Chris Johnston: Principal Lawyer, Educator & Founder of Work Visa Lawyers

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With two decades of experience in Australian immigration law, Chris Johnston first began working as a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) in the migration industry in 2006. Chris is a trusted advisor to individuals, businesses, and government clients. Since founding Work Visa Lawyers in 2011, Chris has helped thousands of clients secure employer-sponsored, skilled, partner, and innovation visas.

But Chris is more than a lawyer. He’s also a leading educator in Australian migration law.

Chris has delivered hundreds of legal education sessions with the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) between 2021 and 2025 alone—consistently presenting across evolving visa categories, legislative changes, and employer compliance. His presentations are frequently updated to reflect real-time policy changes and regulatory reform, making him one of the most up-to-date trainers in the industry.

He is also one of Australia’s original immigration content creators, with 150,000+ followers across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. His videos demystify complex migration issues with expert yet accessible explanations.

Whether you're a business needing guidance on sponsored visas, an individual applying for permanent residency, or a professional seeking CPD-accredited training — Chris combines practical legal insights with the clarity of a skilled educator.

Book an appointment with Chris today and get the benefit of a lawyer who both practices and teaches Australian migration law.

Learn more about Chris

Luke Edwards: Associate Lawyer

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Luke has experience in dealing with employer-sponsored visas, including the 482 and 186 visas, as well as 400 and 408 visas, across a range of industries and is also experienced in handling other matters including business visas, partner visas and reviews at the tribunal and courts.

Luke is experienced in advising businesses on Australian migration requirements and the best visa options for their employees.

Areas of Practice:

National Innovation Visa Subclass 858, Skills in Demand 482 Visa (Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement), Business Skills, Business short stay, Citizenship, Employer Nomination Scheme, General Skilled Migration, Judicial Review, Labour Agreement, Media & Film Staff (undefined), Medical Practitioner, Medical Treatment, Migration Review at the AAT, Occupational Trainee, Regional Skilled Migration, Religious Worker, Resident Return, Sport, Spouse, Student, Temporary Skilled Shortage (482) (undefined), Tourist / Visitor (undefined) and Work and Holiday Visa. 

He has been a part of the Work Visa Lawyers team since October 2017.

Luke has completed a Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Science, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and a Master of Laws. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia in February 2018.

Luke is a member of the Law Society of South Australia and a member of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA).

In 2024, Luke Edwards became an Accredited Immigration Law Specialist.

Wendy Guan: Registered Migration Agent

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Wendy Guan is a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1685761) and has experience with the following visa types:

• General Skilled Migration visas (189, 190 and 491 visas)
• Partner and Parent Visas
• Student and Graduate visas
• Visitor visas
• National Innovation Visa
• Skills in Demand Visa (Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Essential Skills)

Wendy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of International Trade. Wendy completed a Graduate Certificate of Migration Law and Practice and obtained the status of Registered Migration Agent in 2016. Wendy has been a part of the Work Visa Lawyers team since July 2018 and is and the Leader of the Skilled and Family Team.

Prior to joining Work Visa Lawyers, Wendy spent 2 years working as a consultant, providing migration advice and services for a number of skilled migrants.

She also worked as assistant manager in an international student hostel for 8 years. In this role she assisted thousands of international students to settle into student life in Australia.

Having also studied and migrated to Australia, Wendy understands the migration process from personal experience. She looks forward to assisting you with your Australian Visa and citizenship needs.

Wendy is fluent in Chinese and English. 

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Joan Prado - Immigration Lawyer

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Rosa Torrefranca is a highly skilled Australian migration lawyer with a great reputation for the National Innovation Visa (NIV). Based in Adelaide, she helps talented professionals, researchers, and business leaders from all over the world get Australian permanent residency under Australia's most competitive visa pathways.

Rosa is known for building strong, evidence-based cases and getting excellent results for her clients. In Australia, she has over 15 years of experience in the migration and legal industry as a paralegal and later as a lawyer.

She finished her law degree in the Philippines in 2001 and became a lawyer there in 2002 to help communities in need. In Australia, she is admitted  as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia and registered in the High Court of Australia

Languages: Fluent in English, Tagalog (Filipino), and Visaya.

