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Interview With the Man Behind One of Australia’s Biggest Immigration Firms

This interview was conducted with Dr Sirus Ahmadi, an Iranian Australian Immigration Consultant who is the founder and managing director of Cyrus Consulting services based out of Sydney, Australia.

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Why did you choose the name “Visayab” and “Go To Australia” as your brand name rather than Cyrus consulting services?

Go To Australia was our first Brand name as we were mainly focused on Australian Visas. The name would therefore well suit the business which dealt with worldwide Immigration to Australia. As we expanded our business and established immigration services for other countries such as the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, we needed a new trading name. “Yab” in Persian refers to a “finder” therefore VisaYab means “Visa finder”.

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How did you get into the immigration business?

I came to Australia as a student. Back home, I was a lecturer and I came to Sydney in order to continue my post graduate studies towards a PhD degree in sports’ Medicine. While living in Australia, I had to take many phone calls from friends and relatives asking me how they could migrate to Australia. I had to find their answers by doing my own online research, talking to other migrants and at times getting consultation from immigration Consultants. As I would answer those phone calls, I gradually became interested in becoming a migration agent where I could assist my fellow country men or women to migrate to Australia. After my PhD, I attended a specific program called “Graduate Certificate in Migration Law” at the Australian National University, thanks to which I become an Australian Immigration Consultant since 2008.

Your Facebook profile states that you attended the University of Sydney, how did you end up in such a prestigious university and what was your major?

I was a relatively smart kid and always wanted to become a scientist. I worked hard to get a very competitive scholarship and was able to get into the University of Sydney. Given my background in both sports and medicine, I continued my PhD studies in Sports Medicine, a subject that I still love.

You were born in Iran, how was your own immigration journey?

I always loved and still love Iran. When I came to Australia in 2003, I had no plan to stay here. However, as time passed, I could not resist the beauty that I was seeing in the Australian culture, its environment, its weather and most importantly its people, therefore, I decided to stay here and assist those who wanted to come here, which is what I’ve been doing since 2008.

The immigration adviser’s authority of New Zealand also features you as a licensed immigration consultant, are you active in any other regions?

Yes, I’m a licensed Immigration Consultant in New Zealand as well. Our firm also provides immigration services to many other countries such as the US, Canada, UK, Germany and several other European countries.

How would you advise people who are interested in immigration from all around the world?

We believe that “choice, not chance, makes destiny”. If you are truly curious about migrating to another country, you should not leave it to chance. You must actively pursue the process in a timely manner. The immigration policies and regulations get harder and harder every day. It’s critical to act as soon as you can.

Germany expressed its concerns over the Afghanistan situation recently, and how it can become the second migration crisis after Syria. What are your takes on this?

I believe the Afghanistan situation is and will remain to be a crisis for the whole world. This chaotic situation will surely bring a big wave of refugees to the Europe, as the neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Iran cannot keep up with the number of refugees. Even though, most members of Nato and Western countries have promised to bring Afghans who have assisted them in the past to safety, there are many other Afghans who may have not directly assisted the Western countries and their military operations, but will be targeted by Taliban for many other reasons. It is, therefore, the world’s duty to share the burden and assist as many Afghans as possible.