Lawyer
Spencer holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, and a Master of Australian Migration Law and Practice. He was admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland in June 2021 and the High Court of Australia in April 2023.
He has direct, personal experience with Australia’s complex immigration system, as the son of Vietnamese refugee parents, and having encountered issues in proving his own citizenship by birth against the Department of Immigration in his early 20s. He lived overseas in Japan from 2015 to 2021, so he understands the pressures and challenges of moving to a new country. It is these lived experiences which inform and underscore his deep passion for immigration law and procedural fairness.
Spencer has experience in all visa and citizenship matters, however he has focused his practice on particularly complex matters, including cancellations and refusals on character grounds (section 501) or identity, Schedule 3 Partner visa applications, health waivers, and sponsorship monitoring for employer sponsored visas.
Spencer joined CFIL in September 2026. Prior to this, he was a lawyer at Lenton Migration Law in Brisbane, Queensland between April 2021 to August 2026. Prior to his admission, Spencer has diverse work experience outside law, having worked for 6 years in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET Programme), a highly competitive initiative aimed at promoting international exchange between Japan and other nations through English education.
Spencer’s wealth of life and work experience, as well as his high level of migration law qualifications mean that he is a highly empathetic, compassionate and skilled migration lawyer, with strong technical and customer service skills.