With a strong regional client base in Asia, particularly China, Japan, and South Korea, 3CS Corporate Solicitors possesses a notable track record in inbound work for a number of high-profile international companies, advising in the relocation of senior employees, securing sponsor licences, and assisting in matters relating to sole representatives. Practice head Thomas Miles covers both immigration and wider employment in his work, able to advise clients in matters where the two intersect, including TUPE transfers, immigrant redundancy, and corporate restructures. Senior associate Samuel Njogu utilises his experience in human rights immigration to assist in contentious business immigration work.

A Y & J Solicitors provides ‘excellent advice on all employment immigration matters‘, and, having recently formed a human resources compliance pack, the team is well placed to assist companies seeking to recruit from overseas in securing skilled worker sponsor licenses. Practice head Yash Dubal has a broad client base that encompasses high-skilled individuals in the tech industry and UK-based companies recruiting non-EU skilled workers.

Armstrong Teasdale provides clients with access to both US and UK immigration advice, with a broad offering in the latter that straddles sponsorship, settlement, and nationality issues. Ben Xu is the head of the practice and utilises his experience in corporate and commercial law to provide valuable insights into the immigration needs of his corporate clients.

Baker McKenzie is noted for the depth of its global resources, its ‘stable team’, and its numerous high-profile, multinational clients, working on a range of complex applications relating to board directors, senior executives, and technical staff. Senior associate Tony Haque heads up the practice, advising both multinational corporate clients and HNW individuals and with a particular focus on Brexit-related work. Fellow associates Ying Li and Richard Mills are also of note, especially in relation to the diverse array of sectors that they have experience in.

Bates Wells stands as ‘one of the top immigration firms in the country‘ through the depth of its expertise, and is able to handle the full range of complex immigration matters for personal, business, and HNW clients. The firm’s corporate practice, headed by the ‘helpful, efficient, and incredibly friendly’ Chetal Patel, who also heads the wider immigration practice, is noted for its immigration strategy and diverse client base that includes SMEs, large corporates, and charities. Senior associates Aisha Choudhry and Smruti Jeyanandhan are key contacts for business immigration matters. The human rights, appeals, and overstays work is focused primarily on Article 8 and families mandates, and includes a range of complicated appeals. Tim Barnden heads up this area, and has a reputation for handling matters relating to LGBTQ+ individuals, while associate Matthew James focusses on EEA nationals and their families. Solicitor Alice Bennington acts across the full range of the firm’s offering.

BDB Pitmans employs a multidisciplinary approach to immigration, drawing upon the wider firm’s employment, corporate transactions, and private wealth teams to advise clients. Practice head Tim Hayes acts across the full span of the firm’s offering, with experience in sponsor licences and training for business clients and a track record in critical immigration matters for the firm’s numerous personal clients. Associate Chris Greep, working from Southampton, has a similarly broad practice.

Bindmans LLP draws on complementary practices within the firm to provide comprehensive assistance for a range of clients, and has particular strength in crime and extradition. The ‘exceptionally skilled, knowledgeable, effective, tenacious and organised’ team is noted for their bespoke solutions across the full gamut of immigration work. Co-head Alison Stanley is noted for her ‘unparalleled experience and real client commitment’, and is experienced in immigration litigation at all levels. She works alongside co-head Liz Barratt, whose practice encompasses a range of complex issues arising from nationality, and is highly active on behalf of Turkish clients. Senior consultant Tanya Goldfarb leads the team in business immigration matters, working across all sectors but with substantial experience in the creative sector. Roberta Haslam is a crucial contact for asylum, human rights, and deportation issues, while Karma Hickman specialises in family matters, particularly those involving surrogacy. Solicitor Elisabeth Attwood, who joined the firm in May 2022, is noted for the complexity of her litigation work.

