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Registered migration agent in Zimbabwe? Search two registers before any money moves

Tips · 2026-11-07 · 9 min read

If you are looking for a registered migration agent in Zimbabwe, the check takes a few minutes and costs nothing: search the Australian Register of Migration Agents for Australia, and the Immigration Advisers Authority register for New Zealand. A name that cannot be found there is a reason to stop before any money moves. This guide shows both searches, what each register proves and what it does not.

Why the register matters more than the sales pitch

Many people who offer visa help are far from Harare, Bulawayo or Mutare and reach you through a chat message or a social media page. A polished profile proves nothing. The register is the only check that matters, because the law decides who may give immigration advice.

In Australia, anyone giving immigration assistance with a visa must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person. In New Zealand, anyone giving immigration advice must be licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority unless exempt, and it is a criminal offence for anyone else to do so.

The stakes are real. People who take part in visa fraud through a scam agent risk refusal or cancellation and a ban from Australia for up to 10 years. If you are still choosing your route, our visa guides for people in Zimbabwe explain the main options in plain English.

If anyone, agent or employer, has also asked you for money in return for sponsorship, read what to do when you are asked to pay for sponsorship before you send anything.

Registered agent versus licensed adviser: the difference

The two countries use different words and different registers, and one does not carry over to the other. The table sets them side by side.

The practical point: an Australian registration is not a New Zealand licence. If a person tells you they can handle both countries, check both registers separately.

How to check an agent before you pay, step by step

1. Ask for the full legal name and, for Australia, the MARN. Someone claiming to be an agent without a MARN or a listing is not legitimate.
2. Open the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority page on helpers and use its register to search the name and number.
3. For New Zealand, open the Immigration Advisers Authority page for migrants and check that the person is currently a licensed immigration adviser.
4. Compare what you find with what you were told: the same name, the same number, and a current entry.
5. Only then discuss fees, and ask for the agreement in writing before you pay.
6. Keep every message and receipt. If something goes wrong later, you will want the record.

If you are also weighing a job offer, the same habit applies to employers. Our guide to AEWV job offer checks from Zimbabwe covers the employer side for New Zealand, and the guide on the Australia 482 visa from Zimbabwe explains why a vague "sponsorship may be considered" line is not an offer.

Red flags that should end the conversation

Home Affairs and Scamwatch describe patterns that repeat across countries. Treat any of these as a reason to stop.

• A promise of a visa, permanent residency or citizenship. No one can promise an Australian visa.
• An offer of an Australian "work permit", visa label or Labour Market Impact Assessment. Australia does not issue these, so anyone offering one is running a scam.
• A visa grant that cannot be found in VEVO, which Home Affairs says is probably fake.
• An email claiming to be from the Department of Home Affairs whose address does not end in .gov.au.
• For New Zealand, an email that does not end in immigration.govt.nz or mbie.govt.nz, or a request to pay visa fees into a bank account. Immigration New Zealand only accepts card payment on its forms, or payment at an approved Visa Application Centre.
• Contact out of the blue on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram, a quick hiring process with no interview, or a "recruitment fee" before you start work.

The official Home Affairs visa scams page lists these signs in full, and the Scamwatch guide to jobs and employment scams covers fake job offers.

Protecting your documents and your money

Scamwatch advises never sending your passport or identity documents to an employer or recruitment firm unless you are certain they are genuine. Do the register search first, and send documents second.

Money has its own rules. New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay 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. Paying for a job offer can cost you the visa as well as the money.

Once a visa is granted, you can confirm it. A New Zealand visa can be checked with INZ's Visa Verification service, and Australian grants should appear in VEVO. If you hold a document that does not show up, ask questions before you resign from your current job. Our note on Zimbabwean qualifications recognised in Australia makes the same point about paying for services before you know what is needed.

Do you need an agent at all?

Not always. For New Zealand you are not required to use an adviser, and an adviser does not move your application up the queue. In Australia, a family member or sponsor who is an exempt person may help without charging. A registered agent can still be worth it for a complicated case, but the choice is yours, and the register tells you only whether the person is allowed to advise, not whether they are the right fit.

If you are a student, the related question is who to trust when you plan a course and a visa together. Our post on switching courses and trusted advice for students in Zimbabwe covers that. For another country's view of the same check, JobsAbroad Uganda's guide to the two registers walks through the search in a few steps.

Where this site fits

JobsAbroad Zimbabwe is a job platform. We are not a registered migration agent or a licensed immigration adviser, and we do not give visa advice or charge for it. You can browse live roles, for example manufacturing jobs, and apply to the employer yourself. If you want help with a visa, use the registers above. Once the people around you are verified, a clear English CV is the next step, and Build AI CV can help you write one.

Common mistakes

• Trusting a profile photo, a certificate image or a large follower count instead of searching the register.
• Searching only a first name or a business name. Search the full legal name and the MARN.
• Assuming an Australian registration covers New Zealand work, or the other way round.
• Paying a deposit before the written agreement and the register check.
• Accepting a promised result, which no genuine agent or adviser can give.
• Sending passport scans first, and asking questions afterwards.

Frequently asked questions

Can a friend or relative help me with my visa form?

In Australia, an exempt person such as a sponsor, a nominator or a close family member may help with an application, but must not charge a fee. If someone who is not exempt charges you, ask for their registration number and search it before you pay anything.

Is a registered Australian agent also allowed to advise on New Zealand visas?

No, the two systems are separate. An Australian registration does not give someone a New Zealand licence, so for New Zealand advice you search the Immigration Advisers Authority register for a current licence, unless the person is exempt.

Do I have to use an adviser at all?

For New Zealand, you are not required to use an adviser to apply for a visa, and Immigration New Zealand does not prioritise an application because an adviser was used. Many people apply on their own, and the official pages explain each step.

What if the agent says they are registered but I cannot find the name?

Treat it as a warning and stop paying. Someone claiming to be an agent without a registration number or a listing on the Register of Migration Agents is not legitimate, so ask for the full name and number, search again, and walk away if nothing matches.

Can an agent promise that my visa will be approved?

No. Home Affairs says no one can promise an Australian visa, and anyone promising a visa, permanent residency or citizenship is misleading you. The same caution applies to New Zealand, where a temporary visa does not mean residence will follow.

Key takeaways

• Check the Register of Migration Agents for Australia and the Immigration Advisers Authority register for New Zealand before paying anyone.
• An Australian registration is not a New Zealand licence: search each register separately.
• No one can promise a visa, and a promise of one is a warning sign.
• Send your documents only after the person is verified, and keep every receipt.
• You are not required to use an adviser for a New Zealand visa.

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