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As a Registered Migration Agent (no. 9803463), Garry Loseby and the staff of Australian Migration Specialists are bound to abide by the regulations set out by the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) in the Code of Conduct.

The Code is intended to regulate the conduct of migration agents and includes, but is not limited to, the following points. For a full copy of the Code of Conduct click here.

1. A migration agent must always act in accordance with the law and the legitimate interests of his or her client; and deal with his or her client competently, diligently, fairly and without any conflict of interest that would affect the legitimate interests of the client.
2. A migration agent's professionalism should be reflected in a sound working knowledge of the Migration Act and Migration Regulations, and other legislation relating to migration procedure, and a capacity to provide accurate and timely advice.
3. A migration agent must take appropriate steps to maintain and improve his or her knowledge of the Migration Act and Regulations, and other legislation relating to migration procedure, and keep that knowledge up to date.
4. An agent who is asked by a client to give his or her opinion about the probability of a successful outcome for the client's application should not hold out unsubstantiated or unjustified prospects of success when advising clients on applications under the Migration Act or Migration Regulations.
5. Subject to a client's instructions, a migration agent has a duty to provide sufficient relevant information to the Department to allow a full assessment of the facts against the relevant criteria. An agent should not submit an application under the Migration Act or Migration Regulations without the specified accompanying documentation.
6. A migration agent has a duty to preserve the confidentiality of his or her clients. He or she must not disclose, or allow to be disclosed, confidential information about a client or a client's business without the client's written consent, unless required by law.
7. A migration agent has a duty to exercise effective control of his or her office for the purpose of giving immigration advice and assistance. He or she must properly supervise the work carried out by staff for the agent.
8. The Migration Agent Registration Authority can help resolve dispute between a migration agent and a client. An agent must respond properly to a complaint by a person about the work or services carried out by the agent or the agent's employee.

As a boutique Australian migration consultancy, we provide a professional, efficient and cost effective service with the successful outcome of Australian visa applications being our driving force.

Our services include:

Personalised one-on-one attention at all times. We understand how stressful the migration process is and we strive to make the transition as easy as possible. We believe that in order to achieve this goal it is necessary to get to know all our clients on a personal basis and continue to maintain this relationship through the visa process and beyond.

We will ensure that you apply for the visa that is most suited to your particular circumstances. There are so many different visa categories available that it is sometimes a confusing decision to make on your own. Our expertise enables us to quickly identify the correct visa category for you and to provide you with advice relating to this visa.

We will advise you as to exactly what documentation is required for a successful visa application and we will check all applications for thoroughness and correctness.

Assist you with the completion of all necessary forms ensuring that regulations are adhered to at all times. 
Submit the application to the relevant authorities ensuring that the application is a valid one and meets the relevant policy and regulations.

Liaise with the Australian Government, Department of Home Affairs through the processing of the application.

If you are applying for a visa under the general skilled migration programme, our service will also include liaising with the necessary assessing authorities to obtain a suitable skill assessment.

Some applications require you to obtain a State nomination before submitting an application to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, and it will be our responsibility to ensure that the necessary applications are made.

We undertake to submit all documentation to the relevant authorities in a timely manner and will keep you informed through every stage of the process.

Once a decision is made on a visa application we will ensure that the decision is correct and in line with current policy and regulations.

Post visa approval we will provide you with information on all aspects of living in Australia.

Michelle Oztas is the Senior Migration Consultant at Australian Migration Specialists and is a whiz with all skilled and family-related visas. She has been involved in migration since 2010 and is an invaluable member of the Australian Migration Specialists team. She is absolutely meticulous in the preparation of applications and has an extensive understanding of the migration process, and as such is able to ensure that clients are given the best possible chance of a successful outcome to their migration application.

Michelle is caring by nature and she has an innate ability to put clients at ease.

Tracey Lawrence joined Garry at Australian Migration Specialists in 2000, and has grown with the business, and since January 2018 has been the Managing Director and now sole shareholder.

Tracey was born to be involved in migration, and is responsible for assessing and advising all new clients on what their available options for migration are. She draws on her vast knowledge and strategic thinking to present clients with the best solutions for their individual needs.