Bird & Bird LLP prioritises bespoke immigration services for key clients over high-volume work, and has developed a strong specialisation in advising clients in various sectors within the wider tech industry; the firm advises a number of major multinational clients, but the firm’s core clients are innovative businesses operating in fintech, videogames, AI, medicine, and telecoms. Legal director Yuichi Sekine heads the practice, and is experienced in acting for tech-focussed start-ups, unicorns, and established multinationals, reflecting the focus of the wider firm. Jonathan Goldsworthy is noted for his strength in assisting US companies wishing to relocate key talent to the UK or EU.

Bonheur Legal bolsters its European capabilities by utilising its presence in the US and Hong Kong to assist in work relating to America and Asia. Thierry Hervet heads the team, spearheading the practice’s growing strength in relation to HNW individuals, and both inbound and outbound African immigration issues.

Carter Thomas Solicitors is noted for both its sector strength in education, working across businesses, independent schools, and universities, and its offering in relation to sponsor licences, utilising a sponsor licence platform to consistently ‘provide up-to-date information for clients‘. Operating out of Sheffield, the firm also possesses capabilities to advise private clients, assisting a mix of tech, fashion, and creative entrepreneurs. Nichola Carter heads the practice, and is both ‘one of the foremost experts on sponsor licensing law’, and highly experienced in handling immigration mandates for education clients. The team has been bolstered with the promotion of Nick Gore to partner in April 2023, bringing his expertise in working on behalf of fashion designers and musicians. Associate Irfan Ali leads on business immigration services, including the sponsor licence platform.

Charles Russell Speechlys LLP is well-placed to serve major international clients through its large global network of partner firms and growing international presence, in addition to the strength of its cross-service offering. The team’s existing capabilities in China have been bolstered with the opening of a new office in Singapore, and the firm has established a track record in assisting US-based start-ups and HNW individuals operating in the Middle East. The firm’s wider corporate offering, including the corporate tax and private wealth teams, are well integrated with the immigration practice, providing a comprehensive service for relocating HNW individuals. Rose Carey heads the practice, applying her ‘in-depth technical and industry knowledge’ to her impressive Chinese HNW client base, and has cultivated close relationships with a number of US firms. Kelvin Tanner is noted for his specialism in inward investment for companies establishing a presence in the UK.

Operating from Reading, Clarkslegal LLP advises a number of corporate clients, including both those based in the UK, and overseas businesses entering the UK market. Incoming clients also benefit from the firm’s multidisciplinary business support services relating to inward investment, providing international investors, and companies establishing operations, with complete support. Monica Atwal leads the team, and is experienced in director-level employee transfers, as well as in assisting entrepreneurs, investors, and overseas entities through the immigration implications of investing in the UK.

Clintons combines a specialism in transatlantic transfers, assisting UK companies with establishing operations in the US and vice versa, with a track record in the media, entertainment, and marketing sectors. Co-head and principal Diana Okoeva, ‘one of the top US immigration lawyers in the UK‘, is dual-qualified in the US, and England and Wales, and possesses immigration strengths in entertainment and tech. Associate Natasha Hotson co-heads the team, employing her ‘grounded, realistic, and extremely commercial‘ approach.

Clyde & Co leverages the international footprint of the wider firm to provide a strong immigration offering for its numerous blue chip, multinational clients across the finance, energy, retail, and real estate sectors. The team, led by Jonathan Chaimovic, is described as being ‘incredibly knowledgeable, incredibly responsive.’ Chaimovic himself leads on the firm’s Brexit offering, and otherwise works with the firm’s multinational client base in relation to their business critical immigration mandates.

DavidsonMorris integrates its immigration team with the broader employer-focussed employment practice, combining immigration expertise with broader capabilities in HR and employment matters. The firm’s immigration offering boasts sector strengths in energy, health and social care, hospitality, and tech, with a track record in sponsor licence applications, expirations, and compliance. Associate Demetris Demetriou heads the practice and manages the firm’s sponsor licence management service. Demetriou has particular expertise in advising entrepreneurs and HNW individuals, and providing compliance advice on M&A transactions. Anne Morris works with a number of major corporate clients, providing board-level advice on compliance risk management and migration strategy.

