Gold Migration Lawyers has closed - here's what to do…

Gold Migration Lawyers (Gold Migration Pty Ltd) ceased operations on 1 June 2026 and is now in liquidation. If you had a visa application lodged with them, your application has not been cancelled and remains active with the Department of Home Affairs. Your bridging visa, if you hold one, is also unaffected. The immediate risks are missing DHA correspondence and upcoming deadlines - both of which you need to organise to now go directly to you or to a new representative (if you opt for one).

Visa Sidekick is a Melbourne-based migration law practice that is actively accepting enquiries from former Gold Migration Lawyers clients. We assist clients nationwide and worldwide, we don’t have to be close to you. We are offering to transfer partner visa applications into our ImmiAccount under a limited-scope Form 956 authority at no charge, as an immediate first step for affected applicants. We can also run a VEVO check for you, if needed, to confirm your current visa status and visa expiry. For ongoing assistance, we can provide info on options, including some of our DIY options or full representation - we’ll provide a clear fee estimate after reviewing your matter. Contact us at sos@visasidekick.com.au - hit the button below to launch a pre-drafted email template.

Your visa application is still active

This is the most important thing to know. Gold Migration Lawyers going into liquidation does not cancel, pause, or affect the status of a visa application that has already been lodged. Your matter is still sitting with the Department of Home Affairs, processing as normal.

What has changed is who the Department should contact if it needs something from you - this needs to be addressed ASAP as its kind of useless to go to Gold Migration and could mean you miss a deadline for additional documents, or decisions on your application.

Once properly changed, any correspondence - requests for information, interview invitations, decisions - will now come directly to whatever contact details the Department has on file.

So the first thing worth doing is logging into ImmiAccount and checking that your contact email address is your own personal one, not one connected to Gold Migration. If you don't have your own ImmiAccount login, let us know - we can help sort that out.

Your bridging visa is fine

If you're in Australia on a bridging visa while your partner visa application is being processed, that bridging visa remains valid. It is not affected by Gold Migration closing. It stays in place for as long as your application is active.

The only scenario where your bridging visa status could be at risk is if your underlying application is refused or withdrawn - which is exactly why you should not withdraw your application or lodge anything new without getting advice first.

What to do if the Department has already been in touch

If you've received a request for information, a request to attend an interview, or any other correspondence from the Department that requires a response, treat it as urgent. Deadlines on visa matters don't pause because your lawyer has closed down.

If a deadline has already passed, don't panic - contact a migration lawyer as soon as possible. Depending on the circumstances there may be options, but you need to move quickly.

If you haven't received anything from the Department and your matter is just sitting in the queue, you have a bit more breathing room. But you still want to get someone across your file sooner rather than later.

The independent manager appointed to Gold Migration

Victoria's legal regulator - the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner - has acted quickly here. An independent manager, Louise Gehrig of Piper Alderman, has been appointed to take control of the practice. Her role is to assess client files and prioritise those with the most immediate needs. lsbc

You can contact Louise Gehrig's team directly at goldmigration@piperalderman.com.au or on 0429 936 263. When you reach out, it helps to include your full name and contact details, your application or proceeding number, and any key dates or upcoming deadlines you know about. lsbc

This is separate to engaging a new lawyer - contacting the independent manager is about your file and any funds held in trust. You should do both.

Your money - what's happened to it

This is where things get more complicated, and we want to be straight with you about it.

If you paid Gold Migration for services already delivered - preparation work, advice, lodgement - that money is gone. You can lodge a claim with the liquidator, but recovery of professional fees is unlikely.

If you had money sitting in Gold Migration's trust account - for example, funds set aside to pay the visa application charge to the Department that hadn't been lodged yet - that is a different situation. Trust account funds are supposed to be held separately from the firm's own money and should be protected in a liquidation. The independent manager's role includes assessing what is in the trust account.

You should contact Louise Gehrig's team about any trust account funds. You can also lodge a proof of debt with the liquidator via the ASIC insolvency notice register.

If trust account funds are missing or have been misused, the Law Institute of Victoria's Fidelity Fund exists specifically for this situation and may be able to compensate you. This is worth pursuing if you believe funds were not handled correctly.

If your application hasn't been lodged yet

This is a more difficult situation. If you paid Gold Migration to prepare and lodge an application that was not yet submitted, you will need to either:

pick up the preparation work yourself, or
engage a new lawyer or migration agent to take over the file from scratch or from whatever was prepared.

You should try to obtain a copy of any work Gold Migration completed - draft forms, supporting documents, any correspondence. Contact Louise Gehrig's team about accessing your file. Depending on how far along the preparation was, a new practitioner may be able to use some of what was done, which will reduce the cost of starting again.

While it absolutely sucks! Your migration representative shutting shop is not an excuse accepted by the DHA for becoming unlawful or acting in breach of your visa, so make sure to get this sorted ASAP and get back on track.

Choosing a new lawyer or migration agent

Take your time here - within reason. A rushed decision can create more problems.

A few things worth checking:

If you engage a lawyer, confirm they hold a current practising certificate. If you engage a migration agent, confirm they are registered with MARA and their registration is current (you can check the MARA register online).
Be cautious of anyone who contacts you unsolicited off the back of this situation. Reputable practitioners are not cold-calling distressed visa applicants.
Ask upfront what the total cost will be, what is included, and what happens if something unexpected comes up.
Make sure they are familiar with partner visas specifically - it is a specialised area.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gold Migration Lawyers still operating? No. Gold Migration Pty Ltd, trading as Gold Migration Lawyers, ceased operations on 1 June 2026 and is now in liquidation.

Who is the independent manager for Gold Migration Lawyers? Louise Gehrig of Piper Alderman has been appointed as independent manager by the Victorian Legal Services Board. You can contact her team at goldmigration@piperalderman.com.au or on 0429 936 263. **Keep in mind, this team is not for taking over matters and handling all Gold Migration’s clients, but more so to facilitate the admin of off boarding clients now that they are closed.

What happens to my partner visa application now that Gold Migration has closed? Your application remains lodged and active with the Department of Home Affairs. It has not been cancelled or paused. You are now without a representative, but unless you actively update this with the DHA, correspondence will continue to go to Gold Migration contacts. It is super important to get this sorted ASAP, to ensure DHA correspondence will come directly to you (or a new representative).

What is a Form 956 and do I need a new one? Form 956 is the authority that allows a migration lawyer to act on your behalf and receive correspondence from the Department. You will need to lodge a new one with a new representative, or to manage the matter yourself. Visa Sidekick offers to lodge a limited-scope 956 at no charge as a first step to assist in moving your application (especially for applications like partner visas that cannot be imported using the reference numbers) to an appropriate Immi Account so it can be managed..

Will my bridging visa be cancelled because Gold Migration closed? No. Your bridging visa remains valid while your substantive application is active. The closure of your law firm has no effect on your bridging visa status.

Can I get my money back from Gold Migration Lawyers? It depends what money Gold Migration had. Funds held in trust, say for applications not yet lodged, should be protected and are being assessed by the independent manager. Professional fees already paid for services rendered are unlikely to be recovered. Government application fees for applications already lodged will not be recoverable, but the application will stay lodged. You can lodge a proof of debt with the liquidator and enquire about the Law Institute of Victoria Fidelity Fund if you believe trust funds were misused.

A note on what this page is

This page is general information. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not make us your lawyer. Every visa situation is different, and the right answer for you depends on your specific circumstances. If you're unsure what applies to you, the safest thing is to speak to someone directly.

We're happy to be that someone, if we're the right fit. Hit the button to email us and we'll take it from there.