Immigration Lawyers NSW | VIC | QLD | ACT | SA | WA
Melissa Vincenty
Managing Director
Senior US Attorney
Registered Australian Migration Agent
Interesting fact: Melissa was the first legal clerk for the Supreme Court of the Tibetan Government in Exile in McLeod Ganj, India in 1998.
Melissa has practiced US immigration law in both Hawaii and Australia. Her qualifications are extensive, having graduated from William S Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii, as well as earning a Graduate Certificate in Migration Law from Australia National University.
With over 20 years of experience in migration law, Melissa has worked for numerous law firms, including the world’s largest US immigration firm, and has also owned her own practice for many years.
She has spent a large portion of her career representing victims of human trafficking rings and was actively involved in refugee matters having served as a Country Specialist (China and Tibet) for Amnesty International USA for more than 15 years.
Melissa was originally from Cleveland, Ohio before relocating to Dusseldorf, Germany at seventeen years of age and then backpacking throughout Europe.
A change in career prompted Melissa to move to California where she attended World College West, which took her to China in 1988. Melissa met her husband, Jamie, at that time and they planned to continue travelling the world, but were seduced into teaching English in Tokyo for several years. They eventually returned to the US, married, and spent 16 years in Hawaii. Having the travel bug bite them once again, they relocated to Sydney with their son in 2012 and are currently enjoying the sea change of the Central Coast.
Jeremy Weber
Lead Attorney - Consular
Senior Attorney
Interesting fact: Jeremy has been a speaker both at Bangkok District Chapter and national AILA conferences.
Jeremy earned his BA in Political Science from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey and then went on to study law at the University of Kentucky College of Law in Lexington, Kentucky. He has extensive experience with immigration cases handled by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of State Consulates and Embassies throughout Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, as well as the National Visa Center (NVC) and the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC).
Jeremy is a founding member and past Chair for the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). He also has served as a member of the AILA Board of Governors and on the AILA USCIS International Operations Liaison Committee. Currently, he serves on the AILA USCIS Headquarters Liaison Committee working with policy issues that affect the receipt, processing, and adjudication of applications and petitions for immigration benefits.
He is a frequent presenter at AILA chapter and national events related to consular processing issues, nonimmigrant, and immigrant visas including:
- “Understanding the New Public Charge Rule: Key Concepts and Strategic Considerations,” AILA Web Seminar, (January 2023)
- “ALOHA! Consular Processing Updates,” AILA Fall Conference 2022, Maui, HI (September 2022)
- “Professional NIVs: An In-Depth Look at the H-1B and Its Alternatives,” AILA Annual Conference 2022, New York, NY (June 2022)
- “Nonimmigrant Visa Consular Processing 101,” AILA Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual June 2021)
- “Seeking Discretionary Benefits in the Time of COVID-19” AILA University Video Roundtable (October 2020).
- “Hot Topics from the USCIS HQ Committee: What Happens Now with Public Charge?” AILA University Video Roundtable (November 2019 and March 2020).
- “The Ins and Outs of Criminal Inadmissibility and Waiver Practice in Consular Processing,” 2019 AILA Asia Pacific Chapter Conference, Bangkok, Thailand (February-March 2019).
- “Family Immigration 101,” AILA Annual Conference 2017. New Orleans, LA (June 2017)
- Immigration, U.S. Citizenship, and U.S. Taxation – Helping Your Clients Navigate Taxation’s Treacherous Global Waters,” AILA Asia Pacific Chapter 4th Annual Consular Processing Conference, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (February 2016)
- “Rules of the Game, No Low Blows: Ethics of Consular Practice and Practicing Abroad,” AILA Asia Pacific Chapter 3rd Annual Conference, Manila, Philippines (March 2015)
- “Dealing with Denial: When No Means No,” AILA Asia Pacific Chapter HCMC Conference, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (March 2013)
He is very devoted to the work of AILA in advocating for just, fair, and reasonable immigration law and policy, and strengthening the practice of immigration law within its members.
Jeremy previously worked for a law firm in Bangkok, Thailand before joining Worldwide Migration Partners. He has travelled throughout Asia-Pacific including New Zealand, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, and India.
He lives in regional Queensland on the Darling Downs in Toowoomba after spending several years in Sydney. His favorite place to spend free time is exploring the mountains, rainforest, and beaches of Australia. He also enjoys cooking and especially loves cooking Thai food with his Thai partner Fah.
Sherry Nohara
Lead Attorney – USCIS
Senior Attorney
Interesting fact: While known to sometimes do more harm than good to plants, Sherry once grew a hollyhock that was almost 15 feet tall!
Sherry has practiced immigration law for over 20 years, with an emphasis in the areas of family-based immigration; citizenship and nationality; I-9 compliance; criminal grounds of removability; and removal defense before the Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals. Prior to private practice, Sherry spent 18 years in public service with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in San Francisco and Honolulu. In 2015, she received a Director’s Award from Sarah Saldaña, former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Barack Obama. In 2018, she earned the designation of Global Mobility Specialist with the Worldwide Employee Relocation Council. Sherry is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sherry also spent two years of her childhood in Kona, Hawaii. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1993, where she majored in Economics and minored in Spanish, and UC College of the Law, San Francisco in 1996. She is conversational in Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys gardening; volunteering with her son’s Boy Scouts troop; and watching Dub Nation basketball.
Sherry’s published cases include:
Matter of Valenzuela Gallardo, 25 I&N Dec. (BIA 2012) (successfully arguing that accessory to a felony is an aggravated felony conviction under Section 101(a)(43)(S) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended).