Deloitte Legal excels in both the depth of its bench and the breadth of its global footprint, as the practice has the capacity to deploy teams of immigration experts internationally to handle mandates for major multinational clients. Jurga McCluskey heads the team in both the UK and Europe, working for a number of blue-chip clients in a range of different issues including corporate governance, global compliance, and emergency evacuations. The firm’s capabilities have been further enhanced by the promotion of Melanie Carr and Alison Hutton to partner in June 2022, bringing experience in strategic immigration planning and multi-jurisdictional corporate matters. Katrina Cooper is part of the global immigration team and utilises her dual-qualification in the UK and Australia to assist in global projects. Emily King is responsible for the firm’s immigration technology, and acts across a range of sectors including finance, engineering, real estate, and tech.

Dentons provides comprehensive strategic and compliance advice to a range of major multinational clients in relation to a number of complex immigration issues, providing end-to-end support as part of an integrated immigration service combining the resources of its practices nationwide. Practice head Sarah Ingles-Carlyle is noted for her immigration work with international clients looking to establish a UK presence or hire new workers into existing UK branches, and has a demonstrated capacity in providing strategic advice on the risks of mobilising global talent. Senior immigration manager Oliver O’Sullivan provides valuable support, working with a number of blue chip companies in relation to their global workforce.

Doyle Clayton delivers ‘the high quality of immigration service demanded by their clientele’ in both the routine and more complex immigration mandates. Anita de Atouguia heads the practice, leading primarily in relation to the firm’s business offering, yet with additional significant experience in asylum and human rights immigration issues, she is well-placed to advise clients with their complex matters. Malini Skandachanmugarasan leads in the firm’s personal immigration work, with a track record in cases reliant on Home Office discretion and experience in global mobility for business clients. Alfreda Joubert joined the team from Magrath Sheldrick LLP in April 2023, and has a specific focus on global corporate clients and SMEs across a range of sectors. Also of note are senior associates Adam Cotterill, who has experience handling international adoption and surrogacy cases, Anna Blackenden, who has a sector focus in education, and Elisabeth Kynaston, who has dual immigration and employment law practice.

With a niche specialism in immigration judicial review cases engaging human rights in relation to removal, unlawful detention, suitability of immigration accommodation, and civil liberties, Duncan Lewis Solicitors leads in many of the most high-profile challenges of government departments and decisions. Asylum, protection, deportation, and modern slavery are among the firm’s other strengths in this area, and Toufique Hossain is a leading figure in this work. The firm has a large and capable team, with James Packer, Ahmed Aydeed, Bahar Ata, Claire Ryan, and Rohena Wallace all noted for their expertise in this area. Tamana Aziz heads the firm’s business immigration practice, and is ‘a fountain of knowledge and experience’, with a practice which straddles individuals and businesses with particular experience in complex appeals, applications under EU law, and training in immigration issues. Aziz works alongside Vicash Ramkissoon who works for international businesses and HNW individuals.

Farrer & Co ‘is very highly regarded in acting for HMW individuals in complex matters’, bringing the full-service offering of the wider firm to its immigration mandates for both domestic and international clients. The firm’s wider litigation capabilities make it well-placed to assist in contentious matters, and the firm is noted for its track record in relation to politically sensitive matters. The team continues to grow with the hire of senior counsel Adam Hoefel from Gherson LLP, who is experienced in handling complex applications for HNW individuals. Practice head Elena Hinchin ‘has unparalleled experience, strategic judgment, and is excellent with clients’, and similarly focusses primarily on handling mandates for HNW and UHNW individuals, senior executives, and family-based applications. Counsel Lee Jackson is also a key contact for this work.

Fieldfisher is led in its immigration work by director Joanna Hunt who brings her ‘world-class expertise‘ to the firm, advising businesses and HNW individuals in respect of global mobility, sponsor licences, and prevention of illegal working. The wider firm’s full-service offering and global reach are boons to the immigration offering, as is senior associate Gillian McKearney who works across tech, hospitality, retail, and life sciences.

