Melbourne Immigration Lawyers
Strategic immigration advice.
Solicitor-led.
Visa Plan Migration Lawyers provides expert immigration legal services for employers, skilled workers, families, and individuals navigating the Australian visa system. Every matter is handled by an admitted solicitor — not a migration agent.
Our Practice Areas
Expert legal advice across all Australian visa categories.
Employer Sponsored Visas
TSS, EN, and regional employer sponsored pathways for businesses and skilled workers.
Learn more →Skilled Visas
Points-tested pathways to permanent residence — state nominated and independent.
Learn more →Partner Visas
Onshore and offshore partner visa applications for married and de facto couples.
Learn more →Family Visas
Parent, child, and other family stream visas to reunite families in Australia.
Learn more →Visa Appeals
AAT representation and judicial review for visa refusals and cancellations.
Learn more →Labour Agreements
Industry-specific labour agreements for employers in designated sectors.
Learn more →DAMA
Designated Area Migration Agreements for regional employers and workers.
Learn more →Business Visas
Business Innovation, Investor, and Significant Investor visa pathways.
Learn more →Why an immigration lawyer — not a migration agent?
The difference is not just a title. It has legal consequences.
01
Solicitor obligations and accountability
James Bae is admitted as a solicitor under the Legal Profession Uniform Law. Solicitors are subject to professional conduct rules, mandatory insurance, and disciplinary oversight that registered migration agents are not. Your interests are protected by law.
02
Legal professional privilege
Advice given by a solicitor is protected by legal professional privilege. Communications with migration agents carry no such protection. In complex or sensitive matters, this distinction is material.
03
Litigation capability
When a visa is refused or cancelled, the matter may proceed to the AAT or to the Federal Court. Visa Plan appears at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Migration agents cannot represent you in court — solicitors can.
Principal Immigration Lawyer
James Bae
James Bae is the Managing Director and Principal Immigration Lawyer at Visa Plan Migration Lawyers. He is an admitted solicitor with over a decade of experience in Australian immigration law.
Before founding Visa Plan, James served as a Legal Adviser at Comcare — the Australian Government's workplace safety and compensation agency — where he represented the Commonwealth at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. That litigation background informs how Visa Plan approaches complex and high-stakes immigration matters.
James holds degrees in Commerce and Laws from the University of Sydney (2013) and was admitted to the legal profession in Queensland in 2014. He practises in English and Korean at a native level.
Admitted Solicitor
Queensland, 2014
University of Sydney
Commerce / Laws, 2013
Former Legal Adviser
Comcare (Australian Government)
Headshot photo
to be placed here