EOFY Sale - Get $250 off at checkout until 30 June 2026
Overview
The Migration Institute of Australia has been delivering the Immigration Essentials® for Lawyers (IEL) course since its inception in 2009.
The IEL is a comprehensive course designed for legal practitioners who want to provide high-quality immigration assistance. This program will give a complete overview of migration law, the most common visa classes/subclasses, and government policy and procedure.
The program will assist participants in navigating the maze of regulations, as well as understanding the visa application process, exceptional circumstances, skills assessment requirements and state sponsorship. Participants should gain greater confidence in dealing with migration cases and clients throughout the program.
Delivered by a leading team of Accredited Immigration Specialists and experienced practitioners, this course is the most comprehensive overview of immigration law and policy for lawyers in Australia.
Course Content
View course content
Topics
- Introduction to Migration Procedure and Visa Applications
- Family Visas including Partner & Parent Visas
- Fundamentals of General Skilled Migration
- Permanent Employer Sponsored Visas
- Temporary Employer Sponsored Visas
- Fundamentals of Labour Agreements
- Bridging Visas
- PIC 4020 and other ban period provisions
- Health Criteria
- Merits Review
- Visa Cancellations
- Unlawful Non-Citizens
- Ministerial Intervention
- Judicial Review
- Student Visas
Presenters
Learn about the presenters
Dr. Rodger Fernandez FMIA
Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law | Senior Lawyer | FCG Legal
Lachlan Riches LMMIA
B.Ec, LL.M
David Prince AFMIA
Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law | Principal Solicitor | Kinslor Prince Lawyers
Kerry Murphy LMMIA
Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law | Solicitor | D'Ambra Murphy Lawyers
Lena Hung MMIA
Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law | Principal Lawyer | Lena Hung and Associates
Sherene Ozyurek FMIA
Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law | Senior Lawyer | FCG Legal
Chris Johnston MMIA
Founder and Principal Solicitor | Work Visa Lawyers
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Sarah Frankel MMIA
Practice Leader | Estrin Saul Lawyers
James Hammond MMIA
Principal Lawyer | Hammond Migration
Jasmin Angel MMIA
Senior Associate | Estrin Saul Lawyers
Schedule
This course is delivered online over 8 weeks, running from 20 July to 7 September 2026.
Live session schedule:
- Mondays and Wednesdays, starting 20 July 2026
- 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (Sydney time)
- 1 session per day, each 2 hours in duration
Recordings:
All session recordings will be available until 6 October 2026.
Participation:
It is strongly recommended that cameras are turned on during the sessions. Your active presence through video will contribute to a more immersive learning experience.
Pre-requisites
This course is designed for anyone with an interest in immigration law. While no prior legal or immigration knowledge is required, it is most suitable for participants who meet one of the following:
- Hold a current Australian Legal Practising Certificate, or
- Be in the final year of an undergraduate law or Juris Doctor degree, or
- Have had practical work experience within immigration.
Pricing
listed show the discount applied.
EOFY Sale - Get $250 off at checkout if you register by 30 June 2026
Member : $1499 $1249
Non-member: $2199 $1949
Student: $999 $749
Note: It’s more cost-effective to become a member and register at the member rate than to register as a non-member.
Reviews
"The program assist me in navigating the maze of regulations, as well as understanding the visa application process, exceptional circumstances, skills assessment requirements and state sponsorship, and so on." - 2024
"High level insight into complex areas of migration law and practice relevant to my role, from excellent and very experienced presenters." - 2024
"Being shown aspects of the law, regulations and policy that made many things much clearer." - 2023
"An overview specifically addressed to legal practitioners ;Practical experience, case studies and insights provided by presenters ;Having both live sessions (for asking questions) and recordings (for review)." - 2023
"I was able to gain a lot of insights and quite a lot of practical tips from the presenters." - 2023
"The presenters were extremely knowledgeable, and offered a lot of insight and examples of how things actually happen in their experience." - 2022
"Materials are well prepared and updated." - 2022
"I found many useful things about the IEL program. Among the most important was the insight each presenter gave into their experiences working within the subject they were presenting on. I believe this provided strong, real-world examples to coincide with the course material and legislation being discussed in the lecture. Thank you to the MIA, as well as all of the facilitators, I really enjoyed the IEL program." - 2022
Dr Dickson Simeon MMIA
Solicitor
Opara & Singh Lawyers
"I took the course to learn from immigration practitioners with unparalleled experience in migration-related matters. Going through the MIA website for the IEL training programme, I noticed that most course facilitators are accredited migration lawyers from their respective law societies in Australia. This gave me much confidence in attending the IEL course.