Fox Williams LLP has particular strength in handling immigration issues for professional services, acting for a number of overseas law firms, as well as financial services and fintech clients. The team has a track record in providing corporate support, TUPE assistance, and global mobility route advice, being led by the ‘professional, expert, and efficient‘ Sacha Schoenfeld, who brings her extensive immigration experience to the practice. Associate Yawar Abbas is also a key point of contact.

Freemans Solicitors has a strong reputation in nationality and citizenship matters, unlawful detention cases, and other complex immigration matters that interface with human rights and asylum. Oluwole Osibona heads up the team, and is described as ‘a brilliant lawyer and a great personality‘, with substantial experience in human rights and sports law. Immigration advisors Katarzyna Jurkun, Meg Omolayole, and Lorraine De Guzman are also of note.

Freeths LLP has proven capabilities in compliance, training, and sponsor licence work, and undertakes immigration due diligence in support of the wider firm’s corporate practice, in relation to major transactional mandates. Emma Brooksbank heads the national work from Leeds, and Shradha Virji is a key contact in the London practice.

Gherson LLP draws on the substantial experience of its founder, and eminent practitioner in the immigration space, Roger Gherson, to provide bespoke solutions to the complex matters of its predominantly HNW individuals client list. The firm’s business immigration offering is headed by senior solicitor Denise Osterwald and has been combined with the private client practice, making it well-placed to handle work for individuals seeking global talent, sole representative, or innovator and start-up visas. Solicitor Lisa Uttley is a key contact for this work. Charles Burnett takes a lead on much of the firm’s human rights and appeals work, handling a range of politically sensitive and complex work for HNW individuals. Both Burnett and the firm as a whole have extensive experience across the full gamut of related issues, with capabilities across extradition, sanctions, human rights, and asylum claims. Solicitor Amalia Gherson is noted for her work on novel issues arising from this practice.

Harbottle & Lewis LLP is led by Sarah Gogan, who has significant expertise in handling complex and politically sensitive asylum cases concerning high-profile individuals, with a specific interest in the interplay between extradition and asylum. The wider practice reflects this, with capabilities in handling cross-border mandates and handling matters that have issues of human rights and international protection. The team operates within the wider private client and tax practice, with the firm’s numerous HNW clients being able to benefit from the firm’s strong offerings in these areas.

ITN Solicitors has a particular strength in handling deportation cases, working closely with the wider firm’s crime department, and a track record in matters engaging national security, asylum, judicial review, and vulnerable clients. Practice head Syed Naqvi has a ‘high level of care and skill in advancing his client’s interest‘ on top of his significant experience in complex contentious immigration work, having worked on a number of cases before appellate courts.

JMW Solicitors LLP has a broad practice comprised of different specialist teams, handling immigration mandates through its corporate specialist, personal immigration, and project and industry groups. The corporate team has care, construction, energy and food production as sector specialisms, and the firm as a whole has strength in sport related matters. Dipesh Shah heads the practice, acting in relation to the full range of corporate and personal immigration matters, and works alongside Hateem Ali, who joined in July 2022 from GSC Solicitors LLP, Nisha Patel, who joined in March 2023 from Russell-Cooke LLP, and the firm’s in-house barrister, Bahvini Bhatt.

Keystone Law covers the full range of business immigration work, with the firm possessing the capacity to assist in the relocation of senior staff, handling HNW individuals, and supporting other law firms that lack their own dedicated immigration offering. The firm has a large team of immigration specialists to draw upon, with key figures being Tsige Berhanu, Sharmila Mehta, Jayanti Mitra-Valdes, Nicola Richards, Christine Chiew, and Dhruti Thakrar with a range of specialisms.

One of the core strengths of Kingsley Napley LLP‘s immigration practice is its ability to leverage the resources of the firm’s broad offering, with human rights, appeals, and overstay matters being run out of the firm’s international protection group, and the business immigration team calling upon related offerings in real estate and private client. Nicolas Rollason heads the ‘very large‘ practice, and has ‘exceptional knowledge and experience.’ Key contacts for business immigration are Ilda De Sousa, Marcia Longson, and Kim Vowden, who advise the practice’s client base of major financial bodies and multinational companies. They are also noted for their work in relation to human rights, appeals, and overstays, where they work alongside the ‘outstanding‘ Katie Newbury and associate Oliver Oldman, who head up much of the firm’s specialist immigration private client work.

