My Australian journey is not a perfect path but it built me as the person that I am right now.
I first visited Australia in 1998 when my mother was a holder of Visitor Visa (Business Stream) and our whole family travelled with her every time she went to Australia. As my mother operated a business in Australia, my mother and father bought a house in Brisbane in 1999 which also became our holiday home when we visited Australia. This motivated my father for our family to migrate to Australia as quality of life in the ‘land down under’ has been considered as a paradise for Filipinos.
In 2000, my parents met this person in Sydney and offered his assistance to our family to obtain a business visa in Australia. After completing high school in the Philippines, my father persuaded me to study in Australia as we have a home in Brisbane. I then followed my father’s advice as I already experienced the beauty of Australia when I was visiting Australia for holidays.
Unfortunately, the person in Sydney that was assisting my parents in their attempt to
migrate to Australia was not a Registered Migration Agent or a Migration Lawyer. This person in Sydney applied a Visitor Visa for me to study in Australia which followed by numerous Bridging Visas so I could stay and study in Australia. This person in Sydney even went to the Philippines (all expenses paid by my parents) to discuss the best visa option for my family.
As advised by this person in Sydney to my parents, my parents applied for business visa which was refused as my mother’s business did not meet the requirements for business visa. I had sleepless nights in Australia thinking if I would get deported. My family also lost a significant amount of money in this business visa application which led to nowhere.
By God’s good grace, my parents met this Migration Lawyer in Canberra and advised that the best option for me is to study Accounting on a Student Visa. My parents then followed the lawyer’s instructions and I applied for Student visa.
Fast forward, I have been living in Australia with my loving wife and three wonderful kids. I have been practising migration since 2012 and I do not want other people to experience what I’ve been through. Most importantly, I want to be a small part of other’s Australian journey.
Profile
Rey Aquino
Registered Migration Agent: MARN 1279638
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor in Business (Major in Accounting)
Graduate Diploma in Migration Law and Practice
Admitted to the Supreme Court Role of Queensland legal practitioners
Rey has been practising migration law since 2012. In addition, Rey is also admitted to practice as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland. Now focusing on migration law, Rey is registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARN: 1279638).
As Rey has been practising migration law since 2012, Rey has been an expert in all aspect of the migration law framework. From Australian visas, Australian citizenships or Tribunal appeals, Rey’s knowledge in migration law can be heavily trusted and depended on.
In Rey’s spare time, Rey enjoys watching basketball games in NBA, US-NCAA and the local Australian league ‘NBL’. Rey also loves fishing with his kids and listening to 1990s music.