Migration Agent vs DIY: Australia Skilled Visa From Kenya

A MARA-registered migration agent will charge you somewhere between AUD 3,000 and AUD 6,000 to handle an Australian skilled visa application. At current exchange rates, that is KES 265,000 to KES 530,000 — roughly two to four months of gross salary for a Kenyan professional earning KES 150,000 per month.

The question of whether to hire an agent or apply yourself is one of the most practically important decisions in the entire process, and most advice you'll find online avoids a direct answer. Here is a direct one.

What a MARA Agent Actually Does

MARA (Migration Agents Registration Authority) is the Australian body that registers and regulates migration agents. A MARA number is the only credential that matters — agents without one are not legally permitted to give immigration advice for a fee in Australia.

A legitimate MARA agent will:

• Review your documents and identify gaps or risks before you submit
• Select the correct ANZSCO occupation code for your skills assessment
• Advise on EOI strategy and state nomination timing
• Draft or review your statement of purpose if required
• Lodge the visa application through their registered ImmiAccount
• Correspond with the Department of Home Affairs on requests for information

What a MARA agent will not do:

• Sit your English test for you
• Obtain your skills assessment (that's your responsibility)
• Guarantee approval (no agent can, legally)
• Know more about the Kenya-specific logistics (DCI, NCK, IOM Nairobi) than a well-researched applicant

Migration Agent Fees in Kenya

There is no regulated fee structure — agents charge what the market supports. In the Nairobi market:

Nairobi-based agents (some with MARA registration or partnerships): KES 150,000–300,000 for a full-service engagement. Be cautious — some agents operating in Kenya are not MARA registered and are not legally authorised to provide Australian immigration advice. Paying an unregistered agent is a risk with no legal recourse if something goes wrong.

MARA-registered agents in Australia accepting clients from Kenya (conducted remotely by email/video call): AUD 3,000–6,000. This is more reliable in terms of registration status, but you need to verify the MARA registration number on the Australian Government's register before paying anything.

"Semi-DIY" arrangements: Some agents offer document review only — charging AUD 500–1,000 to check your application before you lodge it yourself. This is lower risk and lower cost than full representation.

The Skills Assessment Stage Does Not Require an Agent

The single most important thing to understand: the skills assessment is entirely separate from the visa application, and no agent can do it for you.

Whether you use ACS, Engineers Australia, ANMAC, or CPA Australia, you personally must submit your qualifications and employment evidence. The assessment is conducted on your credentials, not on your agent's paperwork. Many Kenyan applicants pay agents before realising that the most technically demanding part of the process — correctly documenting your experience against ANZSCO duties — is something they must lead themselves regardless.

An agent can advise on how to structure your experience documentation. But for an ACS application, for example, the work of matching your job duties to ANZSCO 261313 (Software Engineer) requirements and ensuring your referee letters cover the right information is work that requires your direct involvement. There is no shortcut.

What DIY Actually Looks Like

The Australian skilled visa application process is administered through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs' online portal. The interface is functional but not complex. Forms are well-documented. The guidance on the Department of Home Affairs website (homeaffairs.gov.au) is reasonably clear.

The process has four distinct phases where you'll need knowledge rather than professional help:

Phase 1: Skills assessment
You apply directly to ACS, Engineers Australia, ANMAC, or CPA Australia. These bodies publish their requirements clearly. The challenge is documentation — getting your transcripts, reference letters, and work evidence in the right format. This is time-consuming and requires attention to detail, but it is not legally complex.

Phase 2: EOI in SkillSelect
You log in, enter your points claims, and submit. SkillSelect is a simple form. The critical decision is your occupation code — getting this wrong has consequences, and it is worth verifying against the ANZSCO description rather than just guessing from your job title.

Phase 3: State nomination application
Each state's nomination application is slightly different. Most are submitted through a state government portal. They require evidence of your skills assessment, English test, and sometimes a statement of intent regarding your commitment to the state. This is manageable without an agent for most applicants.

Phase 4: Visa lodgement
The most complex phase. The visa application form (the 47SK or equivalent) requires detailed disclosure of all travel history, residential history, employment history, and family members. You also lodge supporting documents including medicals, police clearances, and statutory declarations.

Most DIY applicants handle this successfully. The main risk is omitting information — Australian visa applications require full disclosure, and incomplete disclosure (even unintentional) can result in character concerns or future visa complications.

When an Agent Is Actually Worth It

There are specific situations where a MARA agent adds genuine value:

You have a complex immigration history. Prior visa refusals, overstays, deportations from any country, or criminal records require careful disclosure management. An agent who understands how these are assessed reduces the risk of a refusal or cancellation.

Your skills assessment is borderline. If your occupation is a close call between two ANZSCO codes, or if your degree's relevance to your nominated occupation is uncertain, an experienced agent who knows how ACS or Engineers Australia currently assess Kenyan qualifications can identify the stronger strategy.

You are applying as a family unit with complexity. Adding secondary applicants with different visa histories, children born in different countries, or a partner with employment gaps adds layers that are easy to get wrong.

You have Gulf work experience under scrutiny. VETASSESS (common for trade and some professional occupations) has a history of conducting integrity checks on Gulf employer references. An agent who understands this scrutiny can advise on how to document Gulf employment to survive verification.

For a straightforward applicant — single, degree-qualified, English-proficient, no prior visa issues, no complex employment history — a quality research guide or self-prepared application is a reasonable alternative to full agent representation.

The MARA Register: How to Verify an Agent

Before paying any agent, verify their MARA registration at the OMARA register: mara.gov.au. Enter the agent's name or MARA number. If they're not listed, they are not registered and are not legally permitted to provide Australian immigration advice for a fee.

Nairobi has a number of consultants advertising Australia visa services who are not MARA registered. Some are legitimate in the sense that they provide document collection or coaching services (which don't require MARA registration). But they cannot legally advise on visa strategy, occupation code selection, or state nomination approach. Paying them for immigration advice — rather than logistics support — is not legally protected.

The Real Cost Comparison

The difference — KES 260,000 to 525,000 — is the price of the agent's knowledge and time. Whether that knowledge is worth that price depends on how complex your situation is and how much time you're willing to invest in researching the process yourself.

The Kenya to Australia Skilled Migration Guide is designed specifically for Kenyan applicants who want to navigate the process themselves — covering the skills assessment, EOI, state nomination, and visa lodgement from start to finish, with Nairobi-specific logistics throughout.

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