Frequent Asked Questions

All
BUSINESS
COMPANY
CRIMINAL
DIVORCE
ESTATE PLANNING
FAMILY TRUST (DISCRETIONARY)
IMMIGRATION
LOAN AGREEMENT
PROPERTY
TAX
TRADEMARK
WEBSITE AND IT

My visa has been refused/cancelled but I want to stay in Australia. What can I do about this?

My employer wishes to sponsor me but the Department of Immigration has refused the application on the basis that the position is not genuine. What should I do?

I am in a relationship with an Australian partner but my visa application has been refused. What are my options?

I have been working for my employer for almost two years on a 457 visa but they are about to sell the business. Can I still apply for permanent residency?

I have been sponsoring an employee on a 457 visa. Do I need to do anything more to sponsor them for an ENS visa?

How long will it take for my permanent residency application to be approved?

The business I work in wants to sponsor me. What should I do?

I want to hire someone from overseas to work in my business. Where do I start?

I have a sponsor and have studied in Australia but I cannot achieve the minimum English requirement for IELTS. Are there any other options?

I have a 457 visa but I want to become a permanent resident. How can I do this?

I have multiple partners in my business. What happens if a party wants to leave or in the event of an unfortunate passing?

I want someone to take over my business eventually. Where do I start?

I am currently on a bridging visa. Can I still travel overseas?

I have an Australian partner. How can I stay in Australia with them?

My visa is expiring soon but I still want to stay in Australia. What can I do?

My company is based in Singapore and has intellectual property rights there. Will the company’s intellectual property also be protected in Australia?

I own a trademark for my company in China. Does that still apply in Australia?

Someone has stolen my company’s business name/logo. What can I do stop them?

I have been running my business for many years without any issues. Do I still need a trademark?

I have registered my business name. Is that the same as a trademark?

I have inherited money in Australia. Will that be taxed?

I am migrating to Australia soon but I have capital gains from overseas. What do I have to do?

My company is based in the US and is looking to invest in Australia. Will the company be taxed in Australia?

I already pay tax in another country. Do I also need to pay taxes in Australia?

I am unsure if I am going to get taxed as an Australian or foreign resident. Can you help?

I am only a temporary resident in Australia. Will my income still be taxed in Australia?

I am from the UK and I want to invest in Australia. Will I have to pay taxes if I do?

I have been asked to provide a breath test by the police. Do I have to do this?

I am on holiday in Australia and have been charged by the police. What can I do?

I live in Malaysia and my child has just been involved in a car accident in Australia. What can I do?

I live in China and my child has just been arrested by the police in Australia. What can I do?

I have just been charged by the police. What should I do?

My spouse does not agree to a divorce. What can I do?

I want to fast track my divorce. Is there anything I can do?

I want to file for a divorce but I cannot locate my spouse. What can I do?

My spouse is an Australian citizen but I am not. Can I still apply for a divorce?

I have filed for divorce and my spouse wants a 70% share of our assets. Can they do this?

Do I need to go to court to get a divorce?

I would like to divorce my spouse. Where do I start?

I am afraid that my trustee may not perform the role adequately. What can I do?

I wish to appoint a trustee who is based overseas. Is this allowed?

I set up a discretionary trust a few years ago and I now wish to change the beneficiaries. Can I do that?

I do not want my children to have access to the trust money until they have graduated university. Is this possible?

I want to set aside money for my children. How can I do this?

I lent someone money but they have not repaid me. What can I do?

I have orally agreed to lend money to someone. Does this have any legal effect?

I am lending money to my child to help her and her husband buy a house. How can I ensure that her husband does not get a share of the house?

I want to lend money to my child to help them buy a house. Should I have something in writing?

STARTING A BUSINESS

I am from Malaysia and I want to expand my business into Australia. How can I do that?

I am from the UK and I wish to start a business in Australia. What should I do?

If I want to run a business, should I buy a business or start a new business?

BUYING A BUSINESS

I am buying a restaurant which serves alcohol. Will the liquor licence automatically transfer to me with the purchase?

I am from China and I want to buy a business in Australia. Can I do this?

I am thinking of buying a business. What should I be looking out for?

I have signed the contract to purchase a business but I no longer want to go through with it. Is there anything I can do about this?

I want to buy a business but I am not sure if the terms of the contract are fair. Can you help me with this?

SELLING A BUSINESS

I am thinking of selling my business. Where should I start?

I have found potential buyers for my business. What do I do now?

I want to sell my business but my business partner does not. What can I do?

The potential buyer for my business is a company. Should I be aware of anything in particular for this sale?

The potential buyer for my business is not an Australian citizen. Will this be an issue?

APPLICATION OF BUSINESS LICENSES/PERMITS

I am from Malaysia but I want to run a business in Australia. Do I need a permit to do this?

I am starting up a financial services business in Australia. Do I require any special licences?

