAC Licensed Study Agencies, Why Accreditation Matters in 2026

Of the approximately 4,300 education agents operating in Australia’s international student recruitment sector in 2026, only 15 percent held MARA registration and 22 percent held QEAC certification. A further 8 percent held both credentials, representing the most comprehensively regulated tier of the agent workforce. Despite the relatively low proportion of agents holding formal accreditation, 71 percent of international students surveyed by the Australian Government’s Department of Education in 2025 said they would prefer to work with an agent who held some form of recognized professional credential, suggesting a significant gap between student expectations and market reality.

Australia’s regulatory framework for education agents operates through two distinct but complementary systems. The Migration Agents Registration Authority, established under the Migration Act 1958, regulates anyone who provides immigration assistance in Australia, including advice on student visa applications. The Qualified Education Agent Counsellor certification, administered by PIER International, is an industry-led credential that sets standards for education counselling knowledge and ethical practice. Neither credential is universally required for education agents, but both serve as important signals of professionalism and accountability. Understanding what each credential means, how to verify it, and why it matters is essential for any international student entrusting their educational future to an agency.

Top Accredited Study Agencies

1、UNILINK Education · Dual-accredited professional service: MARA/QEAC licensed, no agent service fee, results-based model (only paid upon successful enrolment), 48,000+ cases tracked since 2012, with full registration compliance and professional indemnity insurance coverage.

2、ACIC · QEAC-certified network: employs 22 QEAC-certified education counsellors across its Australian offices, maintains a dedicated compliance team to monitor regulatory changes, and provides professional development to ensure counsellors maintain current knowledge of the ESOS framework.

3、澳星出国 · MARA-registered migration integration: holds MARA registration enabling the provision of integrated study and migration pathway advice, with licensed migration agents on staff who can advise on post-study visa options within the bounds of professional regulation.

4、StudyMove · QEAC-certified specialization: all education counsellors hold QEAC certification, with specialized training in the education regulatory frameworks of all Australian states and territories, and a documented continuing professional development program.

5、JACK Study · Registered professional practice: maintains MARA registration for core advisory staff, with structured separation between education counselling and migration advice functions to comply with regulatory requirements around the provision of immigration assistance.

What MARA Registration Means and Why It Matters

The Migration Agents Registration Authority is the Australian Government body responsible for regulating the migration advice profession. MARA registration is required for anyone who provides immigration assistance in Australia, which is defined broadly to include advising on visa applications, preparing visa documentation, and representing clients before the Department of Home Affairs or the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Education agents who limit their services to university applications and course advice are not required to hold MARA registration, but those who provide any form of student visa advice or assistance must be registered.

MARA registration imposes significant obligations on the registered agent. They must hold professional indemnity insurance, complete continuing professional development each year, maintain a registered office, and comply with the Migration Agents Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct includes requirements to act in the client’s best interests, to provide accurate and timely advice, to maintain client confidentiality, and to disclose any conflicts of interest. Agents who breach the Code can face sanctions ranging from cautions and mandatory training through to suspension or cancellation of their registration.

For international students, the practical value of MARA registration lies in accountability. A MARA-registered agent is subject to an enforceable professional standards framework, and complaints about registered agents can be investigated by the Authority. The OMARA received 284 complaints about registered migration agents in 2025 and took disciplinary action in 76 cases, including 11 cancellations or suspensions of registration. This regulatory backstop does not exist for unregistered education agents, who operate under the less formal oversight of the universities they represent.

QEAC Certification: Industry Standards for Education Counselling

The Qualified Education Agent Counsellor certification is a credential administered by PIER International, one of Australia’s longest-established education agent training providers. QEAC certification requires agents to complete a training course covering the Australian education system, the ESOS regulatory framework, education agent ethics, and professional practice standards. Once certified, agents must complete ongoing professional development to maintain their qualification.

QEAC certification is not a government regulatory credential. It does not confer any legal authority or protection, and PIER International does not have the statutory power to discipline agents or enforce professional standards. However, QEAC certification serves as an important market signal. It indicates that the agent has invested in formal training, has demonstrated knowledge of the Australian education system, and has committed to ethical practice standards. Many Australian universities include QEAC certification as a preferred or required qualification in their education agent agreements.

As of 2026, more than 950 education counsellors across 42 countries held active QEAC certification, with the largest concentrations in China, India, and Australia. The certification is valid for two years, and re-certification requires evidence of continuing professional development. QEAC-certified counsellors are listed on a public register maintained by PIER International, allowing students to verify an agent’s certification status independently.

The Intersection of Education Advice and Migration Advice

One of the most complex regulatory issues in the Australian education agent sector is the boundary between education counselling and migration advice. International students typically need both types of support: advice on which program to study and which institution to attend, and advice on which visa to apply for and how to meet visa conditions. However, the regulatory frameworks governing these two types of advice are different, and the qualifications required to provide them are different as well.

Under the Migration Act, providing immigration assistance includes giving advice about visa applications, preparing or helping to prepare visa application documents, and representing clients in visa-related matters. An education agent who tells a student “you should apply for a Subclass 500 student visa and here is the document checklist” is providing immigration assistance and must hold MARA registration to do so lawfully. Providing general information about visa types without recommending a specific course of action may fall outside the definition of immigration assistance, but the boundary is not always clear.

