Master of Australian Migration Law and Practice

Course information for - 2025 entry
Domestic
  • Domestic

Offered at 1 locations
  • Online MT

Duration
1.5 years full-time or equivalent part-time
Fees (first year)*

$24456 Fee-paying

Start dates
Semester 1 intake: Beginning February 2025
Applications open August 2024
Midyear (Semester 2) intake: Beginning July 2025
Applications open April 2025

Overview

The Master of Australian Migration Law and Practice (MAMLAP) will enhance your skills with the foundation knowledge, understanding and practical skills that are required to practice as a qualified Australian migration agent. The Masters is for individuals seeking to accelerate their career through deepened subject knowledge and improved personal and professional skills. After completing the Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice you can then choose from a series of electives to deepen your knowledge and enhance your career ambitions.

Upon successful completion of the MAMLAP and the Capstone exam administered by the Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), graduates may seek registration to practice as a Registered Migration Agent.

  • 95% graduates employed

  • Top 10 Catholic universities globally

  • Top 40 young universities worldwide

Professional recognition

Registered Migration Agent

Upon successful completion of the diploma and capstone exam administered by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), graduates may seek registration to practice as a Registered Migration Agent. There are additional requirements for registration as a migration agent.

For more information visit the MARA website

Careers

Registered Australian migration agent

Small business migration agency owner

Lawyer specialising in migration

Academics teaching Australian migration law and practice

Government officer in migration related activities

Migration researcher

Education Agents

Overseas Migration Agents

International lawyers specialising in migration.

Staff of migration related NGO’s e.g. Refugees International, Amnesty International.

Course details

Course structure

Course map

Open all

Please note: Course maps are subject to change.

Commencing Semester 1

  • Specified UnitsLAWS503Introduction to Australian Migration Law10 cp
  • Specified UnitsLAWS504Australian Visa System10 cp
  • Specified UnitsLAWS505Australian Visa System - Economic Migration10 cp
  • Specified UnitsLAWS506Advocacy and Review10 cp
  • Specified UnitsLAWS507Australian Visa System - Family Migration and Refugees10 cp
  • Specified UnitsLAWS508Australian Visa System Cancellations10 cp
  • Specified UnitsLAWS509Foundations of Ethical Practice10 cp
  • Specified UnitsLAWS510Applied Migration Law and Case Management10 cp

Graduate statement

Insight

As an ACU graduate you have personal insight founded on an understanding of who you are as a professional, a citizen and a scholar. You embrace change and growth through critical self-awareness and learning autonomy. You are empowered to seek truth and meaning, drawing on the principles of justice, equity, and the dignity of all human beings.

Empathy

As an ACU graduate you value human dignity and diversity. This appreciation is founded on deep reflection, and empathy. You have experience of Indigenous Knowings and perspectives and can engage respectfully when working alongside Australia's First Peoples. You can connect with people and cultures and work with community in ways that recognise the dignity of the human person and all cultures

Imagination

As an ACU graduate you utilise imagination and innovation to solve problems. You critically analyse information from a range of sources to creatively solve practical problems and use critical thinking to make decisions and advance the common good. You appreciate the role of innovation and creative thinking in developing a better future for each person and community.

Impact

As an ACU graduate you recognise your responsibility to work for social justice and a sustainable world founded on a commitment to human dignity and the common good. You lead change through respectful collaboration and effective communication of ideas to diverse peoples, groups and communities in local and global contexts. You are empowered to positively impact your profession and the community.

AQF framework

Masters (Coursework) - AQF Level 9

Exit Points

A student who has completed the requirements prescribed for the Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice may exit from the course with the relevant award.

Entry requirements

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have completed the following prerequisites:

  1. Bachelor degree in any discipline; or
  2. Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice.
  • An applicant who has completed a OMARA accredited Graduate Diploma in Migration Law and Practice (or equivalent) will be granted advanced standing for 80 credit points
  • International applicants need to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admissions Rules.

Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2025 Admission.

View transparency admission information

Applicants with higher education study

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have completed the following prerequisites:

  1. Bachelor degree in any discipline; or
  2. Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice.
  • An applicant who has completed a OMARA accredited Graduate Diploma in Migration Law and Practice (or equivalent) will be granted advanced standing for 80 credit points
  • International applicants need to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admissions Rules.


You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements and subject prerequisites for your chosen course. 

If you have completed at least two units of AQF-recognised study at bachelor level or above, we’ll assign you with a new selection rank that reflects your study level, duration, and grade point average.