The IEL programme was very insightful overall...I will put everything learned through the programme into my migration [law] journey.
I have already suggested the IEL programme to some of my colleagues in Opara & Singh Lawyers in Sydney that work in the migration space to attend the next IEL training session."
Aleksandra Rajcevic
BA(Politics and International Relations)/LLB
"I took the course to gain a comprehensive and fundamental understanding of migration law, policy and procedure. I found the material really useful and applicable to everyday practice and the presenters to be engaging and responsive to any queries. I’d definitely recommend the course to anyone starting out in the industry or those looking to top up or refresh their existing skills and knowledge."
Matthew Etherington
2019 Premier's Young Achiever of the Year (Tasmania)
"I dived into the Immigration Essentials for Lawyers Course because I’m deeply passionate about supporting migrants – upskilling myself and improving my ability to assist clients just makes sense.
I’ve found migration law intimidatingly complex, always changing and emotionally challenging. MIA have done a wonderful job of bringing together subject experts to present an engaging and comprehensive learning experience.
I now feel far better prepared to problem solve and think creatively and strategically about visa pathways. In my practice so far, I’ve found it a wonderful resource to broaden my understanding and identify all of the risks we have to manage. Highly recommend!"
Miyuru Weerakoon
Immigration Lawyer
Master of Laws, Master of Intellectual Property Law, LLB (Hons), GDLP
"I recently commenced my career as an immigration lawyer. I quickly realised the evolving and complex nature of immigration law due to constant changes in regulations and policy. Although I undertook the IEL course to gain a basic understanding of immigration law, it provided me a valuable practical insight into law, regulations, policy and procedure. Each topic of the course is taught by experts who are highly qualified and experienced in that particular area of immigration law. MIA provides comprehensive subject materials for each topic. I found the materials very useful as there are constant discussions of hypothetical scenarios we encounter in everyday practice. I highly recommend the course to the beginners and to anyone who is looking to refresh their knowledge in immigration law.”
Jenna Du Preez
Director, Principal Solicitor
"...I undertook some self-study and found migration law so overwhelming. I decided to enrol in the IEL, and I cannot recommend it enough. It really gave an excellent overview of the laws, and it provided me with very valuable resources and guidance. I even met a few wonderful people out of the course. I feel more confident in my ability to provide immigration legal assistance and will use all of the information I’ve learnt going forward."
Continuing Professional Development
Registered Migration Agents
20 CPD | Category B
RMAs must attend for the full duration in order to obtain CPD points.
Legal Practitioners
2 CPD in Professional Skills and 28 CPD in Substantive Law
Legal practitioners are eligible to earn points for this CPD. The MIA is an approved QA Provider of CPD for the Legal Profession in Western Australia.
Other Information
Resources
You will need access to a computer or laptop with a reliable internet connection and speakers. For group discussion, you may also require a microphone and/or video. Earphones with a microphone that come standard with many mobile phones may be suitable.
Please join this test meeting to check your internet, speakers and microphone prior to registering.
Recording Disclosure
This online event may be recorded. By registering and logging on to the event, the participant agrees to the following:
- Personally identifiable information of participants may be heard, seen, read, collected, or used by the MIA as the organiser and the other online seminar participants;
- Any communication or information transmitted during the online seminar, such as voice, instant messages, or presentations are available to and may be recorded and further used by the MIA as the organiser.
For further information, please call 02 9249 9000 or email [email protected].
Our terms and conditions can be accessed here.