Meet The Team
Over 50 Years Combined Experience in Emigration & Overseas Visas
At Overseas Emigration Visas we have between us some 50 years’ experience of arranging migration and overseas visas. We also have many years of overseas travel and work experience in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. In fact, almost all of us are drawn from Overseas Emigration Visas’ destination countries (Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US), with the rest of us having our roots in the UK and Ireland.
Expertise in Our Team
The Overseas Emigration Visas team is comprised of professionally qualified lawyers, attorneys, senior ex-staff members of government immigration departments (Australian immigration and New Zealand immigration) and registered migration agents. This means that Overseas Emigration Visas can field a formidable team to represent you at the highest level and secure your overseas visa.Equally importantly though, we know the other migration and personal difficulties that you’ll face as someone looking to make a new life in a new country. We are all committed to helping you face and come through all of these challenges to secure your brighter future.
In Our Team
We hope the team introductions will give you a feel for the kind of people that we are, our outlooks and our experiences of life.
Richard Gregan
DIRECTOR
Richard, owner and director of Overseas Emigration Visas, shares a surname with the Aussie Rugby half-back and former captain but, sadly, has an altogether different physique! Richard comes from New Zealand and has diplomas in Social Work, Police Science and Forensic Accountancy.
The founder of OE, he has spent the last 20 years working in the field and is a leading authority on all migration and overseas visa matters for Australia and New Zealand. Richard regularly participates in radio and TV programmes as well as contributing to press reports on the subject of migration.
Based at our Edinburgh office, Richard is Scotland ‘s only resident, registered migration agent for MARA, Australia (Reg No: 990 5168). As part of his team he also has registered agents and solicitors for the USA and for Canada who have expertise in US immigration law and Canadian immigration law.
Known throughout the migration world as a great person to do business with, Richard is never short of an ex-client to share a drink or a meal with on his triennial travels to every Australian state capital and every major city in New Zealand and Canada.
Best part of the job: Having a win on a challenging case
Favourite destination: Wellington on a sunny day
Douglas Eckhart
SKILLS TEAM
Best part of the job: When a client’s Visa is approved and you know that you have played a role in allowing that person’s dream to come true!
Favourite destination: Italy
Yvonne Hamilton
VISA & LODGEMENT TEAM
Running our Visa and Lodgement Teams, Yvonne was born in Ayrshire and grew up in Aldershot, Hampshire. After completing her education she settled in Southwest Scotland, where she spent 15 years working in catering and retail management before moving to OE. Yvonne is a film buff with a particular fondness for Bette Davis films and horror movies. In her spare time she likes to read and listen to music; she also likes gardening and shopping at the weekends.
Best part of the job: Talking to clients on the phone and helping them with their enquiries.
Favourite destinations: China and Mauritius.
Laurence Robertson
PROCESSING TEAM
Gadget guy Laurence, who manages our processing teams, joined OE visas after training in Avionics with the Royal Air Force and working as a self-employed plumber and electrician. Born in Edinburgh, Laurence has travelled far and wide – everywhere from West Africa to South America – and plans to eventually retire to Southern Europe. In his spare time he enjoys cooking and surfing the Net (he’s also a keen Ebayer) when he’s not creating ingenious electronic/electrical devices.
Best part of the job: Travelling and consultations with prospective clients.
Favourite destination: Rome
Kevin O’Shaughnessy
ADMIN & VISA TEAM
Working with Laurence, Kevin assists in the visa process throughout. Having 6 years in management experience coupled with extensive 1-1 involvement with clients, he decided to focus on making the latter his priority. Born locally, Kevin frequently travels when ever he can from Germany to Canada having got married in the Caribbean in between. If you need anything then he will be there to help you every step of the way.
Best part of the job: When prospective clients call with an expectation and managing to offer them more than they thought was possible.
Favourite Destination: St.Maarten
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What Our Clients Say
We have all settled in well in Oz. We have now been here a year and loving it. Thanks.
– Simon & Gillian Vamplew, Australia