Is the workplace rights CPD activity mandatory for migration agents?

No. LIN 26/001 lists it as an optional activity. The mandatory topics are ethical standards (1 point) and the RMA Code of Conduct (1 point).

Does a workplace rights activity count toward my 10 CPD points?

Yes, if it is an OMARA-approved activity from an approved provider. It counts in the category the activity is approved for, A or B.

What does the workplace rights topic cover?

The protection of workplace rights for migrant workers: employer obligations and sanctions, the 2024 employer-compliance reforms, protections for workers who report exploitation, and how an agent’s Code of Conduct duties apply.

Can the workplace rights activity replace my ethics point?

No. Each mandatory topic needs an activity approved for that topic. A workplace rights activity is a separate, optional topic.

Widen CPD › CPD Guide › Workplace rights CPD

CPD Guide

The optional workplace rights CPD activity, explained

Alongside the two new mandatory topics, the 2026 CPD instrument introduced a third named topic that is optional: the protection of workplace rights. Agents keep asking whether it is required. It is not, but it is worth understanding why the regulator named it.

The short answer

The workplace rights activity is optional. You are not required to complete it for repeat registration. If you do, it counts toward your 10 points like any other approved activity, in whichever category the provider's approval gives it. The two mandatory topics remain ethics and the RMA Code of Conduct.

What the instrument says

LIN 26/001 reset the CPD framework from 1 April 2026. The OMARA's summary of the changes lists: mandatory ethical standards (1 point), a mandatory Code of Conduct activity (1 point), the 6-online-points-per-24-hours cap, the 12-month completion rule for private study, a tightened definition of an interactive workshop, and an optional CPD activity on the protection of workplace rights. Naming a topic in the instrument signals that the regulator wants approved providers to offer it and agents to take it up; it does not create a requirement. All the 2026 changes →

Why the regulator named it

Sponsored workers are the exposed group. Temporary visa holders on employer-sponsored visas are the people most likely to underreport wage theft or unsafe work because their visa depends on the employer. Agents prepare those nominations and advise those workers.
The 2024 employer-compliance reforms. The Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Act 2024 created new offences for coercing a person into breaching a visa condition, a prohibited-employer regime and protections for workers who report exploitation. Agents advising sponsors need to know what their clients can no longer do.
Workplace justice protections. Arrangements that let a worker remain lawfully in Australia while pursuing a workplace claim change the advice an agent gives a worker whose employment has ended.
Agents as a safeguard. The Code of Conduct already requires agents to act in the client's best interests and not to facilitate breaches of the law. The workplace rights topic makes the substantive law behind that obligation part of CPD.

Should you do it?

If you…	Then
Prepare 482, 494, 186 or other employer-sponsored applications	Yes. The sponsor obligations, the compliance reforms and the sanctions now sit on your desk, and the topic covers them in one point.
Advise temporary visa holders about employment problems	Yes. Knowing which protections apply, and when a worker can remain, is core advice.
Practise only in family, protection or student visas	Optional in substance as well as name. Spend the point on a topic in your area.
Are short of points	It counts like any other approved point. Widen’s module is Category B, so it fills the self-paced half of your year, not the Category A minimum.

How it fits your 10 points

A workplace rights activity is approved as Category A or B like any other, by provider and activity. It does not replace either mandatory topic. A typical sponsorship-heavy year might be: ethics (1), Code of Conduct (1), workplace rights (1), three live 482 workshops (6), one self-paced module (1). Check your own position with the calculator.

Widen's live 482 nomination workshops and the 482 Nomination Preparation Series cover sponsor obligations, labour market testing and salary evidence, which is where workplace rights questions arise in practice. For the named topic itself, Widen’s self-paced module Protection of Workplace Rights in Migration Practice is an OMARA-approved Category B activity worth 1 point (A$30 incl. GST, or one pass point).

Protection of Workplace Rights: 1 Category B point, self-paced

The optional topic as an OMARA-approved module: employer obligations and sanctions, the 2024 compliance reforms, protections for workers who report exploitation, and the agent’s Code duties. A$30 incl. GST or one pass point, about 90 minutes, certificate on passing.

Start the module All self-paced modules

FAQ

Is the workplace rights CPD activity mandatory for migration agents?: No. LIN 26/001 lists it as an optional activity. The mandatory topics are ethical standards (1 point) and the RMA Code of Conduct (1 point).
Does a workplace rights activity count toward my 10 CPD points?: Yes, if it is an OMARA-approved activity from an approved provider. It counts in the category the activity is approved for, A or B.
What does the workplace rights topic cover?: The protection of workplace rights for migrant workers: employer obligations and sanctions, the 2024 employer-compliance reforms, protections for workers who report exploitation, and how an agent’s Code of Conduct duties apply.
Can the workplace rights activity replace my ethics point?: No. Each mandatory topic needs an activity approved for that topic. A workplace rights activity is a separate, optional topic.

← 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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