OUR ORIGIN STORY

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From October 2017 to December 2025,  under the Business Name: Hoju Imin Pty Ltd we lodged hundreds of Australian visa applications across a wide range of  categories, including visitor visas, student visas, graduate visas,  partner visas, work visas, and citizenship applications (and still do!).  The name Hoju Imin comes from the Korean phrase meaning “to immigrate to Australia.”  The business was founded by Miki (despite being an Australian born, native English speaker and never needing an Australian visa herself) after a pivotal early experience: a Korean friend had paid nearly six  times the market rate for a partner of a student visa (subclass 500SE)  application after being incorrectly told by a lawyer that their case was  far more complex than it actually was.

 Concerned by how easily migrants could be misled - particularly those facing  language barriers - Miki initially began helping Korean friends by  accompanying them to Registered Migration Agents' offices and providing  informal Korean language interpreting support. Over time, it became clear that the issue was not  just language, but access to fair, transparent, affordable advice. This  experience led Miki to formally study Australian Immigration Law (at the  Australian National University) and establish Hoju Imin with a clear  principle: to provide accurate, lawful immigration assistance at genuine market rates, reducing the risk of migrants being overcharged or misinformed simply because they were unfamiliar with the system.

 During the COVID-19 border closure period, our team lodged over 1,000 Australian border exemption applications on behalf of clients seeking to reunite with Australian citizen and permanent resident partners. These applications did not attract government application fees and were lodged under rapidly changing and highly restrictive policies.

At the time, global approval rates for border exemption applications were widely estimated to be around 1%. Through persistence, careful case preparation, and repeat applications where appropriate, our firm achieved an estimated approval rate of approximately 10%, significantly higher than the general outcome during that period.

This work required sustained effort under intense pressure. In 2021, Miki regularly worked extended hours — often up to 16 hours a day, usually 7 days a week -  to continue lodging, revising, and re-lodging applications in an environment where policies shifted frequently and outcomes were uncertain. Andrew and Tim also kept odd hours during much of that period in order to communicate with more clients in different timezones where necessary.

While the circumstances were exceptionally challenging, this period reinforced our approach: preparing applications thoroughly, advocating within the limits of the law (or policy), and persisting where there was a genuine basis to do so — even when the odds were extremely difficult.

 As the client base quickly grew beyond the Korean community due to word of mouth and mammoth efforts, it also  became apparent that operating under an English - accessible brand name  would improve clarity, accessibility, and search engine visibility to  reach a broader audience. Thus, 'Partner Visa Australia Agency' was born in 2026. This evolution reflected the company's wider mission - supporting migrants from diverse backgrounds with clear, ethical, and fairly priced  immigration services. The services were expanded in April 2019 to  include New Zealand Immigration Advice as well and Miki has completed the New Zealand postgraduate course too. Both Hoju Imin Pty Ltd and Partner Visa Australia Agency Pty Ltd continue to be legally registered  in Australia for the support of ongoing client cases (pre-2025 cases)  and future clients.

 Miki, Andrew, Ahmad and Siddhartha had zero partner visa refusals between Oct 2017 to December 2025 under the Hoju Imin banner before the rebrand to PVAA.

In the earlier years of the business, Takuya oversaw the majority of Japanese student visa matters as lead Japanese-language marketer and liaison. During this pre-COVID period, Japanese student visa applications managed under his oversight achieved a very high success rate, with no refusals recalled for that cohort.

Beyond outcomes, many of Takuya’s insights on business philosophy are still appreciated today.