Immigration
with immigration, but started tosteer away from asylumandhuman rights. I decided toenter business immigrationbecause thepoints-based systemlaunched in2008and I wanted to focus onadifferent aspect of immigration.” Over time, Rizwanahas fully immersedherself into thesector: “Now I strictlydobusiness immigrationand95%ofwhat I do iscorporate. It’sa verydifferent processand incredibly fast- paced. There isa lot of strategy involvedandour focus ishelpingcorporatesmanage their skilled workforce, while remainingcompliant.” According toRizwana, “it’sall about findingsolutions for your clients –wehave toworkwithclients tocomeup with thebest results.” Implicationsof shifting immigrationpolicies “Therehavebeensignificant changes to the UnitedKingdom’s immigrationpolicies,” says Rizwana. “Therehasbeenaneed toconstantlyadapt to ongoingchallenges to the industry suchasBrexit andending freemovement, thenegotiationand impact of theUK’s relationshipwith theEU; aswell asglobal considerations suchas thecoronavirus pandemicand restrictionson international travel, whichover thepast 18monthsadversely affected theplanningandmanagement of skilled, talentedworkforce relocating todifferent global locations forworkpurposes. Thesehurdles havesteadilycontinued tokeepusengaged asmanyclientshaveneededclarityonhowto deal with theuncertaintiesalong theway; and adviceonhowtomanage their skilledworkforce during these tentative times. TheUKhas seena new immigrationsystemintroducedwhich led to increasingstrategicdiscussionswithclients aboutmaintaining the flexibilityanddiversityof theirworkforce. Somebusinesseshave faced dilemmaswherehighly skilled talent no longer want to relocate to theUK, whileother employers havebeenexceptionally keen to implement newprocessesunder thenewUK immigration systemin readiness for abig recruitment initiative. Not all clientshavehad thesameexperiences
Immigration lawyersdealwithall legalmatters relatingto immigrationandnationality. Theworkranges fromasylumandhuman rightsclaims throughapplicationsbyfamily membersandstudents tohowbusinessescan secure immigrationstatus for theiremployees. There isasignificantand increasingEUlaw element, andmanycasesraise important humanrights issues.The lawisrapidly developing intermsofbothstatute lawand jurisprudence, andprocedural timeframes aretight.There isagooddeal ofoverlapwith employment, tax, socialwelfare,mental health, prison law, criminal lawandcivil actions. RizwanaQuazi, nowabusiness immigration lawyer, never dreamedof beingasolicitor: “I always said that if I were togo into the legal profession, I wouldbeabarrister, so I didmy law degreeandBar Professional TrainingCourse thinking thatwas the route I wouldpursue.” Fromasylumseekers tobusiness immigration Followingher degree, Rizwanabegan looking for experience: “I started looking for apupillage, but during that time I neededexperience, so I began doingadvocacyat asolicitors’ firm. I practice business immigrationnow, butwhen I startedout itwasabout gettingexperience.Wewereasked togo to the immigration tribunal and represent asylumseekers. Itwasagoodway toget the know-howandskills that I neededbecause itwasall advocacy. If youwere luckyenough tobeacaseworker –which I was –youwere responsible for handlingeverythingend-to-end. I wasprogressingcases fromstart to finish, so I felt I wasgetting thebest of bothworldsof clientwork andadvocacy.” Rizwanaeventuallybecameasenior case worker andwasofferedanopportunity to take part in theQualifiedLawyersTransfer Scheme toswitch tobecomeasolicitor – something that wasultimatelyaharddecision: “I didn’twant to let thebarrister routego, even though I wasquite senior inmycurrent role, because I had invested a lot. I eventuallymoved firmsandcontinued
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