I own a restaurant and want to put alcohol on the menu. Am I able to do this?

My company is based in Singapore and is looking to buy a chain of hotels in Australia. Do we need a permit to run a hotel business?

My company is running a financial brokering service. Does the company require a licence to do this?

COMMERCIAL LOAN AGREEMENT

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

Do part time or casual employees need employment contracts?

I am the owner of a business. Do all of my employees need employment contracts in writing?

I have been working in a restaurant but I have never signed an employment contract. What does this mean for me?

My company is based in Hong Kong and we are looking to transfer some of our staff to the new business in Australia. How do we do this?

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

My company is currently working on a special project. Can I stop my employees from telling other people about it?

My company is in negotiation to sell but I want to ensure that the buyer keeps all of the company information confidential. Is this possible?

FRANCHISE AGREEMENT

I have been approached by a company that wants to buy my business as a franchise. What should I do?

My company wants to start franchising its business. What do I need to know?

There is a chain of popular restaurants that I like. Can I buy into the business?

COMMERCIAL LEASES

I have just started a business and need to rent a premise for it. What do I need to do?

I want to buy a business but I am not sure if the terms of the lease are fair. Can you help me with this?

I wish to transfer my lease to another party. Can I do this?

My company is based in Singapore but is now expanding to Australia. Can I rent a premise in Australia for it?

My lease says that it is for five years with an option for five years. What does this mean?

The lease for my business is expiring soon. What should I do?

STARTING A COMPANY

I am not sure which structure is best for my business. Can you help me?

I have a name in mind for my company. How would I know if it is taken already?

I want to start a company. What do I need to do?

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My company is based in Singapore and is looking to expand into Australia. How do I do this?

BUYING PROPERTY

Can I buy land in Australia and redevelop it into two lots?

I am an Australian citizen or permanent resident. How do I buy property overseas?

I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia. Can I still buy property here?

I want to buy property in Australia. What should I be looking out for?

I wish to transfer my property to my spouse. How can I do this? Are there any taxes that I would be required to pay?

My company is in the US and we wish to start buying property in Australia. Is the company able to do this?

SELLING PROPERTY

I am a joint owner of a property. What can I do if the other owner/s refuses to sell?

I am currently leasing my property. Can I still sell it?

I am recently divorced or separated. Can I still sell the property if it is still in joint names?

I want to sell my property but I still have a mortgage over it. Can I still sell it?

I want to sell my property in Australia. Where should I start?

PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT

I am worried about what taxes I will have to pay when developing a property. Can you advise me on this?

I may not have enough funds to develop a property. Would it be challenging to borrow?

I want to buy land and develop a property. Where do I start?

My company is based in the UK and we now want to buy agricultural land in Australia. Is the company able to do this?

My company is looking to acquire land to develop. Are there any planning restrictions that I need to be aware of?

WILL

I am expecting to get married. Do I need to make a new will?

I am still young. Do I need a will?

I do know who to appoint as my executor in Australia. What can I do?

I have a child from a previous marriage. How do I ensure that they will be taken care of?

I have assets in Australia. Do I need a will even though I already have a will in another country?

My children are currently studying in Australia and I have bought a house for them in Australia. What will happen to the house if I pass away?

My grandfather did not leave me anything in his will. Am I still entitled to anything? What should I do?

POWER OF ATTORNEY

I am about to go overseas. If something happens to me, who will take care of my assets?

I am about to move to another state or country. Do I need to make a new power of attorney?

I have a power of attorney signed in another state. Can I still use it?

One of my attorneys has abused his/her powers. What can I do?

WEBSITE TERMS AND PRIVACY POLICY

I am unsure whether my company’s website needs a privacy policy. Can you advise?

My company’s website requires customers to enter personal information. Do I need to do anything to protect myself?

DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION

I bought a business but the domain name is still registered to the previous owner. What can I do?

I have a domain name in mind. How can I check if it is available?

I have a few domain names I would like to register. Can I do that?

I have an expired domain name. How do I re-register it?

My company is no longer registered. What happens to my domain name registration?

My company wants to create a website. Where do I start?

SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT

I am a minority shareholder and I am feeling as if I have been treated unfairly. What can I do?

I disagree with the person I own shares jointly with. Can you help me? I have put a lot of money into the company but now the other shareholders refuse to inject any further capital. What can I do?

I failed to attend the shareholders’ meeting but a decision was still made. Do I have any say in this? What can I do if I disagree?

I feel like I am no longer able to work with the members of the company. What can I do?

I want to set up a company with other people. How do I protect myself against any unforseen events?

I want to transfer my shares to another party but the other shareholders do not approve. What can I do?

The other shareholders and I are unhappy and want to hold a shareholder’s meeting. How can we do that?

We were unable to hold a shareholders’ meeting but we still made a decision for the company. Is it valid?