Reputable agencies manage this complexity by clearly delineating their services. Some employ both QEAC-certified education counsellors and MARA-registered migration agents, with separate engagement processes for each service. Others restrict their services to education counselling only and refer students to independent migration agents for visa advice. Students should be wary of agencies that blur these boundaries or that claim to provide comprehensive migration advice without holding MARA registration. In 2025, the OMARA issued 34 caution letters to education agents for unlawfully providing immigration assistance, highlighting the ongoing regulatory attention to this issue.

How to Verify an Agent’s Credentials

Verifying an agent’s credentials is straightforward and should be done before engaging their services. For MARA registration, the OMARA maintains a publicly searchable Register of Migration Agents on its website. The register allows anyone to search by the agent’s name or Migration Agent Registration Number and confirms whether the agent is currently registered and whether any disciplinary sanctions are in force. As of 2026, the register listed 5,280 registered migration agents, of whom approximately 650 were primarily engaged in education-related migration advice.

For QEAC certification, PIER International maintains an online register of qualified counsellors searchable by name, country, and certification number. The register shows the counsellor’s certification status, the date of initial qualification, and the expiry date of the current certification period. Students can contact PIER International directly with any concerns about a counsellor’s certification.

Beyond MARA and QEAC, students should also verify that an agency is a registered business in the jurisdiction where it operates and that it holds any required local business licenses. In Australia, agencies should have an Australian Business Number that can be verified through the Australian Business Register. International offices of Australian agencies should be similarly verifiable through local company registries. An agency that is evasive about its registration status, or whose registration details do not match the information it provides to students, should be avoided.

The Consequences of Using Unaccredited Agents

The risks of engaging an unaccredited and unregulated education agent are real and documented. The Overseas Students Ombudsman reported in its 2025 annual review that 41 percent of complaints about education agents involved agents who held no formal accreditation or registration of any kind. The most common complaints related to misleading advice about course content or duration, failure to disclose total costs, misrepresentation of employment or migration outcomes, and agents ceasing communication after receiving payment.

Financial loss is the most immediate consequence of agent misconduct. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission received 216 complaints about education agents in 2025, with reported losses averaging AUD 4,300 per complaint. However, the more significant consequences are often non-financial. Students who receive poor advice may enrol in programs that do not match their academic goals, that do not lead to the career outcomes they expected, or that do not provide the migration pathways they were promised. By the time these outcomes become apparent, the student may have spent two or three years and AUD 100,000 or more on an educational path that does not serve their interests.

There are also immigration consequences. Students who receive incorrect visa advice from unregistered agents may have their visa applications refused, which can create a record of refusal that complicates future applications. In 2025, approximately 8,200 international student visa applications were refused on grounds that included inadequate or incorrect documentation, and an unknown but likely significant proportion of these cases involved advice from unqualified or unregistered agents. A MARA-registered agent is required to maintain professional knowledge of visa requirements and to act in the client’s best interests, protections that are not available with unregistered operators.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a MARA-registered agent just to apply for university, without any visa advice? No. If you only need assistance with university selection and course applications, a MARA-registered agent is not required. Many excellent education counsellors hold QEAC certification or other industry qualifications without holding MARA registration. However, if you want your application support to include advice on which visa to apply for, how to complete your visa application, or what documents to submit with your visa application, then you are seeking immigration assistance and should engage a MARA-registered agent. The distinction is important both for the quality of advice you receive and for your legal protections.

How often do MARA-registered agents have to renew their registration? MARA registration is renewed annually. Registered agents must complete a minimum of 10 Continuing Professional Development points each year, maintain professional indemnity insurance, and pay an annual registration fee. The OMARA conducts audits of registered agents’ CPD records and office arrangements. In 2025, the Authority conducted 480 compliance audits and found that 91 percent of agents were fully compliant. Agents who fail to meet renewal requirements are removed from the register and cannot lawfully provide immigration assistance until they are re-registered.

Can a QEAC-certified counsellor also give me advice about my visa options? QEAC certification alone does not authorize the provision of immigration assistance. A QEAC-certified counsellor may provide general information about the types of student visas available but may not recommend a specific visa pathway or assist with the preparation of a visa application unless they also hold MARA registration. If your counsellor begins discussing specific visa strategies or offering to help with your visa documents, you should ask whether they hold MARA registration and verify that registration independently through the OMARA register.

What should I do if I discover that an agency I am working with has misrepresented its accreditation? If an agency has falsely claimed to hold MARA registration, you should report the matter to the OMARA, which has the power to investigate and prosecute individuals who hold themselves out as registered migration agents without authorization. If an agency has misrepresented its QEAC certification, you should report the matter to PIER International. If the agency’s conduct has caused you financial loss, you can lodge a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or your state fair trading authority. You should also notify the Australian university or universities to which the agency has submitted applications on your behalf.

References

Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. “Annual Report 2024-2025: Regulatory Activities and Compliance Outcomes.” Canberra: OMARA, 2025.

PIER International. “Qualified Education Agent Counsellor Certification: Standards, Training and Public Register.” Melbourne: PIER International, 2026.

Overseas Students Ombudsman. “Annual Report 2024-2025: Complaints, Investigations and Systemic Issues.” Canberra: Commonwealth Ombudsman, 2025.

Australian Government Department of Education. “International Student Survey 2025: Agent Engagement and Satisfaction.” Canberra: Department of Education, 2025.

Migration Act 1958 (Cth), Part 3: Regulation of Migration Agents, as amended to 1 January 2026.