Tracey is responsible for the submission of all business and investor visas, as  well as employer-nominated visas and ensures that all clients have a clear understanding of how their specific process will be implemented

Garry Loseby is the Australian registered Migration Agent (no. 9803463) at Australian Migration Specialists and was born and bred in Australia. He ensures that the office is kept abreast of changes in migration policies and regulations.

Garry also ensures that all migration applications submitted to the Department of Home Affairs in Australia meet the relevant requirements for each visa category.

Garry has a degree in Applied Science and an MBA and has been involved in migration since 1984. He has spent the majority of his time in South Africa since 1997.

There is a wide range of housing types and styles available, especially in some of Australia's larger cities and their suburbs. House architecture is based on European and American styles but many have a distinctly local Australian flavour, reflecting the climate and geography. A combination of timber and brick dwellings provides character and individuality in most communities.

Newer properties are almost always equipped with air-conditioning. Electric fans are standard in all forms of accommodation in the northern states. In the southern states many houses have a fireplace or a central heating system (usually gas). Such facilities are not required in the north due to the tropical climate.

In the cities and most country areas, electricity and piped gas are used for heating and cooking. Wood, coal and coke are still used in the more rural regions of Australia. Heating oil is widely used for heating in the colder areas.
All properties in the urban areas have access to a clean, piped water supply. In the country districts, many homes have 'tank water', a rainwater catchment system whereby water is caught and filtered for drinking. 

It is easier and quicker to rent accommodation than it is to buy it. That does not mean it is easy though. It is just easier than buying. In the long term it is usually cheaper to buy than to rent. However, with very high property prices in certain parts of Australia, it takes some time of earning your money locally before being able to buy your own property.

Rental accommodation is traditionally found through letting agents or estate agents. These agents earn a commission on the rent paid and are responsible for dealing with any maintenance issues. Lately property owners are advertising their properties themselves through the Internet or in local newspapers. By doing this, they have to deal with all the issues an agent would, but keep more of the rent money. Rental contracts (or leases) are usually for a minimum of six months to a year. Every landlord will insist on a minimum period of tenure since they want a secure income on their property. A year is the norm. Shorter leases will usually mean a higher rental rate. Rental properties are usually unfurnished.

Buying a home is one of the largest purchases you're likely to make after settling in Australia. Like anywhere else, it can also be one of your best long-term investments, provided that you get it right. This means doing your homework and making sure that any property bought is the right one in terms of price, location, value, size and lifestyle. Don’t be too hasty to make this commitment until you are completely comfortable with the Australian way of doings things and are very familiar with the local community.

There are two main ways to buy a property in Australia: by private sale or by auction. Buying by private sale means you buy the property at the advertised price or a negotiated price with the vendor, the latter usually done through the vendor’s estate agent. The negotiation continues until both parties agree on an acceptable price. 

Auction is another common way of selling a property in Australia. It depends largely on the area and the type of property as to whether sale by auction is the preferred method of sale. House auctions are particularly common in inner city Sydney and Melbourne, but less so in suburban, regional or rural areas of Australia.

Labour market conditions strengthened between June 2015 and June 2016. The level of employment increased by 225,000 (or 1.9 per cent) to stand at 11,939,600 in June 2016, above the annual average growth rate over the past 10 years. It is worth noting, however, that employment growth was particularly strong in the second half of 2015, up by 181,600 (or 1.5 per cent), compared with a very modest increase of 43,400 (or 0.4 per cent) in the first half of 2016.

Female participation accounted for around 60 per cent of employment growth. In 2015-16, female employment was up by 136,200 compared with 88,800 for males.

The pace of trend employment growth also softened, going from a peak of 31,000 jobs a month in October 2015 to just 8,300 in June 2016.

The increase in employment between June 2015 and June 2016 was due primarily to strong growth in part-time employment, which rose by 134,400 (or 3.7 per cent) to stand at a record high of 3,740,700 in June 2016. On the other hand, the level of full-time employment increased by a more modest 90,600 (or 1.1 per cent) over the period, to 8,198,900 in June 2016. This shift towards part-time employment is also reflected in aggregate monthly hours worked, which rose by a modest 0.6 per cent between June 2015 and June 2016.

