Consultant Ta Quang Huy: '20 AUD and a journey of 20 years in the migration profession'

Mr. Ta Quang Huy

Many people are unaware that Ta Quang Huy had a tough childhood. Born with a business mindset, the young man embarked on many different jobs, such as trading videotapes, dishwashing, ironing… to accumulate as much cash as he could to assist his parents.

“Startup with 20 AUD”

There is a general conception that, in order to succeed from a “start-up”, apart from your ability, then you would only need to have luck on your side. However, in reality, this is not the case.

After graduating from university with a major in Justice Studies, around 20 years ago, Ta Quang Huy made the decision to specialize in the area of Australian migration law. This was because he realized at the time, there were not many Vietnamese-born people in the migration profession. As such, he took the opportunity to establish Ta Quang Huy & Associates where his first office was located in Springvale, Melbourne, Australia.

“Once embarking on the journey of a startup, there are no shortcuts to success. Rather, we must grasp the opportunity at the right moment. If there is a demand and it is the right timing, then that is all you need to begin. In the long term - just let your own ability prove it” - Consultant Ta Quang Huy shared his views.

With only $20 in his possession to start up his office, Ta Quang Huy had to borrow money from friends and family. All of the office equipment was secondhand - including the printer which was actually the oldest model there was during that time. In fact, the office item that required the most investment was the A4 papers. During this time, he had to save every single page and every link on that paper - every blank space on the paper was filled to its full potential. Ta Quang Huy worked day and night in order to meet the demands of his clients.

Mr. Ta Quang Huy established Ta Quang Huy & Associates with his first office in Springvale, Melbourne, Australia.

Every individual’s journey of beginning a startup comes with different experiences and hardships; however at the very least, they all would have had to fail before succeeding. For him, the success came to follow in quickly thereafter.

With his bold tenacity and desire for victory, Ta Quang Huy built his second office in his hometown Hai Phong, Vietnam in 2001 - without having tested the market in Vietnam.

The cultural difference, the people, and the fact that the internet had not been developed in this place, combined with his inexperience in management, resulted in him becoming bankrupt. With that, he returned to Australia to try and learn and understand the market.

Having lost all directions completely, Ta Quang Huy spent the period of 2001 - 2004 focusing on his research. He fell into a state of depression, and there were many times where he thought about giving up on the profession and just making a business of owning bars and distributing coffee in Australia.

In 2017, he became the very first Vietnamese-born person to be recognized as a Fellow of the Migration Institute of Australia for his contributions to the profession

During this time, he had lost everything; with the burden on his mental health, and the financial strain on his shoulders as his wife had given birth, his family had to live out of a temporarily rented garage. Not wanting his children to have this difficult life, he pulled himself out of his mental state and again, restarted his journey.

Ta Quang Huy shared, “I realized that the arrogant attitude and desire for victory, blind your vision. It is the human factor that is the most crucial element. I could not do everything myself, I needed the best associates to walk with me”.

After 20 years in the profession, he had achieved many successes. In 2013, he was invited to become a Committee Member of the Migration Alliance of Australia. In 2017, he became the very first Vietnamese-born person to be recognized as a Fellow of the Migration Institute of Australia for his contributions to the profession.

Although he was very busy with his work, managing all of his offices in Australia and Vietnam every year, Ta Quang Huy was still able to find a few months to study abroad at prominent institutions such as the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University. He wanted to continue to absorb more knowledge and further advance his studies. In 2020, he graduated with a Master of Laws from the Australian National University.

For him, studying is a form of self-investment and in this type of investment, there are no losses. Currently, Ta Quang Huy and together with some of his colleagues participate in various international prominent legal forums, such as the abolition of the death penalty, transnational crime syndicates, and other criminological forums.

The current Covid-19 pandemic has meant the whole world has closed off its borders, and all professions have been impacted - especially the migration advice industry. Nonetheless, with his practical experience together with his attitude of always being willing to learn and changing to adapt, Ta Quang Huy have been able to ‘steer towards growth during the last two years. Notably, in 2021, he established his 10th office in Cabramatta, NSW, Australia.

“The target of Ta Quang Huy & Associates was very clear from its first inception, which was to handle complex partner visa cases. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced most nations around the globe to temporarily close their borders but did not cut off the law and policies around migration. When you are persistent with your single target, you will see opportunity within.” – Ta Quang Huy.

Ta Quang Huy’s startup journey, over 20 years ago, will always be an inspiration to the young generations growing up in Australia. There is no success that comes naturally, and there is no success that comes easily. All successes are built upon failures.

In order to succeed, “I do not believe in luck. I create it”, said Mr. Ta Quang Huy.

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