Laura Devine Immigration leverages the wide-ranging experience of its ‘exceptionally capable‘ team, which acts across the full gamut of immigration work, substantively working with immigration-related organisations ‘to achieve legislative and policy changes‘. Laura Devine heads the entire firm while Sophie Barrett-Brown leads the business practice, Barrett-Brown being described as ‘a stand-out individual and leader in the immigration law sector‘ for her work in personal immigration. Natasha Chell works at the intersection of business and personal matters, advising senior executives, HNW individuals, and families, while Christi Hufford Jackson heads the US immigration team in both New York and London, providing a market-leading US immigration service. The firm’s offering, particularly in relation to human rights, appeals, and overstays, has been strengthened with the promotion of Zeena Luchowa, Matthew Wills, and Francesca Sciberras to partner in June 2023, with Luchowa and Wills now leading on work in this area.

Lewis Silkin has particular strength in the sport and creative industries, but has the capability to handle the full range of immigration issues for multinationals, start-ups, private, and HNW clients. Andrew Osborne deploys his significant immigration expertise as practice head, actively lobbying on behalf of clients and providing advice on strategic and complex immigration mandates. Naomi Hanrahan-Soar was promoted to partner in March 2023, and has a base in the science and technology sectors, with a track record advising both HNW individuals and corporate clients. Supinder Sian works with a number of major corporate clients in relation to UK inbound immigration, global mobility programs, and broader pan-European immigration matters, with niche expertise in the International Agreement contractual service supplier sponsorship. Stephen O’Flaherty assists numerous tech clients, but is primarily noted for his aptitude in handling the transfer of players and coaches in the sports industry.

Macfarlanes LLP advises a number of financial service providers and clients related to the technology sector in a range of immigration matters, with further capabilities in compliance, due diligence for transactions, and employment-related work. Edward Reed heads the practice, while senior associate Tom Marsom leads the firm’s global mobility work and is noted for his abilities in crisis management.

Magrath Sheldrick LLP has a strong global offering, with a proven track record in handling mandates concerning immigration outside the UK, drawing upon the firm’s international presence. With an office in Singapore and a range of services to assist global clients with compliance, coordination, and risk, the firm is well-placed to advise its clients, which include major financial service sector operators and HNW individuals. Ben Sheldrick heads the firm’s global immigration services and leads the work from the Singaporean office, advising on strategy for global mobility mandates and working with a range of HNW individuals and high-profile corporate clients. Chris Magrath, co-founder of the firm, is dual-qualified in the US and the UK, working alongside US attorney Aryanah Eghbal as part of the firm’s dedicated US immigration offering. Joanne Taylor is also of note for her work in the corporate immigration space.

Headed by Colin Senez, Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP is a boutique law firm that focusses primarily on work around HNW individuals, with a fully integrated service that includes tax, domicile, and other relevant services. Ceris Gardner works alongside managing partner Emma-Jane Weider, who has a broad private wealth practice.

Meymand Maczynski Ltd specialises in the routes available for HNW individuals, with an established track record in innovator, entrepreneur, and global talent visas through a combination of acquired expertise and contacts. The team also has proven capabilities in handling graduate visas, and serves a number of fintech and fashion sector clients through its broader corporate offering. Sam Meymand leads the practice with his notable ‘experience, expertise and integrity‘, working alongside Olga Meymand.

With experience across a range of sectors, including education, health, charities, sports, and private wealth, Mills & Reeve LLP is well-placed to assist clients in these industries with the full range of compliance matters and visa routes. Alex Russell, who has particular strength in the education sector, heads the national team. Russell works from Norwich alongside consultant Tracy Yates, who acts on the intersection of employment and immigration.