If your prior study or relevant work experience has provided you with knowledge, skills or experience aligned with the learning outcomes of units in your new course, you may be eligible to gain credit for study or have your prior learning recognised. This means you may be able to complete your ACU course in a shorter timeframe.

You can use our credit search tool to see what you might be eligible for. For more information about credit and recognition of prior learning at ACU, follow the link below.

Search our credit database

Learn more about recognition of prior learning

English language requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English must have either:

  1. Successfully completed at least one full-time year of study in secondary or higher education at the AQF Diploma level or higher, where the medium of study was English, and have completed these studies within the past five years; or
  2. Have a current registration with an accredited body that has English language requirements equivalent to, or higher than, ACU; or
  3. Demonstrated completion of an English Language Test, as set out below, within the past two years:
  4. International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Overall Score: 7.0, Individual Score: 6.5 in all tests
  5. Test of English as a Foreign Language – Academic (TOEFL) – from an internet-based total of 94, achieve a minimum of 24 in writing, 20 in speaking and listening, 19 in reading
  6. ACU English Language Test - A (75-100%)
  7. C1 Advanced – Overall score of 185, with a minimum score of 176 in all tests
  8. PTE Academic - 65 with a minimum of 58 in all four communicative skills

Inherent requirement

There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of that course or unit. You will need to be able to meet these inherent requirements to complete your course.

Learn more about inherent requirements for your course and how they affect you

Fees

Course costs

Average first year fee*

$24456 Fee-paying

*This is an indicative first-year fee based on the tuition fee rates for a full-time student, using unit enrolment data from domestic students who studied the course in the previous year.

A student’s annual fee will vary depending on factors including:

  • Number of units studied per year
  • Choice of major or specialisation
  • Elective units

The University reviews fees annually.

You can view current course costs and domestic tuition fee rates by unit.

Payment options

You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support. 

Explore your options 

Scholarships

You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.  

Search our scholarships  

How to apply

Deferment

Deferment is available for one year. Find out more about deferment.

Staff Profile

Louisa Jones

Lecturer and Discipline Lead (Migration), Thomas More Law School

Louisa Jones is a Lecturer in Law and the Migration Discipline Lead at the Australian Catholic University. With over a decade of experience in the migration sector, Louisa has worked as a Solicitor/Registered Migration Agent, specializing in complex migration cases. Throughout her career, she has assisted numerous clients in navigating the migration process to Australia, working across both boutique and large migration firms. Today, Louisa primarily focuses on academia, where her passion for cancellation, refugee and pro bono work continues to drive her.

Louisa has actively contributed to the sector by presenting Continuing Professional Development sessions on topics such as Refugee and Visa Cancellation matters. She has regularly appeared before the Administrative Review Tribunal (Migration and General Divisions) and the Federal Court of Australia. In addition, Louisa has served as an expert witness in the Magistrates Court providing guidance on Criminal Justice Stay Certificates and the complexities of the removal/cancellation process for alleged offenders.

Louisa has a particular interest in the intersection of the criminal justice system and the visa cancellation process, having witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by her clients. Louisa holds a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Justice (criminology) and a Master of Australian Migration Law and Practice. She is currently pursuing a PhD, titled, 'Crimmigration Trends in Australia: An Analysis on Disproportionate Punishment, the Removal of Migrants, and the Need for Reform'.

Dr Marianne Van Galen Dickie

Lecturer Migration Discipline, Thomas More Law School

Dr Marianne van Galen-Dickie is a migration agent and academic. She holds a Doctorate in Professional Studies. Her long history of working in migration began with a career as the migration advisor for the Australian Democrats. Since 2023 Marianne has taught in the ACU Graduate Diploma of Migration Law and Practice and the Masters of Migration Law. She also works Sisters Inside assisting women facing deportation under the Migration Act and is a General Editor of Lexis Nexis Immigration Review. She is a Senior Member of the Higher Education Academy, the Law Literature and Humanities Association of Australasia as well as a member of the Law Council, the Migration Institute (and their Character and Cancellation Advisory Panel) and the Australia Character and Australian Visa Cancellation Working Group.  

From 2007 – 2016 she was the Sub Dean and Director of the Migration Law Program at the ANU College of Law. From 2007 -2016 she established and ran a pro-bono migration advice clinic in the ACT. Her work was recognised by the community of Canberra when she was nominated for the Australian of the Year. In 2016 she took up the position of Convenor for migration law in the LLM and was a Visiting Fellow at the ANU College of Law from 2018 – 2020. She then returned to policy advice working with Qld Senators Larissa Waters and Andrew Bartlett from 2018-2020 before returning to academia.  

 

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