Presenters

Ray Turner, Principal, Ray Turner Immigration Lawyers
Ray Turner is an accredited specialist in immigration law and has been a registered migration agent since 1992. He has been recently recognised by the Law Society of New South Wales for 20 years of service, advising and acting clients as one of Australia's top migration law practitioners. Ray was a founding partner of Turner Coulson but now has stepped down as Immigration Lawyer Sydney Principal Solicitor / Director and enjoys a more relaxed approach consulting on a case-by-case basis thereby allowing him to focus his energy and legal skills on the best outcome for his clients. Ray has advocated throughout his career for both Government and private clients in all Courts and tribunals and is regularly appointed by the Federal Courts, due to his level of skill and expertise, to act for unrepresented clients appearing before the Courts. When immigration matters become complex, Ray is the person other migration agents and solicitors to turn to for advice. Ray has significant experience in all areas of Australian migration law and particularly in business/investor visas, general skilled migration, spouse/family visas, refugee applications, character issues, detention/deportation and visa cancellations. Ray has previously worked in the Commonwealth Departments of Primary Industry and Health and the Australian Customs Service. In each of these Departments, Ray represented the various Ministers and other statutory office holders in the Federal Courts and Administrative Appeals Tribunal.


Ms. Rose Dimitrious, Special Counsel, Holding Redlich
Rose is a Special Counsel in our Workplace Relations & Safety group specialising in employment and industrial relations. Rose’s practice covers all aspects of the employment relationship, including employee misconduct, managing underperforming employees, advising on Award coverage issues, advising on employment entitlements, drafting employment agreements and policies, drafting executive agreements, contract disputes, defamation matters, anti-discrimination, professional misconduct defence, workers’ compensation and managing discipline and dismissal. Rose has an extensive contract law background, and advises on employment contract and policy strategy. She has experience in complex front-end matters, drafting employment agreements, contractor agreements, policies and bespoke arrangements. Rose is experienced in advising a range of clients, including large, medium and small enterprises, as well as Government.


Ms. Elizabeth Le, Director, Ernst and Young
Elizabeth Le is a Director in EY’s People Advisory Services practice based in Brisbane. Elizabeth has over 15 years’ experience in all aspects of Australian immigration law and practice, assisting multinational corporation and individuals with their immigration needs across a range of industries, including but not limited to Mining, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, and Aviation. As a child of refugees who escaped the Vietnam War in 1979, Elizabeth recognises how life changing an immigration journey can be, and through her human-centric approach, Elizabeth brings value to her clients through her experience and passion for immigration law. While Elizabeth’s experience is broad, her particular area of focus is employer-sponsored migration, working with small employers to large global employers. Elizabeth’s experience spans across Australian immigration law, policy and practice and includes: • Development of strategic global immigration solutions to support employers to deploy their workforce across borders and attracting and retaining skilled foreign talent • Strategic immigration planning and compliance advice for complex mobile workforces • Advice on the design and implementation of operational efficiencies for global immigration programs • Advice on a wide range of immigration solutions involving home and host jurisdictions • Developing immigration compliance and risk management strategies • Through an EY network in over 150 locations across the world, connects companies globally and manages global immigration programs. Elizabeth is holds a Bachelor of Arts (University of Queensland), Bachelor of Laws (University of Queensland) and Master of Business Administration (Macquarie Business School) and is a Legal Practitioner, admitted to the Supreme Court of QLD and High Court of Australia. She is a member of QLD Law Society, Migration Institute of Australia and Institute of Chartered Accountants. In her down time, Elizabeth enjoys time with family and friends, especially over a delicious meal.


Kathryn Viegas, Director, Nomos Pty Ltd
Kathryn Viegas is a Director and Principal Solicitor of Nomos Legal, a boutique immigration law firm in Sydney. Kathryn holds degrees in Psychology and Law from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University. In 2006, she was awarded a Master of Laws degree from the University of Sydney. She has practised immigration law since 2003 and is an Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law. Since 2018, she has been included annually on the ‘Best Lawyers’ list for Australia as published in the Australian Financial Review. Kathryn commenced her career at the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre and established her own practice in 2005, which she ran for eight years. In 2016, she co-founded Nomos. Since 2007, she has presented continuing education programmes for lawyers and other professionals through the College of Law, the Law Society of NSW and other professional associations. She currently teaches the Graduate Diploma in Migration Law program at Victoria University. Kathryn is the current President of the Management Committee of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre, a specialist community legal centre that provides free legal advice and assistance to vulnerable migrants and refugees. She is also the co-founder of The TLR Foundation and a Director of the Centre for Women’s Economic Safety. She sits on the Specialist Accreditation Immigration Law Advisory Committee in NSW and is a member of the UNSW Law & Justice Advisory Council.


Rita Chowdhury, Principal, Integrate Legal
Rita Chowdhury is an award-winning immigration laywer. Rita is the Principal of Integrate Legal and has over 20 years of immigration experience. Rita was awarded the inaugural Lawyers Weekly 2016 Partner of the Year Award in the Migration category and has been recognised by Who's Who Legal in both the global immigration lawyer and Australian lawyer categories. Rita is a Fellow of the Migration Institute of Australia ("MIA") and an MIA accredited educator. Rita has led immigration practices at a large international commercial law firm, a big four accounting firm, and an international private client law firm. Since establishing her own boutique corporate immigration practice, Rita has become a sought after and highly regarded Australian immigration advisor. Rita's clients range from entrepreneurs and small businesses to large multinational companies. Rita is known locally and globally, for her responsiveness, high quality client service and technical knowledge. Rita has been published by leading legal publishing houses including Lexis Nexis, Thompson Reuters and CCH.


Ms. Lillian Ajuria, Partner, Ajuria Lawyers
Lillian Ajuria is an Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law and has practised almost exclusively in this field for over 18 years. A partner at Ajuria Lawyers the firm has become a leading practice in the field of Immigration Law with a strong focus on the corporate and entertainment sectors. Lillian was formerly the NSW Vice-President of the Migration Institute of Australia and a board member of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre (IARC). She is also on the Accredited Specialist Examination Board of the Law Society and is a frequent presenter on Immigration Law in Australia and internationally. Lillian has been included on the Best Lawyers List of Australia for 15 consecutive years since 2009 and is in Doyle’s Guide’s list of Leading Immigration Lawyers in NSW as well as the Who is Who Legal. A fluent Spanish speaker, Lillian is the former National President of the 'Official Australian-Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry' and was awarded a Civil Merit Medal by the King of Spain in 2017.