Against this background, the level of unemployment in Australia fell by 23,100 (or 3.1 per cent) between June 2015 and June 2016, and the unemployment rate declined, from 6.1 per cent in June 2015 to 5.8 per cent in June 2016. The fall in the unemployment rate occurred in conjunction with a 0.1 percentage point increase in the participation rate over the period, to 64.9 per cent in June 2016.

The improvement in labour market conditions between June 2015 and June 2016 reflects, in part, the ongoing structural shift towards the more labour-intensive services sector. Strong growth was recorded in a number of service-based industries. Employment increased in 12 of the 19 broad industries between May 2015 and May 2016 (latest available data). The largest increases were in health care and social assistance (up by 71,600 or 4.9 per cent), construction (up by 44,300 or 4.3 per cent) and retail trade (up by 40,700 or 3.3 per cent).

By contrast, large declines were recorded in wholesale trade (down by 20,400 or 5.2 per cent), professional, scientific and technical services (down by 19,700 or 2.0 per cent) and manufacturing (down by 15,400 or 1.7 per cent). Employment in mining rose modestly over the period (up by 2,400 or 1.1 per cent). However, this increase should be viewed in the context of the large decline in mining employment (by 47,300 or 17.3 per cent) since its peak in August 2012, resulting from lower commodity prices and the ongoing transition away from the labour-intensive construction phase to the production phase of the cycle.

Reflecting the overall strengthening in the labour market, conditions for young people improved somewhat between June 2015 and June 2016. The youth unemployment rate declined marginally over the period, to stand at 13.2 per cent in June 2016, although it remains more than double the rate recorded for all persons. While the level of youth employment increased over the period by 22,300 (or 1.2 per cent), this was due entirely to a rise in part-time employment (up by 30,400 or 3.2 per cent). By contrast, the level of youth full-time employment declined (by 8,700 or 1.0 per cent). However, this occurred in conjunction with a 0.6 percentage point increase in the proportion of youth participating in full-time education, which rose to a record high of 52.4 per cent in June 2016.

Notwithstanding the general strengthening in labour market conditions between June 2015 and June 2016, a number of risks to the labour market outlook remain. These include a further moderation of growth in China as its economy transitions away from investment-led growth, and uncertainty around commodity prices, which have fallen considerably from their historic highs in 2011. That said, the Treasury’s forecasts in the 2016 Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook are for employment to increase by 1.75 per cent over both 2016–17 and 2017–18. The unemployment rate is expected to decline to 5.5 per cent in 2016–17, and remain at that rate in 2017–18.

The Australian health system is widely regarded as being world-class, in terms of both its effectiveness and efficiency. The system is a mixture of public and private sector health service providers and a range of funding and regulatory mechanisms.

The Australian Government’s funding includes three major national subsidy schemes, Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate.

Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme cover all Australians and subsidise their payments for private medical services and for a high proportion of prescription medicines. Under Medicare, the Australian and State governments also jointly fund public hospital services so they are provided free of charge to people who choose to be treated as public patients. Australian Government funding of the 30% Rebate and other key incentives support people’s choice to take up and retain private health insurance.

Medicare is Australia’s universal health care system introduced in 1984 to provide eligible Australian residents with affordable, accessible and high-quality health care.

Medicare was established based on the understanding that all Australians should contribute to the cost of health care according to their ability to pay. It is financed through progressive income tax and an income-related Medicare levy.

Medicare provides access to: free treatment as a public (Medicare) patient in a public hospital, and free or subsidised treatment by medical practitioners including general practitioners, specialists, participating optometrists or dentists (for specified services only).

Medicare does not pay towards ambulance costs, dental services, physiotherapy, spectacles, podiatry, chiropractic services, or private hospital accommodation.

People make their contribution to the health care system through taxes and the Medicare levy based on their income, and through private financing such as private health insurance.

The aim of the national health care funding system is to give all Australians, regardless of their personal circumstances, access to health care at an affordable cost or at no cost, while allowing choice for individuals through substantial private sector involvement in delivery and financing.

Of course Australia also has a number of private healthcare providers.

Early, primary and secondary education

Generally, school education in Australia lasts for 13 years and comprises a preparatory year before Year 1, primary school (six years) and secondary school (six years). A preparatory preschool years is not compulsory but is strongly promoted by the Australian Government through initiatives aimed at providing universal access to quality early childhood education. School education is compulsory until the age of 15 or 16, with a number of states currently reviewing this age provision.

