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Kathryn Viegas - Migration Agents Registration Number 0532285
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BSc/LLB (UNSW), LLM
(Sydney) |
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Solicitor
of the Supreme Court of New South Wales |
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Registered
Migration Agent since 2003 |
Kathryn holds degrees in
Psychology and Law from the University of New South Wales,
and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National
University. She also has a Master of Laws degree
from Sydney University,
focusing on International Law and Human Rights.
As one of the founding directors of Advocate, Kathryn is passionate
about this opportunity to ensure that high quality immigration legal
services are accessible to all members of the community.
Kathryn has previous experience as a solicitor in private practice as
well as in community legal centres. Prior to
her admission as a solicitor, she completed her practical legal training
at the Refugee Advice + Casework Service ('RACS') and the HIV/AIDS Legal
Centre ('HALC'). Since her admission, she has worked at two different
boutique immigration law practices in Sydney, where she
has gained
experience in a wide range of immigration matters.
In 2004, she returned to HALC
to take up a position as a solicitor. At HALC, a legal centre that
provides specialist HIV-related legal
services to the general community, Kathryn gained experience in other areas of law, including anti-discrimination law, estate planning, and employment law, and ran training and information sessions for HIV service providers, with a particular focus on immigration issues.
Kathryn has also acted as the Principal Solicitor at HALC.
Kathryn currently volunteers for the Immigration Advice and Rights
Centre (IARC), the
Gay and Lesbian Immigration Task Force (GLITF) and
RACS, through their free Evening Advice sessions.
Kathryn believes that this commitment to the community, which is shared
by all Advocate staff, is what makes the team stand out from the rest,
and is the foundation of Advocate's pro bono work.
Having lived in the United Kingdom and Singapore, and
having been through the process of migrating to Australia herself,
Kathryn has a unique understanding of Advocate’s clients’
needs. During her time at university, she worked for the International
Students Office of the University of New South Wales and so is well
placed to understand the needs of international students who are looking
to remain permanently in Australia. She is an active member of the
alumni association of her former residential college, International
House, where she serves on the Minoru Hokari
Memorial Scholarship committee, and is a member of the International
House Company.
Kathryn's experience spans the spectrum of
immigration law, and includes initial applications, review matters and
requests for Ministerial intervention. Her areas of interest in practice include refugee and humanitarian
visas, skilled migration and applications under the employer nomination scheme.
She also has significant expertise in advising on health
issues in immigration, especially HIV-related immigration issues.
Kathryn has recently written an article for the Sydney Star Observer on
the issue - to read it, click
here.
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