Registered Migration Agency Staff Fully Trained for their Role

The complexities involved in making an application to enter and reside in Australia are often too difficult for untrained people to manage and so they look for someone who understands the system to give advice or even help them with the application process. Australian migration law requires that anyone providing migration assistance or advice to people must be registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. This requirement has created the demand for suitably qualified and trained advisors who provide their services for a fee as a Migration Agent. These qualified advisors may have their own agency or work in a larger agency or legal practice that offers these services.

Some of these agents are also Australian Legal Practitioners and as professional lawyers specialising in migration, have a thorough understanding of migration laws and the legal requirements surrounding the application process and, of course, the appeals process should an application be rejected. 

The role of agency staff qualified as Migration Agents is to use their knowledge of Australia’s immigration laws and procedures to provide advice and assistance to people wishing to apply for visas to enter or to remain in Australia, or to apply for asylum. Although there are some migration agents and lawyers who work for voluntary organisations where assistance may be available free of charge, most charge for their services.

People seeking help from an agency should be aware that there are a number of unscrupulous people in the community who will take advantage of their desire to remain in Australia, and who will take their money and not provide the level of service that would be given by a legally registered agent. These people are preying on the emotions of desperate people, and should be reported to the authorities.

There are some things that a registered migration agent or an agent who is also a Sydney immigration lawyer cannot do. Once all the information has been given to them by their client, and the application forms and documents completed and lodged, they have no influence over the process. They cannot intervene further on the client’s behalf, and they cannot fast-track the visa process. Everything from this point is out of their hands. The role of the agency is to make sure all documentation accompanies the application, all questions are fully answered, and any time restrictions or constraints are noted and managed.

There are some people in the community who can provide assistance without having to be registered as a migration agent. They generally tend to be family members or public officials such as parliamentarians, diplomats and others acting in an official capacity, or the sponsors of the applicants. While these people are all well-meaning, a better outcome will result if a migration agent is used from the beginning, rather than appealing to others if something goes wrong in the process.

ABC Legal Finds New Home for Their Immigration Specialist

Australia’s immigration laws are under constant scrutiny and often decisions are made which change the legislation surrounding the immigration process. Trying to keep up with these changes and provide the best possible advice to clients is a challenge that Hamid Mirza has built his reputation on, and he is now one of the most sought after immigration experts in Sydney.

Hamid is not only a practising barrister, but also a Registered Migration Agent. This means that he not only has a thorough knowledge of the law as it applies to immigration, but also the actual visa application and decision-making process. He understands the web of paperwork that goes into making a visa application and can assist with all types of visas, as well as refugee status, family sponsorships, skilled migration and others.

“I am so glad I found Hamid,” said a satisfied client who would prefer to be anonymous. “I was trying to help my brother and his family migrates to be here with me, but I just didn’t understand what I had to do. There were so many forms and questions, but once I handed everything over to him, it all went smoothly.”

With such a professional reputation comes more clients, creating a need for more support staff, more administration resources and finally more space. A move was needed, and the perfect location was found. The new premises is placed conveniently on the ground floor at 60 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000, is easily accessible by public transport and centrally located in the Sydney CBD. Clients trying to find the new location can’t miss the door signage showing Hamid Mirza, Barrister-at-Law.

“A friend gave me Hamid’s address and told me he was the best immigration lawyer in Sydney. When I got on the train I was worrying that I might not find him, because my friend said he was moving offices. I had looked so hard for someone to help me, but I worried for nothing and found him easily. Now I feel much better about the status of my application.”

Sometimes a visa application doesn’t get the positive result the applicant expected. Once over the shock, the realisation sets in that if they don’t get professional help, all their plans and dreams for a new life in this country will be destroyed. With his dual professional skills as a Registered Migration Agent and a barrister, Hamid is able to represent clients in appeals to both the Migration Review Tribunal and the Federal Court.

By making the move to more central premises, Hamid is making himself more accessible to his growing list of loyal clients. The new offices are light and bright, creating a friendly and assuring atmosphere which is very important when clients come for their first appointment. They are usually by this stage, fairly traumatised and apprehensive, and just by being able to relax in fresh and comfortable surroundings make it easier for them to discuss their problems with Hamid.

