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CPD Guide

When must migration agents complete their CPD?

Agents often ask for "the CPD deadline" as if it were a calendar date. It is not. Your deadline is set by your own registration expiry and the application you lodge before it. Here is how the window works, what happens to points done too early, and a timeline that keeps you out of trouble.

The short answer

Your 10 CPD points must be completed in the 12 months immediately before you lodge your repeat-registration application with the OMARA. You can start that application up to 60 days before your registration expires, so the practical deadline is the day you lodge, not the day your registration ends.

There is no single CPD date

Every registered migration agent has their own registration anniversary, so every agent has their own CPD window. Two things fix it:

Lodge on 10 March and the OMARA looks at activities completed from 10 March the previous year. Lodge a month earlier and the window moves a month earlier with it.

The repeat-registration timeline

WhenWhat happens
60 days before expiryThe OMARA portal lets you start your repeat-registration application. Automated reminders go out at about 60, 30 and 14 days.
Day you lodgeYour 10 points, including at least 5 Category A and the two mandatory topics, must already be complete and evidenced.
Lodged and paid before expiryYour registration continues automatically while the application is processed, so you can keep practising.
After expiry, nothing lodgedYour registration lapses. A late application can be lodged for up to 36 months, but you cannot give immigration assistance until it is approved.

Do unused CPD points carry over?

No. Points are not banked. An activity counts for an application only if it was completed in the 12 months before that application was lodged. Eleven points this year does not mean nine next year. The flip side matters more: an activity completed 13 months before you lodge counts for nothing, so completing CPD very early in your registration year can waste it if you then lodge late in the following window.

The safe pattern is to spread activities across the year and finish the last ones comfortably inside the 60-day lodgement window.

Two rules that shorten your runway

And the one that bites hardest: at least 5 points must be Category A, which means live, scheduled, capacity-limited sessions. They cannot be manufactured the night before you lodge. If you are already late, read this →

A work-back plan

  1. Twelve to nine months out: book or complete the two mandatory topics (ethics and Code of Conduct). They are the easiest to forget and the first thing the OMARA checks.
  2. Nine to four months out: get your Category A points. A CPD Weekend covers six counted live points a day across two days; weekday sessions, when scheduled, fill the gaps.
  3. Four to two months out: finish Category B modules. Each is about 90 minutes and the certificate issues on passing.
  4. 60 days out: check your certificates against the record-keeping guide, then lodge.

Transitional rule for 2026–27 applications

If you lodge repeat registration between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027, activities you commenced or completed on or before 30 June 2026 are assessed under the previous rules (for example, the old 10-points-online-in-a-day allowance). Everything after that date follows LIN 26/001. Full 2026 changes →

Get your CPD done with Widen CPD

OMARA-approved provider PPA10000420. Live Category A sessions and self-paced Category B modules — including the mandatory ethics and Code of Conduct topics — at A$30 incl. GST each, or a 10-point CPD Points Pass for A$220 that covers the whole year.

See upcoming CPD sessions Points Pass — 10 points A$220

FAQ

Is there a fixed deadline for migration agent CPD?
No. CPD must be completed in the 12 months immediately before you lodge your repeat-registration application. Your own registration expiry date, and the date you lodge, set the window.
When can I lodge my repeat registration?
The OMARA portal allows you to start a repeat-registration application 60 days before your registration expires. If you lodge and pay before expiry, your registration continues while the application is processed.
Can I carry unused CPD points into next year?
No. Only activities completed in the 12 months before lodgement count, and surplus points are not banked for a later application.
What if my registration expires before I finish my CPD?
Your registration lapses and you cannot give immigration assistance until a late repeat-registration application is approved. The OMARA accepts late applications for up to 36 months after expiry, but you still need the full CPD for the application.

← Back to the full CPD requirements guide

General information for registered migration agents, not legal advice. CPD requirements are set by the OMARA under the Migration Agents (CPD Activities, Approval of CPD Providers and CPD Provider Standards) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/001) — confirm your current obligations and renewal dates at mara.gov.au. Widen CPD is an OMARA-approved CPD provider.
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