Success has its own definitions; to me success is to be able to do what you enjoy, and enjoy the results of your success with everyone equally...!!!

Modelling a different type of success

By Jennifer Rodrigo

"My life at the moment is one in which I wish I had 48 hours in a day!" came the quirky response from Registered Migration Consultant Surani Punchihewa who together with her husband run the Australian Migration Centre situated in Nugegoda. The Centre specializes in Skilled Migration and was established to cater to the needs of clients from around the world, who seek professional, accurate and speedy migration advice to Australia.

"I consult a large number of people a day. There are people who come particularly seeking my assistance, which is fulfilling," smiled Surani stepping onto her terrain of work in confidence. Along with providing authorized migration advice, she is also equally involved in the processing of applications as well. "I deal with people’s lives, their aspirations and future dreams so there is no room for mistakes. I take my work very seriously. If I cannot put a 100% to the task I am doing, I stop it, take breaks, revive and get back to it…" avowed she.

Together with the demanding ingredient of good concentration, Surani faces unique challenges on a daily basis and it was both intriguing and inspiring to see a wife and mother also put so much effort into her chosen field of work. She feels that she is privileged to be in a position in her profession where people place trust in her abilities. Enjoying what she does to the fullest, Surani launched into describing the duties entailed within her profession. "I liaise with Australian authorities which are many in number and the Department of Immigration as well," she began. Additionally, she is also faced with most cases where there are legal references to be conducted, which she describes as a very tedious and time consuming process. "I am fairly good with putting legal stuff into perspective, so it helps everyone around with interpretations and submissions."

Another part of her profession propels her to work with the media, where she is involved in talk shows and interviews on TV directed at updating the public. "People like watching my shows and they learn quite a bit. I teach them the entire migration programmes in layman’s terms in my shows."

How did she stumble upon the field?

As a youngster, Surani had a passion for teaching – a field in which she thrived in during one phase of her life as well. Growing up in Kotte, she sketched that she recalled childhood years spent with her parents and grandparents who lived with them. Her father was a government servant and was attached to many ministries, holding high ranking positions. "He travelled quite a bit for his work, and my only sister (who now lives in Melbourne) and I grew up with my mother." Surani’s mom was a teacher and "was constantly around us, and knew exactly what was happening." She admitted however that she cannot say she had a totally carefree childhood because of the country’s situation at the time. Schooling at first Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya and then at Visakha Vidyalaya, Surani defined herself as having been a solid learner. "I wanted to excel always, was very competitive as a child and never did give up…. One thing I did always, was to work hard. I aimed always at getting things perfectly right!" she enthused.

Her parents remember her as a very quiet child; she was also an avaricious reader and was also very inquisitive. "As my sister was very sick as a child, the entire family’s attention was focused on her, so I grew up to be independent." She took to Languages as an Advanced Level student and feels that she has a natural talent to the stream.

Having always sought opportunities to go overseas and also because she loves leaning about other cultures and ways of life, at one point in her life, Surani went to Japan to learn the language. "I loved it, and Japanese came naturally to me, I had no difficulty whatsoever. I became so fluent in Japanese that people would not ever realize that I was a foreigner. She completed a Bachelor of Japanese from Kyorin University and later on was accepted by the prestigious Waseda University in Tokyo to pursue a Masters in International Relations. After completing seven years of education in Japan, she moved to Melbourne.

Having gone to Melbourne initially to visit her cousin sister, she met her now husband there and decided to move. "Going from East to the West way of life was quite a task but I guess, love comes first and a sacrifice was made there," she recollected. Subsequently, having pursued her tertiary education in Japanese and having obtained a teaching license, she was offered a job in Melbourne. She served as a Japanese teacher, a programme coordinator for a Bilingual Japanese programme and she also headed the Japanese teaching at Wesley College in Melbourne.

From Languages to Migration

Her career move towards migration consultation began with her husband starting up a Migration Services Business in Melbourne. She joined her husband as a fully fledged migration consultant after completing her education in Migration Law. Surani is registered with the MARA (Migration Agents Registration Authority) in Australia, and currently is in her sixth year of practice. "Both of us developed the business together, with hard work and dedication. We were practising from Melbourne for more than seven years and decided to shift base to Sri Lanka as our clientele was too large to handle from Australia." Surani proudly stated that she and her husband are happy to have a very large practice in Colombo, "probably the largest in Sri Lanka."

"Both of us are licensed practitioners in the field. We are governed by the code of conduct of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), which comes directly under the Department of Immigration and Citizenship." Surani feels that her profession is unique. The importance of seeking legal advice from a licensed practitioner cannot be explained, according to her. "Awareness of the profession is very vital, as it does protect the public. I love the work I do, never get bored. I see it as a service to people who are seeking guidance to a fruitful start in Australia."

In the face of an extremely volatile environment where people are being duped by fraudsters, Surani feels that the field of work she is involved in is very important. "I guess regulating our profession has done a great deal of good to the public. Australia has the world’s most comprehensive migration programme and the profession has developed with the system." Public awareness, according to Surani is extremely significant.

Being a woman when all her competitors are male, is also challenging for her. "Although my husband is the pillar behind my success. Regardless of your gender, if you do things right with the right intention and money is not the only intention, you can make it happen. I plan things thoroughly and work diligently, learn from failures and never allow the same mistakes to repeat."

Principles

Surani and her husband have two girls – a four year old and an eight year old. "Quite a handful," she smiled adding, "I cannot be what I am today without the help of my husband and my mother who is 24 hours with us. She is my inspiration and my guidance."

Apart from her deeply busy work and home lifestyle, Surani is also heavily involved in charity and she believes that one must give in order to have. "I try and help out people to enhance their life by assisting with their education," she furthered speaking about a few projects she is involved in at present ranging from establishing computer centres in 44 primary schools to giving scholarships to students in need in technical institutes.

"Success has its own definitions; to me success is to be able to do what you enjoy, and enjoy the results of your success with everyone equally," she avowed.

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