Lawyer or Migration Agent? What’s the Difference — and Does It Matter for Your Business?

Описание: When employers look for help with visas and sponsorship, the assumption is often simple:

They both deal with Home Affairs.
They both handle visa applications.
So they must be interchangeable.

But they’re not.

The difference isn’t about titles — it’s about qualifications, regulation, legal protections, and how your workforce strategy is structured behind the scenes.

In this episode of Mind the Gap Australia, Rhea Fawole, Principal Lawyer and CEO of SOLVi Migration, explains the practical distinctions between immigration lawyers and registered migration agents — and why those distinctions matter when your business is sponsoring overseas staff.

In this episode, we cover:
1. The difference in qualifications, training and regulation
What lawyers are required to complete before practising independently, how migration agents are trained and regulated under OMARA, and why supervised legal practice matters.

2. What legal professional privilege actually protects
Why communications with a lawyer are legally protected in a way that cannot be extended to migration agents, and what that means when you’re sharing financial records, contracts, and commercially sensitive information.

3. Why sponsorship needs legal structure — not just lodgements
How workforce strategy interacts with employment law, contracts, labour agreements, DAMAs, and broader legal risk — and why sponsorship shouldn’t be treated as a last-minute solution.

This episode is designed for employers and recruiters who want to understand who their business actually needs — and how to build a sponsorship strategy that is structured, protected, and sustainable.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Why This Topic Matters
01:48 Why the Professions Are Often Confused
03:20 Qualifications and Training Differences
07:45 Legal Professional Privilege Explained
11:10 Workforce Strategy and Legal Structure
14:32 Recap and Key Takeaways
15:50 Next Steps and Resources
16:40 Closing Remarks


Next Steps for you:
👉 Take our 60-second Business Eligibility Check here: https://www.solvi.com.au/hire-interna... https://www.solvi.com.au/hire-interna...


👉 If you need specific legal advice, book a consultation at www.solvi.com.au/book-a-consult
DISCLAIMER:
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
For advice on your personal circumstances, please book a consultation at SOLVi Migration: www.solvi.com.au
Copyright SOLVi PTY LTD 2026.