How To Become An Immigration Lawyer

If working as an immigration lawyer is exciting, then this post is for you. If working for human rights and interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds makes you happy, you are perfect for the role of immigration lawyer.

In the UK, immigration law is a vast field. It requires much studying in criminal law, constitutional law, education law, family law, human rights, entertainment law, business law, sports law, and compliance. Immigration lawyers can also become transactional lawyers and can litigate in courts.

If you hope to become an immigration lawyer, you need to learn all the above types in bits and pieces. Immigration lawyers are part of the foundation that represents people with immigration difficulties. An excellent example of this would be immigration solicitors from Manchester who recognize and help people whose immigration status might affect them in their day to day life.

What Do Immigration Lawyers Do?

Immigration lawyers help families, students, individuals, skilled and unskilled workers navigate complex immigration systems, rules, and laws. Immigration status affects how the person works and also impacts other paths of life. Immigration status can affect tax structures, medical benefits, insurance, and so on. It is immigration lawyers that help deal with all the things related to status adjustments and assisting people.

Immigration lawyers represent people in courts like administrative and immigration, and they also counsel people about the various paths, legal issues, and documentation load surrounding UK immigration. Immigration lawyers also have the authority to advise clients based on their knowledge of UK law. Immigration lawyers can help citizens from other countries process their legal work status in the UK, applications for various visa types, and skills and labour jobs. Individuals wishing to come to the UK and work need to pass through serious vetting processes that are time-consuming and require much documentation. Immigration lawyers help with all legal immigration-related issues.

How To Become An Immigration Lawyer In The UK?

Like any other field of specialized study, the law requires hard work, skill, and determination. In the UK, immigration law is part of the LLB (Bachelor of Law) degree coursework. The LLB degree is available at several colleges and universities across the UK. The study duration ranges between 3 to 6 years and requires an article-ship (law internship) between semesters, with live coursework and cases. Students will also be required to pass stringent tests, assignments, and exams while practising in Moot courts.

However, the LLB is not the only way to become a lawyer. You can also study another course or subject at undergraduate level and complete a one year Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). This is a conversion course that opens opportunities for aspiring barristers and solicitors.

To become a solicitor in the UK, you are required to complete a vocational Legal Practice Course (LPC) before passing the Professional Skills Course while training with a law firm. Once you give these, you can apply for solicitor roles.

The solicitor apprenticeship program is a 6-year, level 7 program meant for A-level students, chartered legal executives, and paralegals. The study levels lessen if you are from another field of law with an apprenticeship.

From September 2021, new entrants will have to pass a Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). This examination will replace the LPC and GDL. However, this transition period will be extended for those already studying these courses.

Immigration law is part of the Immigration Law LLM (Masters in Law) course and can also be a specialization in some colleges and universities. The Immigration law course offers students an opportunity to learn how to respond to global level immigration crises and understand the law concerning human rights, political, and socio-economic dimensions. Immigration law also encompasses refugee law and international and comparative immigration negotiations. Immigration lawyers need to conduct critical analysis about the professional communities affected by global refugee and asylum seekers in response to the UK policies.

What Are The Careers In Immigration Law?

Immigration cases usually fall under two large categories – business immigration law and public law. Business immigration law usually involves troubleshooting employee cases, securing relevant visas for travel, employee migration, etc. General Immigration law deals with people seeking refuge, asylum, migration for work, permanent residency, student visa, tourists, illegal entrants and so on.

Immigration lawyers can seek employment in either of the two types, join the border immigration law department, or assist in human rights and refugee and asylum seeker rehabilitation programs. No matter which career path you choose, immigration law is highly fulfilling.