PLAYFAIR is proud to announce that its CEO, Petra Playfair, has been elected as National Vice President of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA).

Petra said: “I’m delighted to take up this position. Now more than ever we need to ensure that we maintain the highest standards in the migration profession and advocacy. The MIA is the ideal platform to do this.”

Petra Playfair has over 30 years’ experience in migration and multicultural affairs. Previously she was appointed Board Director and NSW President of the MIA (Oct 2005-2009), and also served on the Board of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA).

Her vast expertise spans both corporate and humanitarian streams of migration law. She has represented the interests of many Australian government departments, the courts, and non-government agencies to their overseas counterparts and engaged in research and policy analysis relating to refugees.

After working as a Senior Social worker for the NGO, International Social Service, she was involved with the Refugee Council of Australia, the New South Wales Committee on Adoption and the Austcare Board of Management.

Petra founded PLAYFAIR Visa and Migration Services in 1988 and has grown the practice to one of Australia’s foremost providers of visa and migration professional services with a team of over twenty highly qualified Registered Migration Agents and Solicitors.

Since 2002, PLAYFAIR has been selected as a preferred Legal Aid Provider of migration assistance to asylum seekers and other disadvantaged clients under IAAAS, later PAIS and offshore contracts with the Australian Commonwealth Government.

Over the last 20 years, PLAYFAIR’s pro bono division has assisted numerous vulnerable and financially disadvantaged clients including representing them at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Their Community Outreach program supports the dissemination of accurate visa legislation and migration pathways information to refugee community groups, service providers and industry associations around Australia. It also engages in supporting new visa pathways for highly skilled refugees.

In a move aimed towards European expansion PLAYFAIR recently opened an office in Athens, Greece. For more information contact PLAYFAIR on (02) 9233 8899 or info@playfair.com.au