Immigration Lawyers NSW | VIC | QLD | ACT | SA | WA
Melissa Vincenty
Founder and Managing Director
US Attorney
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.
Clare Hanusz
Attorney & Founder of
Aloha Immigration
Interesting fact: In case you aren’t sure how to pronounce Clare’s last name: “Hanusz” rhymes with Janis. Like Janis Joplin.
Clare Hanusz founded Aloha Immigration in June 2017, after working with the Immigration Practice Group at Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert in an Of Counsel affiliation since October 2013.
Clare has represented hundreds of individuals before the immigration court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She has assisted clients with naturalization, adjustment of status (“Green Cards”), U visas (for immigrant victims of certain serious crimes) and T visas for victims of human trafficking, as well as consular processing, waivers of inadmissibility, asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, employment based and religious worker visas and options for immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
Clare is the recent past Chair of the Hawaii Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and has served as local AILA liaison to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and as co-chair for the Advocacy Committee. She is also a member of the National Lawyers Guild’s National Immigration Project and a founding member of the Hawaii Coalition for Immigration Rights and the Hawaii Coalition for Civil Rights. She has partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union to litigate cutting-edge motions to suppress in immigration court and serves on the ACLU of Hawaii Litigation Committee. She has written on immigration issues for the Hawaii State Bar Association, AILA, and local publications, and has spoken locally and a nationwide. She has been featured in local, national and international news.
Clare lives in Honolulu with her husband Nevi, a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and two children. Public school advocacy is another of Clare’s passions and she currently serves on the board of Parents for Public Schools-Hawaii.
Jeremy Weber
Senior US Attorney, Immigration and Tax
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. He has extensive experience with immigration cases handled by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of State Consulates and Embassies throughout Australia and Southeast Asia, as well as the National Visa Center.
Jeremy is a founding member and past Chair for the Bangkok District Chapter of American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). He also has served as a member of the 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 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 is an expat, previously working for a law firm in Bangkok, Thailand. He has travelled throughout Asia including Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, and Philippines.
He enjoys living abroad and his favorite place to spend free time is either in the mountains, a nod to his time growing up in Seattle, WA, or the beach, which he has loved since living in Southern California.
Jeremy enjoys running, mountain biking, and hiking here in Australia, and also enjoys cooking and especially loves cooking Thai food with his Thai partner Fah.
Sherry Nohara
Senior Attorney
Interesting fact: When she has free time, Sherry enjoys cooking and watching mystery/suspense movies. She is a Golden State Warriors fan.
Sherry has practised immigration law for over 20 years. She returned to private law practice in 2020, after 18 years of legal public service with the Principal Legal Advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its San Francisco and Honolulu offices. While at DHS, Sherry trained attorneys, deportation officers, and special agents on subjects including U.S. citizenship; I-9 compliance; customs law; the Fourth Amendment; mental competency in removal proceedings; and criminal grounds of removability.
She has collaborated with the United States Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement on a variety of task forces and issues relating to immigration. She also received a Director’s Award in 2015 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 graduated 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.
Rachel Zer
Australian Migration Agent and
US Immigration Paralegal
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 and Legal Assistant
Originally from California, Jamie spent a year as a high school exchange student in regional Australia.
At university Jamie studied cultural anthropology which took him to Nepal.
He spent several years working in Japan.
In 2012, he migrated to Australia with his family.
He enjoys spending time with his family and their dog.
Jennifer Barrett
Chief Phone Officer (CPO)
Interesting fact: I have spent the last 18 years teaching art at the same school in Brooklyn, NY. I know a thing or two about teenagers. I’m also an expert in parallel parking in both the northern and southern hemispheres. 2 moves!
Jennifer developed a great deal of empathy for people going through the migration process of gathering all the right documentation and getting the timing just right, having been through it twice herself.
Jennifer sought the assistance of the Worldwide Migration Partners team to migrate to both the US and Australia at different points and thus was a perfect candidate to join our growing team as CPO in June 2021.
When you call us, you'll most likely speak to Jennifer first. "What I love most about the job is that everyone has a unique story, as well as a different timeline and purpose for travel. I love helping people who are in the beginning stages of their journey learn about their options, and together, finding creative solutions."
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 and Case Assistant
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 graduated with an associate degree in Criminal Justice from the Northern Marianas College. She then worked as a paralegal at an immigration law firm in Saipan for four years specialising in family and employment-based immigration.
In January 2022, Kassie moved to Las Vegas, Nevada after living on Saipan her whole life and started working with Worldwide Migration Partners in February 2022.
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
Administrative 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
Senior Administration Leader
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
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.