SERVICE

Immigration Law

Key contact

Morton Fraser Partner Stuart McWilliams
Stuart McWilliams
Partner
Stuart is an accredited specialist in immigration law and a partner in our Litigation division in Glasgow. 
0141 274 1147

Immigration law changes frequently and it can be difficult to keep up to date. After Brexit, many EU nationals now need visas to come and work in the UK, and existing employees may need to provide evidence of their residence rights in order to continue to work.

Benefits we bring to your business 

We appreciate that keeping up to date with the immigration rules can be a complex and time-consuming distraction from your business, and not every business can afford to have a full time employee dedicated to immigration compliance.

 A business can find itself dealing with any number of immigration issues such as:

  • Confirming an employee or prospective employee has the right to work, and any limitations the business needs to be aware of
  • Setting up robust right to work processes, and training staff in relation to these, in order to prevent the business incurring Home Office fines of up to £20,000 if an employee doesn't have the appropriate visa to work in the UK
  • Wanting to hire an international graduate from a UK University, or recruit from overseas. This requires the business to apply for a Skilled Worker licence and the rules around these can be complicated
  • Once a business holds a Skilled Worker or Intra Company Transfer Sponsor Licence, it is necessary to fulfil compliance duties to the Home Office and keep correct records to avoid losing the licence and key staff
  • Complying with Home Office audit requests, which can apply to businesses with Sponsor Licences and those without licences. Often these audits can take place without warning and if a member of staff is not prepared, they may not understand what is expected of them and this can cause unnecessary stress and panic
  • Dealing with allegations of improper procedure and the suspension or revocation of a Sponsor Licence

Our expert team of immigration lawyers can help solve your immigration issues as swiftly and cost effectively as possible. We are able to:

  • Quickly provide clear advice on right to work issues, and how to establish processes which provide your business with protection from Home Office fines and enforcement action
  • Assist with applications to become a Licensed Sponsor with the Home Office and explain what is required of your business, and how to fulfil the compliance duties
  • Preparing and delivering training to staff who will deal with immigration matters, including carrying our immigration compliance audits to prepare you for any unannounced visits from the Home Office
  • Prepare or review visa applications on behalf of key employees
  • If you do encounter problems, we have also successfully responded to Home Office suspension letters and enabled businesses to keep their Sponsor Licence despite being found to have fallen short of the compliance obligations