Introducing Shota Hitomi

My name is Shota Hitomi, a legal practitioner and registered migration agent from Australia. I am Japanese by nationality and my family migrated to Australia when I was very young.

Having my career and legal practice based around migration law for several years, I wanted to expand my knowledge of domestic migration law to international migration and refugee law, with the hope to get a different perspective and approach to a increasingly topical area of law. When I learnt that the VU offered a specialised masters track in this area I jumped at the opportunity to learn from the most reputable and internationally renowned academics in the area. The possibility to participate in the Migration Law Clinic further confirmed my motivation to undertake this program.

My initial impression on the track and the VU have been consistent with my expectations going in. So far, the calibre of teachers and the content taught at the VU have been exceptional. In the best way possible, I expect it to be a challenging study year. Having come from a practical background in migration, it will be fascinating and challenging to learn about migration law in the international context and from an academic point of view.

I would like the opportunity to put the things I have learnt during this program into practice, whether that is in Europe or in my home jurisdiction. I would love the opportunity to practise migration law in an international context or work in an international organisation related to migration.