The Benefits of Using an Immigration Lawyer

You’re generally not obligated to engage an Australian immigration lawyer or migration agent to prepare and submit your visa application. But be very mindful of the fact that these applications can be far more complex and involved than what you’d expect. It’s not simply a matter of submitting a handful of forms. Engaging an immigration lawyer may cost more, but you need to consider the outcomes of not using one.

Obtaining a visa can be a life-changing opportunity for many. Because of this, your chances can be greatly improved with the help and guidance of professionals who have the necessary legal training and experience to help you obtain your visa.

Our Lazarus Legal lawyers are not only qualified or experienced in providing professional immigration advice, they also have a genuine appreciation of this major step in your life. With access to a deep understanding of the intricacies of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and Australian immigration law, rest assured your application is in safe hands.

In our experience, taking on such a costly task alone without help is simply not in you or your family’s best interests. Don’t take a risk when your future depends significantly on this. 

Why Lazarus Legal Immigration Lawyers: Key Differences between Australian Immigration Lawyers and Australian Migration Agents

Here in Australia, the Migration Agents Registration Authority, otherwise known as MARA, is the body responsible for the regulation of Australian migration practitioners and providing them with guidelines and policies. The MARA requires any firm or individual who seeks to provide immigration advice and or assistance to be registered with the authority as MARA certified Australian migration practitioners.

An important distinction needs to be made between the various types of Australian migration practitioners. While Australian immigration lawyers can often be referred to as Australian migration agents, it is not the case that all Australian migration agents can claim to be Australian immigration lawyers. The biggest differences between the two is the level of training and regulation that applies to both.

Another difference between a Migration Lawyer and Migration agent is that by using a Migration Lawyer you are protected by legal professional privilege, (confidentiality/non-disclosure) subject to a few exceptions. Clients of Migration Agents, simply do not have that privilege. 

Regulation of Australian Immigration Lawyers & Migration Agents

While both Australian immigration lawyers and migration agents need to be registered with MARA, Australian immigration lawyers are further required to be registered with their respective State or Territories’ Legal Admission Board and Law Society. This imposes a higher level of regulation, professional codes and ethics than those required of migration agents.

Our Lazarus Legal advisors are both registered migration agents and registered Australian lawyers. This ensures we have your back in more ways than one, giving you that added peace of mind that your application and next step in your life journey is in the safe hands of experienced and qualified professionals. who not only know the requirements required by MARA, but are also on top of every other piece of regulation governing legal practice here in NSW. 

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Training and Experience of and Australian Immigration Lawyer

o be able to qualify as Immigration Lawyer in Australia, the first step is to complete at least three years of university education, which includes compulsory core subjects in practices areas including Australian Administrative Law, which teaches the mechanisms that are put in place to allow for legal challenges to be made against Government decisions, such as the grant or refusal of Australian visa applications.

Once an Australian Immigration Lawyer graduates, they further complete a compulsory period of practical experience in the form of supervised legal work under the guidance of a fully qualified mentor. Therefore when it comes to making that all-important decision in obtaining advice from an Australian Immigration Lawyer, you can rest assured that our team possesses the necessary skills and experience in navigating your application through the Australian migration law and procedures. 

Immigration Legal Assistance vs Immigration Assistance

Registered migration agents according to section 276 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) may provide what is called immigration assistance. An Australian Immigration Lawyer who is also a registered migration agent can both provide immigration assistance and immigration legal assistance according to section 277 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth). This is incredibly important when taking into consideration just how much of the visa application process is focused on legalities and therefore knowing exactly how those laws will uniquely affect your application is crucial in the quality of its preparation, submission and ultimate approval.

Australian immigration law is incredibly complex. Like all aspects of the law, it is constantly changing and regularly evolving. It is an Australian Immigration Lawyers’ job to stay on top of these changes by frequently reviewing new pieces of legislation, reviewing changes to current legislation, interpreting new case law and being mindful of newly implemented government policy.

