Most students apply for an Austrian student visa without a consultant, an agent or a lawyer. The rules are public and the documents are the same for everyone, whether you live in Lahore, Dhaka, Colombo or Kochi. What goes wrong is detail, and detail can be checked.
Paying an agent feels safer. Your future and your family's savings are on the line, so you want someone who has done this before. Fair. But first look at what you would be paying for.
What a consultant actually does
A good consultant helps you choose universities, lists your documents, checks them and books your appointment. That is useful work. None of it is secret: universities publish their requirements and Austria publishes the visa rules. You pay for someone's time to read them for you and to check your papers.
Applying from Pakistan, Bangladesh or India? Most big universities now ask for a VFS competence check before you apply. You book it yourself.
Red flags: walk away if an agent
1Promises you a visa. Nobody can. Only the Austrian authorities decide.
2Offers to put money in your account for the bank statement. Austria asks where your money comes from. Borrowed money that appears just before your appointment can get you refused.
3Keeps your passport or original documents.
4Pushes one university before asking what you want to study. Some agents are paid by the universities they recommend.
5Charges you for forms. The application form is free to download.
When a lawyer is worth it
After a refusal (you have 4 weeks to appeal), with an earlier overstay, an entry ban or a criminal record, or when your case is unusual. A lawyer can represent you and argue your case. Migrada cannot: we are not a law firm.
Do it yourself, with every step checked
Migrada does the checking a good consultant does, for you and without the fee.
1Your documents, the moment you upload them. Passport: valid long enough for a 12-month permit? Bank statement: enough for your age and in your name? Admission letter: we read your semester and your enrolment deadline. You see the result in seconds, with the reason. Every other document is checked by a person.
2Your exact amount. €8,671 for a year if you are under 24, €15,701 from 24. The 2026 official figures, not last year's.
3Your country's rules. Which Austrian embassy you apply at and whether your documents need an apostille or full legalisation, from Austria's official lists.
4Your dates. From your semester start we work out when to apply, when to request your police certificate so it is not older than 3 months at your appointment, and when to register your address after you arrive. You get a reminder 14 days and 3 days before each one.
5Your embassy checklist. Every document with its status, the form and the fee, on one page to print for your appointment.
6People when you need them. A written plan for your case, private questions answered by Noah and students who did it before you. Your parents get a message with your real numbers in one tap.
See your amount, your embassy and your dates. Five questions, one minute.
Consultant or Migrada
| Consultant or agent | Migrada |
|---|
| Cost | A fee, often paid upfront | Nothing for students |
| Document checks | When you send them | The moment you upload, with the reason |
| Your dates | You track them | Worked out for you, with reminders |
| Where the rules come from | Their experience | Official sources, linked |
| Represents you after a refusal | Only a lawyer can | No |
When your case is complete
When every step in your Migrada case is ticked and every document says Looks good, you have what the embassy asks for, in the right form and in time. Nobody can promise a visa. But the avoidable reasons for a refusal are out of the way: see the most common refusal reasons.
Start with five questions about your country, your route and your start date.
