Immigration

Immigration Advice for the Further Education Sector

We have a specialist team of qualified solicitors who can advise you on all aspects of UK immigration law.

We frequently assist with general immigration matters such as Sponsor Licence applications, preparing for a compliance visit from UK Visas and Immigration, ongoing compliance with your sponsorship duties and forming partnerships with other education providers.

Quick Enquiry

Specialist Immigration Law Knowledge

Immigration law is forever changing and you need to ensure that you are up to date with the rules and regulations in order to meet the numerous requirements with which you need to comply.

We can advise you on the requirements for immigration matters which affect students, including Tier 4 sponsorship and checking whether students from outside the EEA who you are not sponsoring have the right to study in the UK. We can also advise on immigration issues affecting members of staff, including Tier 2 and Tier 5 sponsorship, and advice for EEA national employees on the proactive steps they can take in advance of the UK's exit from the EU.

International Students and Tier 4 Sponsorship

Our expertise includes:

• assistance with the requirements for sponsoring students under Tier 4
• Basic Compliance Assessments
• support with sponsorship of individual students
• support for students with their entry clearance (visa) and further leave to remain applications and appeals/administrative reviews against refusals of those applications
• assistance to sponsors threatened with suspension or revocation of their Sponsor Licences
• advice on the immigration options available to students after completing their studies
• carrying out an audit of your international student files to ensure you are complying with your record keeping and reporting duties. We can tailor an audit to your specific requirements.

Tier 2, Tier 5 and Employing Non-EEA Nationals Workers

We can advise on:

• applying for a Tier 2 and/or Tier 5 Sponsor Licence or applying to add those categories to an existing Tier 4 licence
• eequesting and assigning restricted and unrestricted Certificates of Sponsorship
• eligibility of migrants already in the UK to switch immigration categories
• support with entry clearance (visa) and further leave to remain applications
• advice on complying with the UK's laws on preventing illegal working, including employing students who are subject to restrictions on their hours of work

FE Immigration Training and Brexit

We can provide comprehensive and bespoke immigration law training to ensure that colleges are fully aware of the sponsorship obligations and are up to date with any changes to the Immigration Rules which will impact on the sector.

Immigration Audits

We offer our further education clients an immigration audit service where we review your procedures and processes to ensure you are compliant and ready for a visit from the UKVI's compliance teams.

We know only too well how easy it is for sponsors to get into difficulty complying with their Tier 4 sponsor duties and we have a wealth of experience in advising clients on how to proactively manage those duties so that problems do not arise. For those sponsors who are already having problems we are happy to assist and discuss your options with you.

For specialist immigration advice tailored to the further education sector, please contact Judith Hockin on 0117 314 5302.