The Australian government also promotes early learning in its support of approved child care services operating under a quality based system. More than a million children participated in approved child care in 2006 – 2007.

In Australia, about 3.4 million students attend 9581 schools, 71.5% of which are run by State and Territory governments. These schools account for 66.4% of students. There are 244 358 school teachers in Australia. Total recurrent public funding (Australian Government and state and territory government) for all schools is about $31.5 billion per year.

The Australian Government has a leadership role in identifying and promoting national standards and priorities for students. Key objectives include advancing higher standards in schooling through greater national consistency and accountability; enriching the quality of teaching; ensuring safe and supportive school environments; and providing targeted assistance to enable equity to access to education.

Tertiary education

There are two types of tertiary education programs: those offered by institutions, private training providers and industry in the vocational education and training (VET) sector; and those offered by universities and higher education providers.

Australia’s VET system provides individuals with skills required in a modern economy and delivers competency-based training that is practical and career oriented. The VET system is highly advanced, following a decade of continuous reform. In the regulated VET systems, industry based qualifications are delivered by registered training organisations. These include public institutions called TAFE institutes and private colleges. VET qualifications are designed to provide students with nationally recognised competencies that employers have identified as critical to their needs. Students achieve a qualification only after meeting the set competency standards.

Australian universities have an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, with academic staff recruited from Australia and around the world. Universities and other higher education institutions offer programs leading to a bachelor’s degree and a range of postgraduate degrees, including higher degrees by research. Some universities also offer shorter undergraduate and corporate development programs. 

Australia is a stable, culturally diverse and democratic society with a skilled workforce and strong, competitive economy.  With a population of approximately 22.6 million, Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent.  It is the earth’s biggest island and the sixth-largest country in the world in land area.

Australia is one of the world’s oldest landmasses and has been populated by human beings for an estimated 60 000 years.  Before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited most areas of the continent.  Australia’s contemporary history is relatively short, with the first European settlement established by Great Britain on 26 January 1788.

The Australian landscape is distinctive and varied.  In the centre and the west there are vast stony and sandy deserts; in the east, sweeping plateaus and plains flank narrow coastal slopes.  Australia’s coast features broad sandy beaches and lush vegetation.   These are backed by a great variety of landforms, ranging from the steep cliffs of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and the eroded volcanic rock of the Glasshouse Mountains north of Brisbane, to the flat plains on the southern coast west of Adelaide.

The national average annual rainfall of 465mm varies greatly each year and is distributed unevenly around the continent.  The driest area is the Lake Eyre drainage basin, with averages less than 125mm annual.  The wettest regions are in the tropical north-east and the north-west of Tasmania, with more than 3 500mm recorded in some parts of Tasmania’s mountain ranges.

Despite these erratic rain patterns, Australia has fertile areas close to the coast, where the bulk of the population lives.  Here Australian’s experience a range of climate, from wet and humid tropical conditions in the far north, through warm and temperate on the central east and west coast, to cooler conditions on the southern coasts and in Tasmania.

Australia has 10 per cent of the world’s biodiversity and a great number of its native plants, animals and birds exist nowhere else in the world.  Australia is committed to conserving its unique environment and natural heritage and has a range or protection procedures in place, including World Heritage listings and many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Australia’s population includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and migrants from some 200 countries.  In over 60 years of planned post-war migration, Australia has welcomed more than 6.5 million migrants, including more than 660,000 refugees.  
Migrants have brought with them language skills and other capabilities that are valuable in today’s global economy and workforce.  Although English is the official language in Australia, more than 3 million Australians speak a language other than English at home.  As a result, Australia offers the familiarity of Western business culture with a workforce capable of operating in many different business environments.

Today, almost one in four of Australia’s estimated resident population of 22.6 million was born overseas. 

The quality of life enjoyed by people in Australia is one of the highest in the world.  Australia’s clean physical environment, health services, education and lifestyle combine to make it an attractive place to live.  Australia’s ancient indigenous traditions and multiculturalism are reflected in the diverse cultures and forms of artistic talent present in the country.