Mishcon de Reya LLP is the ‘go to‘ firm in ‘complex, high-profile asylum work‘, and has a ‘market leading‘ offering across personal immigration for HNW individuals and business immigration for major companies. The wider firm’s capabilities across a range of practice areas provide added value for clients, with white collar crime, extradition, and cyber teams available for asylum clients just as corporate and employment assist in business immigration. Steven Bostock heads the practice, having qualified in the US and the UK to provide a specialised service in US/UK migration matters. Kamal Rahman is ‘an absolute authority‘ on private wealth, acting for major HNW families from a range of regions, Hannah Barnett advises on HNW and business immigration, and Maria Patsalos undertakes ‘first-rate‘ work across immigration matters and is particularly noted for her work in human rights, asylum, and the sports sector. Managing associate Natalie Loader is ‘a standout professional‘ with expertise in compliance, and fellow managing associate Neil Shanghavi has substantial experience in the financial services sector.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP‘s global immigration offering is run by the Washington-based Shannon Donnelly, who works closely with Matthew Howse as the practice head of the UK labour and employment team. The UK immigration practice is closely integrated with the wider employment offering as part of the firm’s holistic HR services. The firm acts for a number of high-profile multinational clients, with particular strengths in US-based entities, and has a core focus on media, tech, entertainment, and finance sector companies and executives. Associates Jennifer Connolly, Yvette Allen, and Carina Bryk are key contacts for London immigration work.

NNU Immigration is a London-based US immigration firm that works exclusively on UK to US immigration mandates, working with a number of UK law firms and multinational companies to assist in their US inbound relocation matters. Practice head Nita Nicole Upadhye is highly experienced in this field, acting for a range of businesses and individuals.

Osborne Clarke LLP has a demonstrated capability in handling a range of business critical immigration mandates for major multinational clients, with a particularly strong track record in assisting energy and tech related businesses. Practice head Gavin Jones works primarily in relation to inward investment and international companies looking to establish a UK presence. Bristol-based directors Adam Sinfield and Helga Butler provide support.

OTS Solicitors has capable landlord/tenant and family departments to provide valuable assistance for inbound individuals, in addition to an employment and human resources offering to assist businesses in establishing. For business immigration, the firm has experience assisting businesses secure staff in the care and hospitality sectors, and otherwise has acted in a number of complex appeals and applications. Oshin Shahiean and Teni Shahiean head up the entire firm, covering the full extent of immigration work with a shared expertise in human rights, while the ‘outstanding‘ Hans Sok Appadu leads on the business immigration work. Consultant Paul Gulbenkian brings both valuable experience and contacts to the business immigration practice.

Payne Hicks Beach LLP specialises in handling HNW and UHNW clients in relation to the full gamut of immigration matters, drawing upon its related services in tax, media, reputation, and family to fully service this client base. Kathryn Bradbury leads on the work relating to business immigration, working closely with the firm’s corporate team in advising a number of businesses in the finance and tech spaces in addition to a range of HNW individuals. Bradbury is noted for her ‘unequalled knowledge of the workings of the home office‘ and geographical breadth of her clients. Matt Ingham heads up matters concerning HNW asylum claims, and has technical proficiency across the commercial, political, and diplomatic dimensions of claims of this nature. Ingham has experience in all aspects of this work, with expertise that encompasses human rights issues, resisting extradition, challenging red flag notices, and corporate raiding, and associate Gintare Plistkovaite assists in relation to the full range of matters.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP provides a full service immigration offering for a range of clients, but possesses particular sector strengths in relation to education, tech, and private wealth. As a freestanding immigration practice within a full-service law firm, the team is able to leverage both a genuine immigration specialism and wider offerings in related areas of tax, employment, and corporate law. The firm’s offering has been bolstered by the addition of the audit compliance and training arm to the immigration team. Practice head Pat Saini is also the co-lead of the firm’s India group, and deploys her substantial experience in education and tech to related matters. Hazar El-Chamaa leads on private wealth work, acting for clients from every part of the world, while senior associate Meghan Vozila works with HNW clients, particularly in creative industries. Associate Jen Parker joined from Bindmans LLP in September 2022, and brings expertise in private individual cases, namely those related to exceptional applications and engaging human rights.

