A quote should be a price.

No, and it never will. Posting, comparing quotes and messaging agents are free for applicants. Providers pay us a flat subscription for the software. We take no percentage of what they charge you — see the next answer, because the reason is more interesting than generosity.

A flat monthly subscription from providers. Not a cut of your fee and not a lead fee. Section 281(2) of the Migration Act makes it an offence carrying ten years to receive a reward for immigration assistance given by someone who is not registered — so a platform taking a percentage is one lapsed registration away from a serious problem. A subscription is not. Providers can also buy a promoted slot, which puts them in a block above the directory that is labelled “Promoted” and says they paid for it. It does not move them up the results by a single position, and the code that orders the results is not given the promotion data at all.

No. Agents see your case — the visa, your circumstances, your timeframe — but not your name, email or phone. Those are released only to the agent you choose. Contact details in messages before that point are masked automatically, in both directions.

Your agent does, and that is deliberate. Section 50 of the Code already requires them to keep unearned client money in a client account, and that duty comes with a regulator attached to it. You pay them directly, stage by stage, against an itemised invoice. VisaBid never holds your money — what it does is make sure no invoice can exist before the agreement is signed, and keep every record if something goes wrong.

Usually three to six within a couple of days, depending on the visa type. Urgent or complicated matters attract fewer but more detailed ones, because the agent has actually read your brief.

No, and be wary of anyone unregistered who does. We are a marketplace, not a migration agency. Choose "I am not sure which visa I need" when you post, and let registered agents tell you — that advice is exactly what only they may legally give.

Neither is automatically better. Lawyers with unrestricted practising certificates can act at the tribunal and in court, which matters after a refusal or cancellation. For a straightforward application a good registered agent is often better value. Both are here, and both show their credential.

Raise a dispute and the platform records the agent’s response, puts them on a clock, and can refund you from their account. You also keep every right you have independently: the Code of Conduct, a complaint to OMARA or the legal services commissioner, your card issuer, and the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in our terms takes any of that away, because nothing lawfully could.