United States v. Hartmann Studios, Inc. 11 OCAHO no. 1255 (July 15, 2015) (prosecution against a large events-planning company in the Bay Area for I-9 violations, resulting in a $600,000 fine).
Rachel Zer
Associate Manager
Registered Australian Migration Agent
Interesting fact: I speak, read and write Hebrew fluently. I have two children aged 3 and 4 keeping me busy! When I’m not doing Immigration work, you’ll most likely find me in the kitchen baking up a storm!
In 2008, Rachel met her now-husband whilst he was backpacking through Australia. The pair ended up engaging an Australian Migration Agent in order to seek out options of living together in Australia as a couple. Rachel realised that helping people travel and/or relocate across the globe is not only about having a good understanding of the law, it’s also about being equally compassionate, understanding and making the process as seamless as possible.
In 2010 Rachel completed her Certificate in Immigration Law and became a Registered Australian Migration Agent. Rachel joined the Worldwide Migration Partners team as an Australian migration agent in July 2021.
"Being that US Immigration is such a niche area of law here in Australia, I would say that I love being part of a firm that specialises in both Australian and US Immigration. The team is comprised of sharp, quirky, funny, warm and welcoming individuals which makes coming to work every day a real pleasure!"
Jamie Mather
Operations Manager
Interesting fact: I was in a bank when it was being robbed and I didn’t even notice! I was even next in line. I was not being nosey to a fault. I pay better attention now.
Originally from southern California, Jamie spent a year as a high school exchange student in regional Australia.
At university, Jamie studied cultural anthropology which allowed him to live and study in Nepal for 6 months with two wonderful host-families. One family was in Kathmandu and the other was on the side of a mountain 10 hours walk from the nearest road. Sadly, in 2015 that village was abandoned after the devasting earthquake.
He then spent several years teaching English in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2012, after 16 years in Hawaii, he migrated to Australia with his family.
He enjoys spending time with his family and their dog.
Lori Musicer
Senior Paralegal
Interesting fact: Lori has seen her favorite band, Pearl Jam, at least 15 times in concert. She estimates that she has attended around 400 concerts in her lifetime. (Tickets used to cost $20.)
Lori Musicer is a dedicated U.S. immigration paralegal with 15 years of experience in the field, having worked at several immigration law firms in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communications from the University of Oregon.
In 2012, when same-sex marriages still were not federally recognized in the U.S. under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Lori played an instrumental role in a nationwide pro bono legal services and advocacy campaign fighting for equality at the intersection of LGBTQ+ rights and immigration. In June 2013, DOMA was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, and Lori spent the next two years working with hundreds of same-sex couples who were able to apply for permanent residence (green cards) and fiancé(e) visas for the first time in U.S. history.
Lori has been serving the local immigrant communities in Hawaii since 2017, and is honored to continue to do so remotely since relocating back to Los Angeles.
Kassie Takai
Paralegal
Meet our Paralegal and Case Assistant, Kassie Takai. Kassie was born and raised on Saipan, which is part of a chain of islands called the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands.
Kassie loves coffee, reading, and spending time with her family.
An interesting fact? She lived and grew up on a farm and really loves animals, which initially made her want to become a veterinarian before deciding to study Criminal Justice.
Heather Nelson
Case Assistant
Interesting fact: Heather loves animals and is working towards adopting a wild mustang to support the Bureau of Land Management’s range rehabilitation program.
Heather grew up outside of San Francisco, California, and loves to travel. She has lived in Italy, the UK, New Zealand and Australia. She met her husband while working in London after graduating with a degree in International Security and Conflict Resolution from San Diego State University, studying topics such as International Law, humanitarian crises, nuclear weapons treaties, and the global security challenges of a changing climate.
Heather now lives in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near beautiful Lake Tahoe and loves books, coffee, gardening, studying new languages, and hiking with her family. Over the past twenty years she has worked in the fashion industry as a costume designer and small business owner, and has also worked in the Finance, Mining, Equine, Legal and Insurance industries.
Jenny Peters
Client Services
Jenny earned her BA in Public Relations from the University of Madras, India, and then went on to take up a temporary job with the British High Commission, Chennai during the visit of the Royal Yacht to India. She then moved on to a full-time position with the visa section and the Commercial Section. In 2000 Jenny immigrated from India to New Zealand and has been working with the U.S. Consulate General, Auckland New Zealand for more than 18 years as the Supervisor for the non-immigrant visa section and was also the Anti-Fraud Assistant for the Consular Section. She moved to Melbourne end of October 2020 to be closer to family.
Prior to joining Worldwide Migration Partners, she worked for the Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Melbourne. Being an immigrant herself, she knows the hurdles one must cross. From that experience, she was empathetic to new immigrants and offered assistance for re-settling in their new home.
Besides working with Worldwide Migration Partners, she does volunteer work with the local church. She loves cooking and her greatest satisfaction is putting out a big spread to see family and friends enjoy the home-cooked dishes.
Amber Halverson
Registered Australian Migration Agent
Interesting fact:
Originally from Newcastle, Amber now lives on the NSW Central Coast and enjoys reading, swimming, visiting friends and family, and practicing yoga.
Amber is a qualified Australian Migration Agent, having first been registered in 2016.
Amber has been working in immigration since 2012, and originally began as a secretary at a law firm in Newcastle whilst completing her Bachelor of Business. This sparked her passion for migration and after having completed her Bachelor in 2015, she applied to study a Graduate Certificate in Migration Law.
Amber's experience varies across numerous Australian visa sub-classes, including employer sponsored, general skilled migration, partner, parent, tourist and citizenship applications.
