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I have been in the immigration industry for almost 9 years, and as part of that have assisted thousands of people to settle in Australia, both temporarily and permanently. It has been an extremely rewarding experience and I enjoyed every minute.
Earlier this year, I switched sides.
This time, I was the one applying for a visa and wanting to settle in a new country, Hong Kong.
Even though I had assisted so many people, I never understood the emotional toll the visa and relocation process could take on a person. So much depending on the visa being finalised by a certain time, as there were relocation aspects which one cannot do without the visa.
Standard processing times were 2-4 weeks, so naturally, I should have an outcome at the two-week mark. I knew I met the requirements of the visa, however, as the 2 weeks rolled by, I started to question if there was something in my application which would lead to a negative outcome. Did they find out about the time I wore incorrect socks to school and was given a demerit? There was that late library fee that I thought I had paid, but who could be sure? My university changed names recently, so are they maybe questioning my qualifications?
Unfortunately, as anybody who has gone through a visa process knows, processing times are quite uncertain. They are affected by the case load of the Immigration Department, the discretion of the case officer and many other aspects that the applicant or the service provider has no control over. Patience truly is a virtue!
Thankfully our team here in Hong Kong was there to guide and support me and reassured me throughout that there was nothing out of the ordinary with my application. The whole process was explained to me in great detail and I was guided throughout each step. This could have been a very daunting experience, but I was given sufficient information to put my mind at ease.
Eight weeks later, I am settled in Hong Kong and am once again assisting others to settle in a new country. Having been on the other side, I empathise with them on a whole new level. I try to provide them with as much information as I think will assist to make this process as easy for them as possible. I am able to pre-empt their questions and provide them with personal anecdotes and experiences. My experience helps me appreciate the pressures of the process and the protocols Fragomen has in place to ensure this goes as smoothly as possible.
As I look out the window onto Victoria Harbour, I realize that aside from looking at a different Harbour, I am also looking at the whole visa process in a new light and I appreciate why I am in this industry so much more. Being a service provider in this space, I now have empathy and a better understanding of what the applicants are looking for from their relocation and immigration service providers and in my role as Client Relationship Manager, I can share this experience with my colleagues and client contacts.
NB: My visa came through at the 3-week mark, for those interested.
Learn more about how we can help you with your visa process.
Countries / Territories
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Related offices
- Fragomen in Atlanta, GA
- Immigration Services in Auckland | Fragomen
- Fragomen in Beijing, China
- Fragomen in Bengaluru, India
- Fragomen in Boston, MA
- Fragomen in Brisbane, Australia
- Fragomen in Brussels, Belgium
- Fragomen in Chicago, IL
- Fragomen in Miami, FL
- Fragomen in Dallas, TX
- Fragomen in Doha, Qatar
- Fragomen in Dubai
- Fragomen in Frankfurt, Germany
- Fragomen in Hong Kong
- Fragomen in Houston, TX
- Fragomen in Irvine, CA
- Fragomen in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Fragomen in Kochi, India
- Fragomen in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Fragomen in London
- Fragomen in Los Angeles, CA
- Fragomen in Matawan, NJ
- Fragomen in Melbourne, Australia
- Fragomen in Mexico City, Mexico
- Fragomen in Nairobi, Kenya
- Fragomen in New York, NY
- Fragomen in Perth, Australia
- Fragomen in Phoenix, AZ
- Fragomen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Fragomen in San Diego, CA
- Fragomen in San Francisco, CA
- Fragomen in San José, Costa Rica
- Fragomen in São Paulo, Brazil
- Fragomen in Shanghai, China
- Fragomen in Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Fragomen in Silicon Valley, CA
- Fragomen in Singapore
- Fragomen in Sydney
- Fragomen in Toronto, Canada
