Registered Migration Agents Brisbane

Heenan & Browne are registered migration agents operating in Brisbane with a national practice spanning Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns. Our Brisbane office handles the full spectrum of Australian visa matters starting from employer-sponsored skilled migration and Queensland state nomination through to partner visas, visa refusals and Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) reviews.

Migration is not a single transaction. Decisions made at the start of a visa pathway can affect eligibility for permanent residency two or three years later. Every client who engages Heenan & Browne receives advice that accounts for those downstream consequences, not just the immediate application.

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Visa Services Available in Brisbane

Heenan & Browne's Brisbane practice covers all major visa categories across employer-sponsored migration, general skilled migration, family and partner visas, and complex matters including visa refusals and ART reviews.

Employer-Sponsored Visas

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) replaced the former TSS visa in December 2024 and introduced a three-stream framework — Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement.

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Queensland State Nomination

Queensland's 2025–26 program offers 2,600 places — 1,850 for the subclass 190 and 750 for the subclass 491. State nomination adds 5–15 points to your SkillSelect score.

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Partner & Family Visas

Partner visa applications are among the most evidence-intensive in the Australian system. An onshore applicant lodges for the temporary subclass 820 first, with the permanent subclass 801 assessed after approximately two years.

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Reviews & Appeals

When a visa application is refused or cancelled, the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) — which replaced the AAT on 14 October 2024 — has jurisdiction to review certain decisions.

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Who Heenan & Browne Helps in Brisbane

Skilled workers already in Australia on temporary employer-sponsored or other visas who need advice on their pathway to permanent residency — and on whether their current arrangement is structured to support that transition.

Employers in Brisbane and South East Queensland sponsoring workers through the subclass 482, 186 or 494 programs, or seeking advice on standard business sponsorship approval and ongoing sponsor obligations.

Points-tested skilled migrants assessing their eligibility for Queensland state nomination and wanting confirmation that their EOI, skills assessment and employment evidence are correctly aligned before lodging.

Partners of Australian citizens and permanent residents navigating a visa pathway that requires careful evidence preparation across financial records, social documentation and proof of genuine ongoing relationship.

People facing a visa refusal or cancellation who need to understand their review rights, the timeframes that apply, and the evidence required to mount an effective ART application.

Why Heenan & Browne for Brisbane Migration Matters

QUALIFICATION

Graduate Certificate in Migration Law — Australian National University

REGISTRATION

Registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA)

MEMBERSHIP

Migration Institute of Australia

LOCATION

Level 6, 200 Adelaide Street, Brisbane. Consultations available by phone or video for clients across Queensland and Australia.

The practice specialises exclusively in Australian immigration law — no other areas of law, no generalist practice.

That specialisation matters most in complex matters. A case officer assesses an application against the legislative criteria; an experienced registered migration agent assesses it against those criteria and against the likely downstream consequences for the applicant's future options. These are different considerations.

"A case officer assesses an application against the legislative criteria. An experienced registered migration agent assesses it against those criteria and against the likely downstream consequences for the applicant's future options. These are different considerations."

Frequently Asked Questions — Brisbane Migration Matters

No. Many clients engage Heenan & Browne remotely from across Queensland and Australia. The Brisbane office handles matters for clients regardless of their physical location, including those located offshore at the time of application. Consultations can be conducted by phone or video.
The most important question is whether your occupation is on the Core Skills Occupation List and whether your salary meets the applicable income threshold — currently the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), indexed annually from July. You should also confirm whether your occupation would allow you to transition to permanent residency through the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme once you meet the employment duration requirements. Not all sponsored occupations carry a clear permanent residency pathway. Obtaining advice before accepting a sponsorship arrangement can prevent complications that may take years to resolve.
Queensland state nomination provides 5 additional points for a subclass 190 application or 15 additional points for a subclass 491 application. For applicants whose points score places them in the invitation pool but not at a competitive level, those additional points can be the difference between receiving an invitation and waiting indefinitely. Queensland nomination also carries obligations — subclass 491 holders are required to live and work in a designated regional area for three years before being eligible for the permanent subclass 191 visa.
Many refusal decisions made under the Migration Act 1958 can be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). Whether review rights apply depends on the visa subclass and the circumstances of the refusal. There are strict time limits for lodging a review application — 28 days for most decisions where the applicant is in Australia, with shorter timeframes applying in certain circumstances (including character-related cancellations and cases involving immigration detention). Offshore review deadlines vary by decision type. Missing the lodgement deadline extinguishes the right to review. If you have received a refusal decision, obtaining advice about your review rights as quickly as possible is important.
Processing times for partner visas vary significantly and are not guaranteed. As a general guide, the temporary subclass 820 or 309 stage often takes more than a year to process, and the permanent stage (subclass 801 or 100) is assessed after approximately two years from the date the original application was lodged, provided the relationship remains genuine. Processing times are published by the Department of Home Affairs and are updated regularly — always check current figures rather than relying on timeframes quoted informally.
A registered migration agent is regulated by OMARA under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct. An immigration lawyer is an Australian legal practitioner who can provide immigration assistance as part of their legal practice. Both are authorised under Australian law to provide immigration assistance and represent clients before the Department of Home Affairs and the ART. Heenan & Browne are registered migration agents — not immigration lawyers — and provide advice exclusively within the scope of Australian migration law.

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Address

Level 2 / 200 Adelaide Street
BRISBANE QLD 4000
AUSTRALIA

PO Box 6276
O'CONNOR, ACT 2612
AUSTRALIA

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ABOUT US

We offer comprehensive immigration and citizenship services to both businesses and individuals. All our cases are handled by Registered Migration Agents, each one dedicated to taking the worry, stress and confusion out of your visa journey to Australia.

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Offices around Australia

Canberra (CBR)

By Appointment: City Executive Suites, Level 1, 88-96 Bunda Street Canberra City ACT 2601

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Sydney (SYD)

By Appointment: Level 1, 223 Liverpool Street Darlinghurst NSW 2010

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Melbourne (MEL)

By Appointment: Level 2/696 Bourke Street Melbourne. VIC 3000

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Cairns (CNS)

By Appointment: Art Work Spaces 36 Abbott St, Cairns City QLD 4870

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Brisbane (BNE)

By Appointment: Level 6/200 Adelaide Street Brisbane QLD 4000

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