Key Practice Areas

• National Innovation Visa (NIV) and the now closed Global Talent Visa (Subclass 858)
• Partner Visas (sc-300, sc-309/100 and sc-820/801)
• Employer-Sponsored Visas, including the Skills in Demand (SID) Visa (formerly the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa Subclass 482) (Specialist, Core Skills, Labour Agreement streams), ENS Visa (Subclass 186), and SESR Visa (Subclass 494)
• General Skilled Migration (189, 190, 491, 489)
• Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) formerly the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) reviews
• Family Migration, Student Visa (Subclass 500), Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485), Skills Assessments, and Australian Citizenship

Experience & Achievements

• Qualifications: Bachelor of Nursing (Philippines), Cert IV in Legal Services (TAFE SA), dual-admitted lawyer (Philippines and Australia). Her background in healthcare gives her a unique advantage in managing complex healthcare visas, skills assessments, and preparing requests and submissions  for health waivers (PIC 4005/4007)
• Memberships: Law Society of South Australia (Wellbeing and Resilience Committee) and the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA)
• Policy Impact: Prepared and contributed to submissions for Consultation processes by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA)
• Education & Presentations: Rosa has actively supported Chris Johnston in developing several of his National Innovation Visa (NIV) and Employer-Sponsored Visas presentations.
• NIV & Global Talent Sectors: Critical Industries, Health Industries,Financial Services and Fintech, Agri-food and Ag-tech, Infrastructure and tourism, Education, Circular Economy, Digitech, Sports.

Why Clients Choose Rosa as their Immigration Lawyer

Clients trust Rosa because she is very careful, deeply understands how the government makes decisions, and knows how to build a good visa application. Her past clients always praise her clear advice and great results.

Rosa has worked at Work Visa Lawyers since 2021, the best immigration law firm in Australia, helping people all over Australia with their complex National Innovation Visas.

Suman Grewal: Registered Migration Agent and Education Agent

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Suman Grewal is a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 2117667) and a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor (QEAC No. S195).

Suman has been working in the migration industry since 2006. She has worked for 5 years in India and started working with Work Visa Lawyers in 2011, and has now been in the migration industry for over 16 years. Suman has performed a range of tasks including administrative and research tasks in support of the Migration Agents and Lawyers in the past. Suman’s excellence in customer relations and attention to detail are valuable skills contributing to our practice of Migration Law.

Suman has a Masters degree in Arts from Panjab University, India and also an Advanced Diploma in Computer Applications from DOEACC, India. She has completed a Graduate Diploma in Migration Law from Victoria University and has been registered as an Australian Migration Agent in 2021.

Spoken Languages: English, Hindi and Punjabi.

Trang Vu: Lawyer

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Trang joined Work Visa Lawyers in April 2022. Trang previously worked as a lawyer in Sydney at a firm specialising in immigration and commercial law. In the following years, Trang gained extensive experience in legal research and submissions at one of the largest migration agencies in South Australia.

Trang has experience in these areas of practice:

• Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviews
• Character issues and Public Interest Criteria (health, PIC 4020)
• Family visas 
• Employer-sponsored visas, including the 400, 482, 494, 186 visas
• Labour Agreements
• Sponsorship obligations and monitoring
• National Innovation Visa 858
• Skills in Demand 482 Visa (Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement)

Trang has completed a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Legal Practice. She is admitted as a lawyer and barrister to the Supreme Court of New South Wales and South Australia.

Trang is passionate about her work and draws inspiration from a quote by Albert Einstein: "Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."

As a second-generation migrant, Trang is fluent in Vietnamese and English.

Joan Prado - Immigration Lawyer

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Joan Prado is a caring Immigration Lawyer based in Adelaide who brings rich international experience to our team. She has over 6 years of experience in the migration industry.

With a strong foundation in both business and law, she brings a practical, client-focused approach to immigration and legal services. 

Joan completed a Bachelor of Science in Commerce (major in Business Management) before migrating to New Zealand in 2008. This personal migration journey has given her a deep, and genuine understanding of the challenges and opportunities that come with starting a life in a new country. 

In New Zealand, she pursued Bachelor of Laws and completed the course with Honours while balancing family responsibilities. It was an experience that strengthened her resilience, discipline and ability to manage complex demands - qualities which she now brings to her professional practice. Prior to relocating to South Australia in 2025, her background was in immigration and property law. 