- Fragomen in Detroit, MI
- Fragomen in Washington, DC
- Fragomen in Zurich, Switzerland
Related offices
- Fragomen in Atlanta, GA
- Immigration Services in Auckland | Fragomen
- Fragomen in Beijing, China
- Fragomen in Bengaluru, India
- Fragomen in Boston, MA
- Fragomen in Brisbane, Australia
- Fragomen in Brussels, Belgium
- Fragomen in Chicago, IL
- Fragomen in Miami, FL
- Fragomen in Dallas, TX
- Fragomen in Doha, Qatar
- Fragomen in Dubai
- Fragomen in Frankfurt, Germany
- Fragomen in Hong Kong
- Fragomen in Houston, TX
- Fragomen in Irvine, CA
- Fragomen in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Fragomen in Kochi, India
- Fragomen in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Fragomen in London
- Fragomen in Los Angeles, CA
- Fragomen in Matawan, NJ
- Fragomen in Melbourne, Australia
- Fragomen in Mexico City, Mexico
- Fragomen in Nairobi, Kenya
- Fragomen in New York, NY
- Fragomen in Perth, Australia
- Fragomen in Phoenix, AZ
- Fragomen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Fragomen in San Diego, CA
- Fragomen in San Francisco, CA
- Fragomen in San José, Costa Rica
- Fragomen in São Paulo, Brazil
- Fragomen in Shanghai, China
- Fragomen in Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Fragomen in Silicon Valley, CA
- Fragomen in Singapore
- Fragomen in Sydney
- Fragomen in Toronto, Canada
- Fragomen in Detroit, MI
- Fragomen in Washington, DC
- Fragomen in Zurich, Switzerland
Related offices
- Fragomen in Atlanta, GA
- Immigration Services in Auckland | Fragomen
- Fragomen in Beijing, China
- Fragomen in Bengaluru, India
- Fragomen in Boston, MA
- Fragomen in Brisbane, Australia
- Fragomen in Brussels, Belgium
- Fragomen in Chicago, IL
- Fragomen in Miami, FL
- Fragomen in Dallas, TX
- Fragomen in Doha, Qatar
- Fragomen in Dubai
- Fragomen in Frankfurt, Germany
- Fragomen in Hong Kong
- Fragomen in Houston, TX
- Fragomen in Irvine, CA
- Fragomen in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Fragomen in Kochi, India
- Fragomen in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Fragomen in London
- Fragomen in Los Angeles, CA
- Fragomen in Matawan, NJ
- Fragomen in Melbourne, Australia
- Fragomen in Mexico City, Mexico
- Fragomen in Nairobi, Kenya
- Fragomen in New York, NY
- Fragomen in Perth, Australia
- Fragomen in Phoenix, AZ
- Fragomen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Fragomen in San Diego, CA
- Fragomen in San Francisco, CA
- Fragomen in San José, Costa Rica
- Fragomen in São Paulo, Brazil
- Fragomen in Shanghai, China
- Fragomen in Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Fragomen in Silicon Valley, CA
- Fragomen in Singapore
- Fragomen in Sydney
- Fragomen in Toronto, Canada
- Fragomen in Detroit, MI
- Fragomen in Washington, DC
- Fragomen in Zurich, Switzerland
Explore more at Fragomen

Media mentions
Partner Marius Tollenaere and Associate Jamela Sharrock examine how employers in Germany can strengthen immigration compliance by embedding it into every stage of the employment lifecycle.
Podcast
In this episode of The Immigration Conversation, Partner Chad Blocker, Senior Counsel Mitchell Wexler and Associate Alex Kim discuss what prospective EB-5 applicants should know now, including source-of-funds documentation, project selection, concurrent filing, retrogression and upcoming program deadlines.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Jo Antoons and Senior Manager Marina Ocariz discuss the EU’s provisional agreement on revised social security coordination rules and what employers should know about the expected changes to A1 certificate requirements, posted worker rules and short-term cross-border work compliance.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Rahul Soni explains the EB-5 grandfathering provisions under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and why prospective investors should consider filing before the September 30, 2026 deadline to help preserve statutory protections and reduce exposure to future program uncertainty.
Video
In this video, Practice Leader Kate Praphakornphiphat explains the key requirements, documents, fees and processing time for a Thailand tourist visa, as well as stay duration and extension options for short-term travel.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and Talent Beyond Boundaries announce that they will jointly serve as co-chairs of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility for a two-year term beginning in June 2026.
