Frequently Asked Questions

One Planet Migration Law is an immigration law firm led by our Principal Lawyer, Tina Nematian, who has more than 15 years of experience in Australian immigration law. We work with both individuals and businesses. If you are not sure whether you need a lawyer or a registered migration agent, our guide to migration agents vs immigration lawyers explains the difference.

Yes. We offer consultations in person at our Sydney and Melbourne offices, or by video call for clients anywhere in Australia. You can book a one-on-one consultation with Tina Nematian or Ivana Djoneski on our booking page.

Consultations are one-on-one with Tina Nematian, our founder and Principal Lawyer, or Ivana Djoneski, our Immigration Practice Lead. You choose who you see when you book. Behind them, the whole team stays across your matter.

Your passport and current visa details, any refusal or cancellation letters with the date you received them, and anything that explains your situation: relationship details for partner matters, occupation and employer details for work visas. For employers, our employer enquiry form lists what helps us prepare.

It depends on the visa and how complex your situation is. There are two parts: our professional fees and the Department of Home Affairs visa application charges. We work on a fixed-fee model, so you know our cost up front with no surprises. Government charges change regularly, usually on 1 July each year, and our visa fees guide lists the current ones.

Yes. After a consultation we agree the scope of the work and a fixed fee in writing before anything begins. That way the cost is settled before you commit, and it does not grow if the matter takes longer than expected.

No. The Department's visa application charges are separate from our professional fees and are paid to Home Affairs when you lodge. They change regularly, usually each 1 July. We confirm the current charge for your visa before you lodge, and our visa fees guide tracks them.

We advise on employer sponsored visas, skilled visas (subclasses 189, 190 and 491), partner, parent and other family visas, student visas, humanitarian and protection visas, visa refusals and appeals, and ministerial intervention requests. You will find more on each in our immigration blog.

Yes. Partner and family work is a core part of our practice, including onshore and offshore partner visas, prospective marriage, parent, child and other family visas. Start with our partner visa page or family migration page, then book a consultation to talk through your circumstances.

Yes. We advise on the Subclass 500 student visa, the genuine student requirement, work conditions, family members, and the Subclass 485 graduate visa after study. Our student visas page explains how we help and links to our detailed guides.

Yes. We advise on protection visa claims and the offshore humanitarian program, and our Principal Lawyer contributes pro bono time to organisations supporting vulnerable migrants. Our humanitarian visas page explains the pathways and how we work in this area.

Act quickly. Many refusals can be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal, but the deadlines are short and strict, and missing one usually ends your review rights. Some refusals also trigger a section 48 bar, which limits the visas you can apply for while you are in Australia. Contact us as soon as you receive the decision, and read our guides on appealing a refusal at the ART and the section 48 bar.

For most onshore decisions, an application to the Administrative Review Tribunal must be made within 28 days of when you are notified, and the period is shorter if you are in immigration detention. The Tribunal cannot extend the deadline. Your decision letter should state the exact period, so check it and count from the notification date. Our appeals page explains what is reviewable.

If your visa was refused or cancelled while you were in Australia, section 48 of the Migration Act can stop you lodging most further visa applications onshore, apart from a short prescribed list. It can apply even while a review is under way. Our section 48 guide explains which applications remain open.

Generally after merits review has finished without an outcome you can accept. The Minister's power is discretionary, carries no right to a decision, and a request must meet the current ministerial guidelines to proceed. Our ministerial intervention page explains when a request is realistic and how we prepare one.

Yes, employer sponsorship is a large part of our work. We help Australian businesses, from local SMEs to global corporations, with sponsorship and nominations for the 482, 186 and 494 visas, labour agreements and DAMA, and with meeting their sponsor obligations. Start with our employer sponsorship page or request a free employer strategy call.

A Designated Area Migration Agreement is a labour agreement between the Australian Government and a regional authority that lets employers in that area access occupations and concessions the standard program does not offer. Whether you can use one depends on where your business operates. Our DAMA page lists the current agreements and how endorsement works.

Yes. Our free employer strategy call is exactly that. You tell us about your business and the roles you are trying to fill through a short form, and we talk through sponsorship, nominations, labour agreements, DAMA and compliance before you spend anything.