Visa Cancellation Appeal at AAT Successful During Hearing

I received help from a dodgy agent which led to my subclass 417 being cancelled. I did not respond to the notice to cancel and I didn't provide information to the AAT because i felt that there was no way to win. About a week before the AAT hearing, I had a consult with Jason to find out how to gain approx 6 more months to remain lawful in Australia. I didn't want to fight my case to win as I felt there was no hope. Jason disagreed with me and said, "Fine, I'll assume we're instructed to help you get more time in Australia but let me surprise you with a win, after all, you had no expectations on winning". I had my reservations with what he told me and hence, I was reluctant to engage his firm to represent me due to the costs. He called me personally to tell me he was so confident with my case that he only took a deposit and ensembled his team of lawyers to fight my case. And he was right, at the 1st consult, he had already identified the discretionary grounds as to why my visa should not be cancelled and therefore, the AAT hearing was brief - a win at the hearing itself. It wasn't cheap to have my 1st consult with Jason but I can see the importance of getting good advice from the very beginning of all immigration matters. Definitely - the team is the last line of defence.