Jonathon Trainer is the legal practitioner director and principal lawyer of Lex Lawyers.
Recognised as a subject matter expert by the Australian Government, Jonathon served as an immigration officer in the Australian Public Service from 2001 to 2015. Serving in numerous decision-making roles across the immigration portfolio, Jonathon’s service included visa and citizenship processing, immigration airport inspector duties and investigations as a business monitoring officer.
Jonathon’s professional knowledge is aligned with the departmental processes applied to the entry and control of non-citizens in Australia’s tiered immigration framework. This includes onshore visa processing centres, at Australian Embassies overseas and within immigration clearance operations at Australian International Airports.
Extensively trained by the Federal Government in risk management and fraud identification, including statutory compliance and document examination, Jonathon maintains an operational familiarity with the procedural matters used by departmental officers in assessment of application claims. Jonathon has more than two decades of experience in legislative application and policy interpretation.
Having worked for a number of years in Business Sponsorship Monitoring with responsibility for investigations into allegations of visa holder exploitation and business sponsorship compliance, Jonathon is intimately familiar with the sponsorship obligations framework and the circumstances in which sponsors may avoid the consequences of adverse actions by the Australian Government.
Jonathon received numerous awards and citations throughout his public service including as a subject matter expert and was decorated for bravery and devotion to duty following his disarming of a client intent on self-immolation in the Adelaide office in 2001. Jonathon is a graduate of the University of South Australia where he completed a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (in Communications).
Admitted to the legal profession as a lawyer in August 2018, Jonathon subsequently obtained registration with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Since admission to the legal profession, Jonathon has worked as a lawyer specialising in migration matters in Victoria, NSW and Queensland and has developed increased interest in employment and personal injury matters.
As an active member of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA), Jonathon has been contracted to provide assistance to other practitioners in more complex applications of immigration law through the MIA’s professional support services. Jonathon is a firm advocate for professional and ethical immigration assistance and services both individuals and corporate clients in legal matters.