Blog post
In this blog, Manager Gillian Gibbons and Immigration Consultants Gemma Oliver and Larna Kate Hadfield examine how Barnsley’s designation as the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town reflects wider AI and digital growth across the North of England, and why immigration strategy will be critical for employers seeking to access the global talent needed to support regional innovation.
Media mentions
In this Hong Kong Business article, Managing Director Magdalene Tennant discusses Hong Kong’s recent decision to allow employment and dependent visa renewal applications to be filed up to three months before expiry, a change intended to reduce the risk of work disruptions and provide employers with greater flexibility in managing foreign talent.
Media mentions
In this article published by Professional Engineering, Senior Manager Nadine Barnole examines how UK engineering employers can continue to access international talent amid growing skills shortages and a rapidly evolving immigration landscape.
Media mentions
In this Times Brasil CNBC Real Tech interview, Partner Diana Quintas discusses Brazil’s recent visa exemption for Chinese nationals, what it signals for Brazil-China mobility and how technology is helping support more efficient cross-border movement.
Podcast
In this episode of The Immigration Conversation, Business Immigration Manager Ayana Ibrahimi is joined by Lara Dyer, Chief Solutions Officer (Americas) at Talent Beyond Boundaries; Stuart Szabo, CEO and Co-founder of Beacon; and Jessica Turner, Co-founder and CEO of ThriveON, to discuss refugee labour mobility and employment-based pathways for displaced talent.
Video
In this Mobility Minute, Manager Maja Sugui provides an overview of key visa and compliance considerations for business travelers planning trips to China.

Media mentions
Partner Marius Tollenaere and Associate Jamela Sharrock examine how employers in Germany can strengthen immigration compliance by embedding it into every stage of the employment lifecycle.
Podcast
In this episode of The Immigration Conversation, Partner Chad Blocker, Senior Counsel Mitchell Wexler and Associate Alex Kim discuss what prospective EB-5 applicants should know now, including source-of-funds documentation, project selection, concurrent filing, retrogression and upcoming program deadlines.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Jo Antoons and Senior Manager Marina Ocariz discuss the EU’s provisional agreement on revised social security coordination rules and what employers should know about the expected changes to A1 certificate requirements, posted worker rules and short-term cross-border work compliance.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Rahul Soni explains the EB-5 grandfathering provisions under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and why prospective investors should consider filing before the September 30, 2026 deadline to help preserve statutory protections and reduce exposure to future program uncertainty.
Video
In this video, Practice Leader Kate Praphakornphiphat explains the key requirements, documents, fees and processing time for a Thailand tourist visa, as well as stay duration and extension options for short-term travel.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and Talent Beyond Boundaries announce that they will jointly serve as co-chairs of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility for a two-year term beginning in June 2026.
Blog post
In this blog, Manager Gillian Gibbons and Immigration Consultants Gemma Oliver and Larna Kate Hadfield examine how Barnsley’s designation as the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town reflects wider AI and digital growth across the North of England, and why immigration strategy will be critical for employers seeking to access the global talent needed to support regional innovation.
Media mentions
In this Hong Kong Business article, Managing Director Magdalene Tennant discusses Hong Kong’s recent decision to allow employment and dependent visa renewal applications to be filed up to three months before expiry, a change intended to reduce the risk of work disruptions and provide employers with greater flexibility in managing foreign talent.
Media mentions
In this article published by Professional Engineering, Senior Manager Nadine Barnole examines how UK engineering employers can continue to access international talent amid growing skills shortages and a rapidly evolving immigration landscape.
Media mentions
In this Times Brasil CNBC Real Tech interview, Partner Diana Quintas discusses Brazil’s recent visa exemption for Chinese nationals, what it signals for Brazil-China mobility and how technology is helping support more efficient cross-border movement.
Podcast
In this episode of The Immigration Conversation, Business Immigration Manager Ayana Ibrahimi is joined by Lara Dyer, Chief Solutions Officer (Americas) at Talent Beyond Boundaries; Stuart Szabo, CEO and Co-founder of Beacon; and Jessica Turner, Co-founder and CEO of ThriveON, to discuss refugee labour mobility and employment-based pathways for displaced talent.
Video
In this Mobility Minute, Manager Maja Sugui provides an overview of key visa and compliance considerations for business travelers planning trips to China.