RLegal Solicitors advise HNW individuals and start-ups in relation to compliance and sponsor licence matters, and has an established capability of challenging Home Office decisions through judicial review proceedings. Co-head of the practice David Robinson brings his broad and extensive expertise to the practice, with a client base primarily of SMEs and private individuals, as does co-head Evan Remedios, whose experience as a court advocate provides valuable insight in contentious immigration matters.

Russell-Cooke LLP provides immigration support for major corporate transactions headed by leading US and UK law firms, advising on the immigration implications of acquisitions, divestitures, and restructures. For personal immigration, the firm undertakes complex work for HNW individuals, those seeking to establish start-ups, and a number of other individuals, and has an established niche in handling international surrogacy arrangements. Practice head Edward Wanambwa brings his experience in corporate law to the firm’s business immigration practice, with particular experience in handling immigration mandates for national and international corporates, in addition to a strong track record in advising individuals in their personal immigration matters. Legal counsel Tom Bradford, as a former barrister, is noted for his expertise in handling contentious immigration work.

Sheridans has carved out a niche advising clients in the entertainment and tech spaces, working across sport, TV, video games, fashion, and a number of other industries. Owen Jones heads the team and works alongside Anita Pali, both of whom have a sector focus that reflects the wider firm, employing their extensive experience to assist high-profile clients across a range of media and sports businesses and individuals.

Leveraging the team’s ‘deep understanding of employment immigration‘ to advise a number of major global corporate clients, Squire Patton Boggs is particularly well-placed to advise on complex, cross-border mandates due to its broad geographical footprint, with teams across Europe, Asia, the US, and Latin America, and the multidisciplinary capabilities of the wider firm. Annabel Mace heads the practice and is noted for being ‘extremely knowledgeable‘ on matters relating to immigration compliance issues, reinstating sponsor licences at risk of revocation, and defending civil penalty claims. Senior associate May Cheung specialises in advising major international corporations in business expansion to the UK, assisting through compliance, training, and advice relating to the full range of available routes.

Sterling Law is led by Ruslan Kosarenko, Yuriy Lysenko, Michael Iatsukha and newly promoted immigration partner Edward Meade, with each bringing substantial expertise to the practice. The team handles a range of mandates, including HNW individual applications, sponsor licences, and appeals, and is noted for ‘its excellent understanding of immigration issues relating to Eastern Europe‘ and the Middle East. Associate Nozima Rakhimjonova is also a key contact.

Sutovic & Hartigan specialises in asylum and international protection work, with a strength in complex asylum and deportation appeals. Head of the practice Paul Nettleship, noted as a ‘safe pair of hands‘ in this space, has been joined in May 2022 by Zofia Duszynska from Duncan Lewis Solicitors, bringing with her a ‘huge reputation in the trafficking field‘.

Taylor Wessing LLP is noted for the strength of its global capabilities, both due to the wider firm’s presence internationally, and the team’s global focus. The group has ‘exceptional expertise’ in tech-related work. Practice head Sean Nesbitt leads on the firm’s integrated employment offering as co-head of the firm’s international employment, pensions, and mobility offering, while Charlie Pring and Vikki Wiberg focus exclusively on immigration mandates. Pring heads the team’s work for in-bound work from North America and has extensive experience working with tech sector clients, while Wiberg handles in-bound work from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East in addition to HNW matters.

The business immigration team of Travers Smith LLP is couched within the wider offering, providing an integrated global mobility offering for the firm’s high-profile financial service clients; able to draw on the tax and regulatory offering of the firm, the team is well-placed to assist in global business structuring and relocation mandates. Ed Mills heads the practice, drawing on his immigration and employment expertise primarily in advising US-based companies setting up London offices. Siân Keall, Tim Gilbert, and Adam Wyman similarly bring combined immigration and employment expertise, while senior associate Moji Oyediran focusses solely on immigration matters.

