Australian Presence Legal launches migration strategic advisory services in Sri Lanka

Australian Presence Legal (APL), an established full- service commercial and immigration law firm based in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, is set to continue the expansion of its consultancy services to provide face to face consultations in Sri Lanka, to meet the growing need for skilled migrants in Australia. These advisory services will be available in January 2019 for Sri Lankans interested in relocating to Australia, the company said in a media statement on Thursday.

As a top migration destination of choice, Australia has received tens of thousands of visa applications in 2017 alone. Owing to the complexities of the laws and procedures surrounding Australian migration, a significant proportion of these applications are requisitioned, or refused.

Having successfully delivered faceto-face consultancy services in South Africa in November 2018, APL is seeking to include Sri Lanka in its expanding global footprint in early January. By doing so, APL intends to provide both individuals and companies in Sri Lanka with access to experienced Australian lawyers who have a strong commitment to providing independent and trusted legal advice, the company said.

APL is headed by Managing Director, Maya Nanayakkara, who has a distinguished legal career spanning over 40 years, having practised law in both Sri Lanka and Australia. Ms. Nanayakkara has provided advice to both government and private sectors, and has served as legal counsel to a sitting Prime Minister.

Leading the team delivering migration advice in Sri Lanka, is Tamsin Johnston who is a senior lawyer, licensed to practice law in both Australia and South Africa, and is additionally an Australian Registered Migration Agent and a Director of APL.

Ms. Johnson is primarily responsible for the commercial, employment and immigration divisions within the firm.

APL says it currently represents an “admirable clientele” of government departments, multinational companies, as well as successful stock exchange-listed businesses in the commercial and immigration space, all of whom require high calibre legal counsel.

“Given the Sri Lankan background of our Managing Director, Maya, we are particularly excited to be ‘coming back home’,” said Ms. Johnston from her Sydney office. “The Sri Lankan diaspora is widely recognised as having made major contributions to Australia socially, culturally and economically, and has enriched the constantly developing Australian experience. We in turn understand that migration to Australia is extremely appealing to Sri Lankans, and we are certain that our legal team has the professional capacity and expertise to smoothen and add credibility to an otherwise daunting process.”