Press kit + open datasets

Story angles + headline data

If you're writing about Australian skilled migration, the post-2024 visa reforms, international student caps or temporary-to-permanent visa pathways, here's the headline-ready data points pulled from this CSV:

• Sector size: Around 6,200 MARA-registered migration agents nationally. Around 1,800 are also legally-qualified immigration lawyers (LIV / Law Society admission + MARN). Around 4,400 are registered migration agents only (RMA, not legally trained). The lawyer subset can represent clients at the AAT + Federal Court without subcontracting; RMAs cannot.
• MARA register is public: Search at mara.gov.au by name, MARN or business name. Entries show registration status, expiry, sanctions + any complaint history. Unregistered immigration assistance (anyone outside MARA + the lawyer carve-out) is a criminal offence punishable by 10 years imprisonment under the Migration Act.
• Typical fees 2026: Student visa $1,500-$3,500. Partner visa $4,500-$8,500. Skilled visa 189/190/491 $3,500-$7,500. Employer-sponsored 482 / 186 $4,000-$9,500. AAT appeal $5,000-$15,000. Citizenship $1,500-$3,000. DHA application fees are separate + non-refundable. Fees have risen ~15-25pct since 2022 driven by complexity + adviser supply tightening.
• Skilled migration overhaul 2024-2025: The Migration Strategy (released December 2023) implemented Skills in Demand visa (SID, 4-year temporary), Specialist Skills Pathway ($135k+ salary), Core Skills Pathway + Essential Skills Pathway. Subclass 482 TSS visa migration phased out by end-2024. Subclass 186 ENS + 494 regional remain.
• International student cap: National Planning Level set at 270,000 new commencements for 2025 (around 17pct reduction vs 2024). Allocations by provider type: public universities 145,000, private VET / ELICOS 95,000, non-university higher ed 30,000. Has tightened student visa approval rates + driven more student-to-PR conversion work.
• Subclass 482 / SID transition: Existing 482 holders transition pathways extended. New nominees apply under Skills in Demand from 7 December 2024. Salary thresholds: Specialist Skills $135,000, Core Skills $73,150 (TSMIT 2024), Essential Skills (sector-specific, draft).
• Partner visa processing: Onshore subclass 820/801 around 18-30 months processing (down from 36 months during COVID backlog). Offshore 309/100 around 14-22 months. Sponsor obligations + family violence provisions (Section 89A) have not changed; AAT appeal rights still apply for refused applications.
• AAT (Administrative Appeals Tribunal): Around 47,000 migration + protection visa AAT applications lodged 2023-24 (sharp rise post-COVID). Success rates vary: partner visa refusal AAT around 38pct overturned, protection visa around 12pct, student visa around 25pct. AAT renaming to ART (Administrative Review Tribunal) October 2024.

Direct quote attribution: "Compare Migration Agents" or "comparemigrationagents.com.au".