Having navigated the migration process herself, she appreciates both the technical and emotional aspects involved. eJoan knows that every client has unique needs, and she builds trust by being clear, honest, and mindful of their circumstances so she can provide advice that help achieve outcomes that align with their aspirations and future plans.

Languages: Fluent in English and Filipino.

Key Practice Areas

• Employer-Sponsored Visas, including the Skills in Demand (SID) Visa (formerly the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa Subclass 482), ENS Visa (Subclass 186), and SESR Visa (Subclass 494)
• National Innovation Visa 
• Labour agreements particularly Designated Area Migration Agreement and Minister of Religion 
• General migration advice and compliance
• Immigration law interpretation and client advocacy

Experience & Achievements

• Qualifications: Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Waikato. Her Honours-level legal training equips her with exceptional analytical skills and a rigorous approach to statutory interpretation, which is vital when formulating comprehensive Australian visa strategies and advocating for clients with unique or complex needs
• Bachelor of Science in Commerce (De La Salle University, Manila)
• Admissions: Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand (August 2016, currently not practicing in NZ), and admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia (February 2025)

Why Clients Choose Joan as their Immigration Lawyer

Clients value Joan because she is committed to supporting clients with clarity, care and integrity.  She is able to provide advice that is not only legally sound, but also practical and grounded in real-life experience. Her strong legal education means she handles every application with careful thought to give clients the best chance.

Joan is a proud part of Work Visa Lawyers, one of the best immigration law firms in South Australia, helping clients across Australia plan their long-term migration goals safely and easily.

Samantha (Sam) Saberi: Registered Migration Agent

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Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2418586

Sam completed a Master's degree in Persian Language and Literature from Iran, as well as a Master's in Nursing from the University of Adelaide. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Migration Law from Griffith University and has been registered as an Australian Migration Agent since 2024.

Having arrived in Australia as a refugee, Sam has a profound understanding of the refugee visa process from personal experience. She successfully transitioned from a protection visa to a skilled visa and has since assisted numerous refugees in settling in Australia and obtaining visas and citizenship.

Earlier in her career, Sam worked in clinical roles within both public and private hospitals for years. This experience in the healthcare sector has equipped her with the expertise to effectively manage visa applications and provide tailored immigration advice, particularly helping nurses secure permanent visas in Australia.

Sam is fluent in Farsi and English.

Shamsiya Mohammadi - Immigration Lawyer

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Shamsiya Mohammadi is an experienced Australian migration lawyer focusing on visa refusals, visa cancellations, visa appeals, employer-sponsored visas and protection visas. She has several years of experience in the migration industry.

Before joining Work Visa Lawyers, she worked as a Migration Lawyer in Melbourne and as a Journalist for the ABC. Shamsiya has spent a lot of time volunteering at the Australian Refugee Association and Welcoming Australia to help migrant and refugee communities.

Because of this, she understands the real challenges migrants face and works hard to make the legal process easier for them.

Languages: Fluent in English, Hazaragi, and Dari.

Key Practice Areas

• Visa refusals, visa cancellations, and Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) (formerly the Administrative Appeals Tribunal or AAT) appeals
• Ministerial Intervention requests
• Protection Visas
• Employer Sponsored Visas, including the Skills in Demand (SID) Visa (formerly the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa Subclass 482), ENS Visa (Subclass 186), SESR Visa (Subclass 494) and Labour Agreements, National Innovation Visa (NIV) (formerly the Global Talent Visa Subclass 858), Family/Partner visas, and Australian Citizenship
• Character and health issues (PIC issues)

Experience & Achievements

• Qualifications: Double degree in Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Journalism and Professional Writing. Her dual background in law and journalism equips her with exceptional analytical, research investigative and advocacy skills, which are crucial when gathering compelling evidence for complex Protection Visas, drafting persuasive Ministerial Intervention requests, and presenting strong arguments in ART appeals
• Admissions: Admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia 

Why Clients Choose Shamsiya as their Immigration Lawyer

When clients face a stressful visa refusal or need a protection visa, they choose Shamsiya because she is an experienced migration lawyer and pays attention to every detail. She has handled many difficult cases including corporate visas, visa refusals and protection visas. 

Shamsiya represents clients from all over Australia and overseas, from Work Visa Lawyers, one of the best immigration law companies  in Adelaide, helping them succeed in their visa application or appeal.

