Michaela Byers - Australian Immigration Lawyer

Australian Immigration Lawyer

Michaela Byers

I graduated from Macquarie University with a double degree and completed the College of Law and was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales as a solicitor in 1991. I started working in the immigration field in 1991 before registration was required by law. Immigration Law was not taught at university then, so I had to do a lot of research to provide accurate information/advice. I thought that my research should not go to waste so I enrolled in the Master of Laws by Thesis course at the University of Technology, Sydney (part-time) and in 1995 completed a 50,000 word thesis on the “Changing Face of Australia – Policy and Immigration Law in the 1980s and 1990s". My research allowed me to understand the vast array of visa categories and procedures that make up Australia’s annual migrant intake. I also gained an understanding of Australia’s changing immigration and multicultural policy and case law and this was the time that the Australian Federal Government introduced the mandatory detention policy.

In 1999, I became a sole practitioner in Campsie and have built up a clientele over a wide range of visa categories from spouse/family; skill migration to court litigation.

It is with pride that I was the Instructing Solicitor in the Badraie family matter on a pro bono basis before the Full Bench of the Federal Court in Australia in 2001. With Dr Steven Churches as Counsel, the Badraie family’s case was presented to the Court and all three judges decided in a joint decision that there had been an error of law and sent their case to the Refugee Review Tribunal to be heard again.

In 2002, I assisted with the Refugee Review Tribunal hearing. Professor Clive Kessler from the University of New South Wales gave expert evidence relating to the Badraie family claims and the Refugee Review Tribunal found that they were refugees and temporary protection visas were granted. It is with great joy that I witnessed this family being reunited after the release of Saeed from Villawood Detention Centre.

I also have a Bachelor degree in Chinese Language from Macquarie University, Sydney and a Master of Arts in Asian Studies with Distinction from the University of Western Sydney, Sydney. I speak Chinese (Mandarin) and Japanese and I am currently studying Indonesian at Northern Territory University through Open Learning. I lived and studied Chinese in Taiwan for two years between 1984 and 1986 and I lived and studied Japanese in Japan for three years between 1987 and 1990. I was a Rotary Exchange Student in Stanton, Michigan, USA in 1979 and I have travelled through Europe and Asia.

I enjoy scuba diving, listening to music, reading, Asian cuisine and Egyptology. I hope one-day to have the time to undertake a PhD and write about Australia’s Immigration Myths and Violations of Human Rights committed in the name of Defending the Borders and the Manadatory Detention Policy.

I have a great support team

Jeri Levinsky

Jeri Levinsky is a co-director of our company Migration Education Services Pty Ltd. She is both a registered migration agent and an experienced education agent. Jeri has been working with international students and clients for the past 13 years. Jeri is originally from the United States and migrated to Australia in 1980. She feels that her own experience with migration helps her assist clients who would like to migrate to Australia. Jeri has assisted many students by placing them in suitable education courses and institutions in Australia.

From 1990 – 1997, Jeri taught English as a second language to international students in private colleges in the Sydney area. She found this to be very rewarding and enjoyed working with students from all over the world. After 1997, Jeri worked for a university college marketing department. During this time, Jeri traveled to various countries to advise and recruit international students.

In 2000, Jeri was invited to join one of the largest international education agencies to expand their markets. For this position, she traveled extensively to China, Thailand, Nepal, India and Bangladesh to give seminars on Australian education. These experiences expanded Jeri’s knowledge of the circumstances of international students, student visa processes, Australian education and its relationship to migration.

Jeri received a Bachelor of Arts(Social Science) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Jeri is very interested in human behavior so her focus was mainly on psychology and sociology.

Jeri migrated to Australia in 1980 and lived in Townsville, Queensland for 9 years. At that time Jeri worked with Aboriginal teenagers and visited many remote Aboriginal communities. It was a very rewarding experience as she learned much about the culture of native Australians.

She moved to Sydney in 1998 and began working with international students. She was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Education(Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)from the University of South Australia on 29 April 1992.

One of Jeri’s favourite hobbies is travel. She has been to over 30 countries mainly in North and South America, Europe and Asia. She loves experiencing other cultures, meeting people and taking photographs. Her other hobbies include yoga, ikebana and aikido.

My Personal Assistant is Hartanto. He is originally from Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia. He is a graduate of Central Queensland University and speaks Indonesian and Mandarin. He is not in the office on Wednesdays.

Liz Lee is a part time clerk. Liz is a second year Civil Engineering student at the University of New South Wales. She speaks Korean and is in the office on Fridays to assist Korean speakers.

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