About Us
Solicitors and registered migration agents who ‘get’ your global hiring challenges
Get straightforward advice and genuine support from our registered migration agents, for seamless migrations, compliance with immigration law, and efficient global recruitment.
Amanda Tinner
Director
Registered Migration Agent No. 0325139
One of Australia’s most knowledgeable and reputable visa and immigration experts, Amanda leads a national team of migration agents and solicitors that help clients bring talented employees into Australia through effective visas and migration law compliance.
With more than 20 years’ experience in immigration, Amanda is a tenacious and values-driven company owner who models a consultative client service approach. She launched Visa Executive in 2005 and oversaw its evolution to a registered law firm in 2021.
Amanda began her career with the Department of Immigration at the Australian High Commission in London, then progressed to various research and consulting roles focused on business migration, immigration law, and global relocation services.
She’s a registered migration agent, has a Bachelor of Arts, and has received industry plaudits including being awarded a prestigious Migration Institute of Australia fellowship and being nominated for a Global Mobility Professional of the Year award.
Sarah Loch-Wilkinson
Director - Solicitor
Legal Practitioner Number 5511120
Member of the Immigration Law Advisory Committee – Law Institute of Victoria
Sarah is an experienced immigration lawyer accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as a specialist in Immigration Law. She is a dynamic problem-solver with a record of success in securing employer sponsored and global talent visas, addressing complex migration issues, and providing easy-to-follow strategy and compliance advice. With 15 years of immigration law experience in boutique and large law firms, her current focus is on corporate and general skilled migration across all industries as a Director of Visa Executive.
Sarah has excellent legal drafting skills and extensive experience handling complex immigration matters such as negotiation of labour agreements, difficult health and character cases, and requests for ministerial intervention. She is a skilled mentor and presenter, with highly developed client service skills. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University and is admitted to NSW Supreme Court and High Court of Australia, registered to practice in Victoria.
William Heselton
Registered Migration Agent No. 0639276
A confident and common-sense approach enables William to skillfully manage immigration matters for corporate and individual clients. William’s honesty, attention-to-detail, and instinct for finding practical solutions makes it easier for clients to navigate the complex and ever-changing global migration landscape.
A Registered Migration Agent, William spent more than seven years working as a senior associate in a global law firm with day-to-day responsibility for managing immigration law cases across all visa subclasses. Since 2020, William has provided specialist immigration advice and visa application assistance as a valued member of the Visa Executive team.
His impressive background includes roles managing immigration services and providing high-level eligibility, planning, legal and compliance advice as an executive with two of the ‘big four’ global professional services firms. William has particular expertise in company sponsored, independent skilled and family migration, and a wide range of temporary residence visa categories.
Sheelagh Blanckenberg
Registered Migration Agent No. 0100161
Accomplished and commercially savvy, Sheelagh has held senior roles leading onshore and offshore immigration initiatives to help companies — ranging from SMEs and startups through to global corporations — leverage skilled foreign employees. Sheelagh is degree-qualified in accounting, has a Graduate Certificate in Immigration Law from Deakin University, and has been an Australian registered migration agent since 2001.
Joining Visa Executive in 2013 to deliver immigration services was a natural move for Sheelagh, allowing her to draw on her lived experienced as an expat, her consultative style, and more than 20 years’ experience in managing migration processes for both corporate and individual clients.
Previously, she worked for two top consulting firms to deliver strategic and technical business migration advice, and spent four years managing business migration applications for the Australian High Commission in Singapore. Sheelagh also ran her own successful migration agency for a number of years, including while living in China for almost 2.5 years.
Catherine Clarke
Registered Migration Agent No. 1385015
Catherine understands the finer points of all classes of both on-shore and offshore Australian visa applications, and proactively informs and supports clients to drive business success. A key consultant on the Visa Executive team since 2014, she prides herself on staying abreast of immigration law and delivering an unfailingly professional service.
Catherine has a background in financial services, including providing advice on policy and tax considerations for multinational companies managing a global workforce as a manager at one of the ‘big four’ consulting firms. She’s helped shape the minds of future migration law specialists as a guest lecturer at Murdoch University in Western Australia.
A Registered Migration Agent and Member of the Migration Institute of Australia, Catherine also holds a Graduate Certificate in Australian Migration Law and Practice and a master’s degree in accounting.
Sandra Tempest
Solicitor
Legal Practitioner Number 5511689
Sandra is an empathetic and experienced migration lawyer whose genuine care for clients is matched by her in-depth grasp of immigration law, practical visa application know-how, and ability to navigate visa review tribunals.
Sandra completed a Bachelor of Laws in 2008 and has been admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia. Her multi-faceted legal career has included a focus on migration, family and property law. Prior to becoming a consultant for Visa Executive in 2018, Sandra’s work history included roles as a solicitor for multiple migration services firms and a specialist immigration legal service for refugees.
Sandra also has exceptional mediation and teaching skills. She previously lectured on migration law at Griffith University in Brisbane, and currently delivers professional development content for registered migration agents to help them remain up-to-date with Australian legislation and policy.
