Brokers to profit from Asian migrants

Armstrong Doessel Stevenson Lawyers chief executive Graham Doessel said the firm has already launched its migration website VisaEasy.com.au and expects to receive approval from the Migration Agents Registration Authority this week.

“I’ve met with a couple of real estate agents and mortgage brokers and they are very interested in this as a lead generation tool,” Mr Doessel said.

“We will have offices setup right across south east Asia,” he said. “At the moment we are looking at opening offices in Phuket, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam.”

While he does not practice law himself, Mr Doessell has a background in finance and is looking to leverage off his network of between 5,000 and 6,000 mortgage brokers.

“We will be actively seeking real estate agents and brokers,” he said.

“We will need to be at arm’s length from our referral partners in order to provide property solutions for our clients looking to come to Australia.”

The firm will specialise in guiding clients through the various Australian visa options on offer.

“A lot of these clients either need to buy property if it is a condition of their visa, or want to buy property if it’s not a condition, but they need somewhere to live,” Mr Doessel said.

“We will not be dealing with the bottom-end of the market,” he said. “We will be dealing with the middle to upper-end of the market where they are cashed up and ready to go.”

Principal solicitor Adrienne Soo will be head up the new operations, which Mr Doessel sees as a specialist area where brokers can add value.