- Bachelor of Arts, University of New South Wales (2000)
- Bachelor of Laws, University of New South Wales (2003)
- Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, University of Technology Sydney (2005)
High Court of New Zealand – 2016
- Member of The Law Association (formerly Auckland District Law Society)
- Member of The Law Association Immigration & Refugee Law Committee
Elly has worked exclusively in the area of immigration law since her admission to practice in 2005. She has over 10 years’ Australian immigration industry experience and over seven years of experience in immigration law in New Zealand. She is extremely responsive, very easy to deal with and passionate about her work.
Known for her dedication and results driven approach, Elly has successfully assisted clients from all over the world to secure different types of visas.
Elly is passionate about untangling the complexities of immigration law for her clients while strategically guiding them to achieve their goals. Elly believes that listening to – and understanding – clients is the most important foundation upon which good immigration advice is built and is the key to helping clients to make either Australia or New Zealand their home.
Elly has presented at the following conferences:
- NZAMI Annual Conference, September 2023 on the topic of Developments in Australian Immigration Law
- ADLS CPD Webinar, May 2023 on the topic of Interplay between Criminal Law and Immigration Law
- NZAMI Annual Conference, October 2022 on the topic of Employer Accreditation and crossover with Employment Law
- NZAMI CPD Webinar, November 2022 on the topic Ethical Professional Conduct Issues in Practice
- LegalWise Immigration Conference, March 2022 on the topic of Immigration and the Interplay with Employment Law
- CCH Annual Immigration Conference June 2021 on reuniting partners during Covid-19 pandemic
Elly's articles have been published in the following media:
Elly has extensive experience in providing full, end-to-end assistance with residence applications under the Skilled Migrant, Residence from Work and Family categories. She is highly experienced in dealing with the often complex immigration policy requirements for these visa categories.
She also specialises in Employer Accreditation applications, Ministerial Intervention requests, preparation of responses to Potentially Prejudicial Letters, character and medical waivers, as well as deportation liability proceedings for residents and non-residents.
Another core area of practice for Elly is representing clients in their appeals to the Immigration & Protection Tribunal. Elly’s in depth knowledge of the Tribunal’s processes and procedures means that she can give her clients timely, practical and direct advice, particularly on their prospects of success.
She has been involved in a number of significant appeals against deportation liability in respect of clients who were unlawfully in New Zealand as well as concerning residence class visa holders.
Further Elly advises licensed immigration advisers facing disciplinary action or those in need of reviews of their written service agreements, procedures or processes to ensure compliance with the LIA Code of Conduct.
Elly has extensive experience in preparing immigration opinions as an expert witness in criminal proceedings addressing potential consequences of convictions on defendants’ abilities to remain or obtain visas in New Zealand and/or Australia in support of submissions for a discharge without conviction. She has also acted as an expert witness in employment related proceedings concerning migrant workers before the Employment Relations Authority.
Elly has assisted individuals in relation to the full range of Australian visas, including skilled migration, employer sponsored migration, family migration, distinguished talent, resident return, visitor and business skills visas as well as Australian citizenship matters.
She has advised corporations and individuals on complex technical issues regarding immigration visa eligibility as well as compliance obligations.
Elly has a particular interest and background in administrative law and merits review, allowing her to give pragmatic advice on matters such as challenging visa refusal decisions before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Elly advises licensed immigration advisers facing disciplinary action or those in need of reviews of their written service agreements, procedures or processes to ensure compliance with the LIA Code of Conduct.
She also assists licensed immigration advisers with complex visa application and Immigration & Protection Tribunal appeals, including where there is a potential or actual conflict of interest relating to their clients.
Elly has extensive experience in preparing immigration opinions as an expert witness in criminal proceedings addressing potential consequences of convictions on defendants’ abilities to remain or obtain visas in New Zealand and/or Australia in support of submissions for a discharge without conviction.
Elly has also acted as an expert witness in employment related proceedings concerning migrant workers before the Employment Relations Authority.