The immigration boutique Vanessa Ganguin Immigration Law covers the full scope of immigration work, acting for a range of clients across a range of sectors including media, sport, financial services, and tech. The practice is led by the ‘impressive‘ Vanessa Ganguin, whose substantial expertise straddles the full range of business and personal immigration matters across a number of industries. Senior counsel Philip Trott is also noted for his significant experience, which he employs for complex work arising in relation to discretionary applications and national security issues. Senior associates Ben Maitland and Anushka Sinha bolstered the team with their arrivals in October 2022 and January 2023 respectively, and are key contacts within the department, as is ‘solutions-focused’ senior client manager Ross Kennedy.

Vialto Partners works with a range of leading banks, multinational corporates and private clients on all manner of high-profile business immigration matters. Key names to note include Ian Robinson, Lyudmyla Davies, and Lindsey Barras.

Watson Farley & Williams LLP has carved out a niche advising clients in the maritime sector in relation to the full range of immigration issues, as this is one of the firm’s core sector focusses, alongside the energy sector and tech and digital spaces. Co-head of the practice Devan Khagram leads the work in these sectors, and has particular expertise in matters concerning the relocation of executives in companies with complex structures. Anna Robinson co-heads the team, and has a focus on complex settlement and naturalisation applications as part of a broader practice assisting HNW individuals.

Advising clients across immigration, asylum and nationality matters, Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP is particularly noted for its capabilities in cases that involve LGBTQI+ migrants and asylum seekers, victims of domestic abuse, and international surrogacy arrangements. Co-head of the practice Barry O’Leary has strengths in all of these specialist areas, being noted as ‘the standout immigration and nationality lawyer when it comes to surrogacy arrangements’, in addition to experience in handling applications on the basis of partnership and families. Alison Hunter is another co-lead and has expertise in EU free movement and the EU Settlement Scheme, in addition to a niche practice relating to intercountry adoption matters. Co-lead Diana Baxter covers the full range of the complex nationality work for which the wider firm is known, and also covers family-related matters engaging human rights, where she is ‘on top of the case law and knows how to use it to ensure success for her clients‘. They are joined by the newly promoted Katie Dilger who made partner in 2023, bringing her specialism in family-related matters.

Wilson Solicitors LLP works on a wide range of complex and sensitive asylum, human rights, and deportation mandates, deploying its team of specialists who are each regarded as ‘highly knowledgeable in their respective fields‘. Anita Vasisht heads the practice, with experience in complex asylum claims and specific niches in national security and Palestinian refugee claims. Ana Gonzalez handles work concerning asylum and apostacy, and Muhunthan Paramesvaran has notable experience before appellate courts. Matthew Davies has a practice that encompasses human rights in respect of EU nationals and international surrogacy, Marcela Navarrete has expertise in handling claims around detention and is noted for her ‘excellent work on Afghan judiciary judicial review work‘, Aisling Ni Chuinn remains at the forefront of matters concerning the removal of vulnerable asylum seekers to third countries, and Chris McKendry has a strong track record in work relating to national security. Associates Imogen Townley and Mala Savjani are also key contacts, as is senior consultant Michael Hanley.

Withers LLP draws upon the international footprint and broad capabilities of the wider firm to provide a full-service global immigration offering. The team is led by Tracy Evlogidis who acts across a large number of sectors, feeding into the practice’s wide-ranging client base in her work across fintech, fashion, charity, design, and sport. She was joined in November 2022 by Nicolette Bostock from Laura Devine Immigration, who brings her strength in discretionary applications to the Home Office.

Wright Hassall LLP operates out of Leamington Spa, but act as ‘subject matter experts‘ for a client base of leading London law firms, with proven capabilities advising major multinational companies on immigration matters. The team additionally acts for HNW individuals on complex mandates. Matthew Davies leads the team, supplementing his broad immigration expertise with a specialism in the intersection of employment and immigration in relation to illegal workers and dismissals. Tracie Udall is ‘extremely helpful‘, and another key contact.