In effect, immigration matters frequently involve other implicit and embedded issues that arise, be it family law, employment law, property law or tax law. In these circumstances, only an Australian Immigration Lawyer (like our advisors at Lazarus Legal) can provide you with the necessary advice to bridge that gap between lodging the application, succeeding and finally establishing yourself and your family here in Australia. 

Lazarus Legal, based in Bondi Junction, is here to help you RISE ABOVE… the “Queue”. To find out more, speak with us today on 02 8644 6000, email us, or use our online chatbot to send us a message. 

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Mark Lazarus

Mark Lazarus, the visionary behind the business and the fresh blood of the Lazarus Legal team, Mark (or Laz as he is often known) owes much of his success to his past experiences. And he’s made it his personal goal to bring that wisdom and formula to the firm.

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Barry Lazarus

CEO & Notary Public

barry@lazaruslegal.com.au 

We’d be lying if we told you that this bloke isn’t the big honcho of our team, but his name is a dead give-away. The founder of Lazarus Legal, Barry is an old school, tough as nails lawyer. They don’t forge litigators like this anymore.

With decades of experience in both Australia and South Africa, his wisdom is as renowned as his name. Back in the days when Schwarzenegger and Van Damme were kicking ass on VHS, Barry was kicking ass in the courtroom. And after all these years, he still has a reputation for refusing to back down.Barry is definitely the badass you’d want in a fight – in court or otherwise. But really, he’s a big softie. Just don’t let him know you know that (although he probably won’t read this anyway – navigating the Internet is not his strong point).

Aside from putting other lawyers in their place, taking long walks on the beach and spending time with his family, Barry enjoys seeing others succeed. Not only is Barry a staunch and unmoving litigator, he has sharp business and commercial acumen having started up ventures from scratch and growing them into full-blown franchises – from real estate to creating ice cream, to making pasta. With his experience on both sides of the commercial and legal equation, you want this guy to be on your side, whether you’re the next Zuckerberg realising your genius, or the next Zuckerberg taking on your opponents in court.

When Barry is not busy lawyering about, he is a part-time lawn bowler and a wannabe comedian, but never took both as a day job, because let’s face it, he’s a lot better at his day job.

If someone ever threatens you to lawyer up…relax, call Barry and he’ll handle the rest. 

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Mark Lazarus Director

Mark Lazarus

Director

mark@lazaruslegal.com.au 

The visionary behind the business and the fresh blood of the Lazarus Legal team, Mark (or Laz as he is often known) owes much of his success to his past stories and experiences. And he’s made it his personal goal to bring that wisdom and formula to the firm.

He’s a bit of jet setter, splitting his time between Australia and the UK, maximising every hour of his professional life. He thrives on this adrenalin. It allowed him to work in private practice in Sydney, act for a host of famous celebrities in London, do a two year stint as a NSW barrister (and not the pretentious coffee type in the Melbourne laneways) and more recently did a gig as the Legal Director covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa for one of the world’s coolest fast-moving consumer good brands!  

As an Aussie and UK lawyer and former barrister, Mark not only has the gift of the gab but he’ll walk the walk to prove it too. He likes to think he’s a bit like Harvey Specter or Michael Corleone, the main difference is you can actually retain him as your lawyer and consigliere. He’ll tell you how it really is and will take on any challenge head on. Although litigation and court advocacy comes naturally to him, commercial and IP is what gets his blood pumping! 

When Mark is not out there doing his thing, you will probably catch him chilling at home with his family, on the sidelines of the soccer (football) pitch cheering on his two boys, crawling through mud obstacles, or training hard at the gym. Passion and commitment is what drives Mark to succeed, along with his burning desire to disrupt the legal profession by finding new ways to change the game.

He has sights on the future. So if you’re breaking new ground, ahead of the times, and on the verge of something big, but you need someone who’s got your back and who can give you straight up advice, this is the guy you will want on speed dial.

Rise above...

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