Avelyn Chen: Consultant

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Avelyn is a registered migration agent (MARN 1800051).

Avelyn has experience in these areas of practice:

• Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviews
• Character and Public Interest Criteria (health, PIC 4020, PIC 4013/4014) waivers
• 8503 No Further Stay waivers
• Schedule 3 considerations including compelling and compassionate reasons
• Family visas including partner/parent/child/orphan relative visas
• Other family visas including carer visas/New Zealand Citizen family relationship visas/remaining relative visas
• Employer-sponsored visas, including the 407, 482, 494, 186 visas
• General Skilled Migration visas, including the 189, 190, 491 and 191 visas
• Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)
• Business and investor visas
• Student visas
• National Innovation Visa
• Sponsorship obligations and monitoring
• Migration skills assessments
• Australian citizenship applications

Avelyn completed a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice in 2016. In the same year, she was admitted as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Queensland. She is a member of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA).

Having lived in Singapore for over a decade as a first-generation immigrant before calling Australia home in 2012, she truly understands what it’s like to settle into a completely new country - twice!

She combines personal insight with legal expertise to create customised strategies that address each client's unique circumstances, proactively identifying and resolving potential obstacles early to ensure clients feel supported and confident throughout Australia's complex migration process.

Avelyn is fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and English.

Christine Tsitsinaris: Administrative Officer

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Christine joined Work Visa Lawyers in January 2018 and has since become a highly valued and reliable member of the team, providing administrative support to the Migration Agents and Lawyers.

Christine prides herself on her enthusiasm, friendliness and approachability. Having had 20 years experience as a legal assistance/receptionist, she understands the importance of providing valuable and excellent customer service.

Christine brings a welcoming and understanding nature to Work Visa Lawyers. Outside of Work Visa Lawyers Christine is a proud mother to two young daughters and often volunteers her time to schooling events.

Christine has studied at the Adelaide Legal & Commercial College receiving a Certificate in Legal Secretary & Office Procedures, Level II, and studied a Para-Legal Certificate IV at the Adelaide Institute of TAFE.

Languages: English and Greek (spoken)

Radharani Kuhn - Marketing and Communication Officer

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Radharani Kuhn is the friendly Marketing and Communication Officer at Work Visa Lawyers. Joining the firm in 2023, she plays a huge role in translating hard Australian immigration laws, like the new National Innovation Visa (NIV), into easy, clear information for clients.

Radharani manages the firm's social media and ensures that everyone stays informed about new visa changes.

Languages: Fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Core Responsibilities

• Digital marketing and comprehensive social media strategy across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook
• Managing the firm's highly successful YouTube channel, including video content creation and distribution
• Client communications, brand management, and online engagement
• Legal content distribution and digital platform management

Experience & Achievements

• Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Media and Communication Studies (Federal University of Mato Grosso, Brazil) and a Diploma in Social Media Marketing (Australian Pacific College).
• Her strong academic background in media, combined with extensive expertise gained in Brazil's dynamic marketing industry, gives her the strategic insight needed to effectively translate complex Australian immigration law into engaging, accessible content.
• Her skills have helped grow Work Visa Lawyers' online community to over 200,000 followers, ensuring the firm remains known as one of the best immigration companies in Australia.

Jenny Phan: Accounts Officer

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Jenny Phan is the dedicated Accounts Officer at Work Visa Lawyers, a leading immigration law firm based in Adelaide. Joining in 2022, she is responsible for the firm's finances, making sure all billing is smooth, clear, and accurate for all clients.

Whether she is dealing with one person or a large company, Jenny provides the important office support that allows the legal team to focus completely on winning visas.

Languages: Fluent in English and Vietnamese.

Core Responsibilities

• Trust account management, invoicing, and client billing
• Financial administration and strict procedural compliance
• Administrative support for the firm's professional development and MIA teaching engagements

Experience & Achievements

• Qualifications: Master's degree from the University of South Australia. Her advanced degree, combined with a diversity of previous employment on two continents, equips her with a unique ability to assess and manage complex tasks calmly and effectively.
• She brings a meticulous, detail-oriented approach to the firm's accounts, efficiently managing the financial backend for a high volume of complex migration matters, corporate accounts, and continuous professional development programs.
• Attributes: Jenny prides herself on her efficiency, collaboration, attention to detail, and customer-centricity.