Anyone having difficulty with any aspect of the immigration process should call for an appointment at the new ground floor Elizabeth Street address. Hamid will listen to your story, and give sound, professional advice and assistance.

Visa Success More Likely Using Migration Experts

There are many reasons why people migrate to another country. For refugees, leaving their home is not voluntary and is the only possible response to some terrible event in their own country. Others do it for economic or career reasons or for a different lifestyle. Whatever the reason, every immigrant faces the same issue at some stage, that of becoming legally accepted as a resident of their adopted country. Every country has their own immigration system so the entry requirements vary from one place to another. To understand the complexities of migration law would be almost impossible, but at the same time, people applying for residency must still meet all the criteria.

In the case of Australia, the process is far from simple. With over a hundred different types of visas in the system, knowing which type of visa to apply for is an issue on its own. In addition, there are specific documents which must accompany the application forms to meet a points test, and other information which is used to check the health and character of the applicant.

These multiple visa options are not deliberately designed to be obstructionist although it probably seems that way for the people trying to get their applications together. They are designed to give maximum flexibility to an applicant, so that if they don’t fit into one category, they may fit into another. Without some knowledge of migration law, these complexities make it essential for applicants to seek the assistance of a migration law specialist.

There is no “one size fits all” approach to the immigration Sydney process and no single form to be completed that will allow entry into the country. For applicants who have been refused entry, there is an appeals process which is also complex, and both the application and appeals systems are best navigated by an immigration expert. A number of legal firms have a migration law section staffed by lawyers who have been trained in this field.

What this legal expertise will get an applicant is advice as to which particular visa will provide the best possible chance of gaining entry. It will also identify any restrictions associated with that particular visa, and seek to minimise them at the outset. Since there are different laws and regulations attached to each different visa, engaging a legal expert in this field at the beginning will save time, money and frustration.

Imagine how devastating it would be for an individual to “go it alone”, only to find after months of effort, that they have applied for the wrong visa, or missed providing some document that causes their application to be rejected. This will all be avoided by using a migration law expert.

Child Rearing Often Left to Single Parents

There are few relationships in the human experience that are as important as that between parent and child. In a perfect world, the original relationship that created the child is a continuous, supportive one based on love and mutual respect, and in these situations the child becomes a natural part of that relationship. It is nurtured and guided through life to adulthood, then sets off on its own, leaving the original partnership intact and functioning. Too often, however, the partner relationship has broken down long before this, and a single parent custody situation develops. The quality of the parent/child relationship becomes vital as one parent is left with the full responsibility of raising the child.

Sometimes, one parent will simply walk away from the situation with no desire to have further contact, and no intention to seek custody or access. Where there has been a history of domestic violence, crime or some other anti-social situation the custodial parent may apply to block access to the child completely. There are many scenarios where this may happen, and these matters are always best left to the experts to resolve.

In any event, the end result is that one parent has sole custody and must shoulder the responsibility for every aspect of the child’s development. If this has been the result of a court decision, a monitoring process may be imposed to ensure that the custodial parent is capable of providing the child with a healthy and happy environment.

The single parent custody arrangement is one that is taken on every day by hundreds of thousands of people, but it can be overwhelming. Unless there is an extended family willing to help in times of sickness, or where work and school commitments clash, or when the parent wants some R & R, the stress can take its toll. Decisions are made and consequences faced alone and childhood traumas must be managed without the reassurance of a partner. With all that said, the strength of the parent/child relationship mentioned earlier overcomes all obstacles.

In many cases where one parent has sole custody, the other parent may have gained access rights by using the assistance of a family law Sydney lawyer. These access visits may be required to be supervised and many of the child services agencies have private rooms specially designed for such visits. In certain circumstances and over a period of time, these visits can be extended and through due process, the non-custodial parent may eventually be granted unsupervised visits.

At all times in any of these scenarios, the safety and well-being of the child must always be the first priority. There have been far too many tragic incidents where children have been harmed by a non-custodial parent who has not accepted their situation.