Corinne Johnson
Registered Migration Agent No. 9901928
Corinne has advanced skills in managing global immigration arising from a globe-trotting career specialising in handling migration cases as a qualified paralegal. She’s consulted on complex immigration matters for multinational companies through to individuals, in roles located in the US, Hong Kong, and Australia.
As a Registered Migration Agent and senior consultant with Visa Executive since 2008, Corinne has applied her high-level analysis, research, and document drafting capabilities to achieve successful immigration outcomes. She deftly complies with regulations, deals with consular offices, and facilitates smooth international transfers — all while offering outstanding end-to-end support for her clients.
Corinne’s extensive experience includes roles with a large investment bank in New York where she managed visas for the firm’s expatriate workforce, and multiple positions providing global immigration and regulatory advice for law firms, major professional consulting firms, and specialist relocation services firms.
Christina Lien
Solicitor
Legal Practitioner Number 55 122 88
With a passion for helping people realise their dream of moving to Australia, Christina has been working as a lawyer specialising in migration cases since 2017. She brought her considerable skill in handling complex skilled, business, family and humanitarian visa applications to the Visa Executive team in 2022.
Christina’s commitment to transparency means she excels at providing clients with accurate and practical advice. She has a proven career history of successful client outcomes — including appeals and ministerial advocacy — driven by her robust legal knowledge, proactive nature and ability to build strong relationships.
Christina has postgraduate qualifications in migration law, has published papers on migration matters, and is an active member of multiple professional bodies including the Law Institute of Victoria and the Asian Australian Lawyers Association. She has been admitted to the Supreme Courts of both Victoria and South Australia and the High Court of Australia.
Gary Tinner
Finance Manager
A consummate business and operations professional, Gary brings strong management and marketing skills to the Visa Executive team. As General Manager, Gary capably coordinates the firm’s finance, administration and business development functions.
Degree-qualified in business, Gary’s precision in managing budgets, forecasting, invoicing, and supplier relationships is essential for ensuring Visa Executive can operate efficiently and continue to cost-effectively meet clients’ needs. His strategic focus on building the firm’s market presence allows him to showcase his commercial insight and knack for stakeholder engagement.
Prior to joining Visa Executive in 2008, Gary held various frontline and executive positions managing back-end operations and business functions in the retail industry. He masterfully managed finances, inventory and marketing for a leading fashion brand, and oversaw the delivery of several major projects to establish new systems and business models for one of Australia’s largest department stores.
Alex Sullivan
Having provided tailored immigration advice to clients as a paralegal since 2017, Alex is
well-versed in preparing, reviewing and submitting via applications. Alex started his career in
the US, before moving to Australia in 2016 — giving him first-hand knowledge of immigration
and relocation challenges.
He knows the nitty-gritty of visas including temporary skills shortage, permanent residency,
student, visitor, and citizenship applications, as well as occupation skills assessments.
Currently working toward a Bachelor of Laws at QUT, Alex’s thirst for knowledge and detail-
oriented approach supports Visa Executive’s high success rate.
Before completing paralegal studies in 2012 and specialising in legal drafting and document
preparation, Alex held various facilities management, logistics and customer service-
focussed roles. He’s a highly organised and efficient person who thrives on meeting
customer’s needs.
Lisa Takis
Registered Migration Agent No. 2217742
Lisa has a wealth of experience assisting organisations and their globally mobile workforce with immigration, cross-border taxation issues, payroll considerations, and global mobility policies. With her extensive experience and genuine passion for helping people, Lisa is your go-to professional for all your migration needs.
As a skilled Registered Migration Agent and Chartered Accountant, Lisa has honed her expertise through years of working in global consulting firms and guides individuals and organisations through the complexities of Australian immigration requirements. Her unwavering commitment to staying updated on the latest industry trends and regulations ensures that her clients receive the most accurate and reliable advice.
Holding a Bachelor of Commerce, a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting, and a Graduate Diploma in Australian Immigration law, she’s equipped with the knowledge and expertise necessary to navigate the intricacies of migration processes.
Stephen Hall
Registered Migration Agent No. 0851890
Stephen has worked in the Australian immigration industry since 2007. He has extensive experience across all visa categories and specialises in employer sponsored and skilled visas.
Stephen has been responsible for managing the immigration programs of a wide variety of Australian and international organisations across all industries including Australian universities. He is committed to bringing his technical and account management experience to the benefit of his clients by providing quality strategic and business advice to find bespoke solutions to immigration challenges.
Stephen is passionate about partnering with companies to advise on the efficiency of their immigration programs, creating processes to guarantee their compliance with their sponsorship obligations and ensuring the smooth running of high-profile projects and VIP moves.
Angeline Costa
Angeline comes to us with over 20 years’ of administrative experience. She has had various roles providing top-performing admin support to CEO’s, internal and external stakeholders.
Angeline has recently completed a Foundations of RTO compliance course which has given her the skills to report on compliance status and prepare a rectification and improvement plan.
She provides high level administrative support to our team as well as making the impossible, possible. Angeline works on case files with our Lawyers and Migration agents as well as assisting with exciting marketing campaigns. With Angeline’s past proven experience she always ensures the business is always supported in a timely and effective matter.
Awards, Certification And Memberships
