Immigration Solicitor

City Legal Services Ltd; Harrow; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Professional development opportunities

Technology-enabled practice

Job summary

City Legal Solicitors in Harrow is seeking an experienced Immigration Solicitor to manage a complex caseload, mentor a high-performing team, and contribute to business development.

You will specialise in UK corporate immigration, sponsor licence matters, appeals, and advisory work for SMEs, with a clear path towards senior leadership as the department grows.

Qualifications

• UK-qualified solicitor with at least 3 years PQE in Corporate Immigration.
• Experience handling sponsor licence suspensions, revocation challenges, and compliance duties.
• Strong advocacy skills and tribunal experience.

Responsibilities

• Advising SMEs and multinational sponsors on UK corporate immigration matters with pragmatic legal solutions.
• Supervising and mentoring a team of paralegals; contributing to business development.
• Representing clients before tribunals and courts as required; handling appeals and judicial reviews.

Job description

City Legal Solicitors is a forward-thinking, SRA-regulated law firm specialising in UK Corporate Immigration. Based in Harrow and operating successfully for over 12 years, we are recognised for our commitment to transparency, innovation, and delivering exceptional results tailored to our clients’ individual needs. We embrace cutting-edge legal technology, fostering a progressive and collaborative culture that values growth, integrity, and client satisfaction.

We are now looking to expand our growing legal delivery team with the appointment of an experienced Immigration Solicitor who will play a key role in managing complex caseloads and mentoring a high-performing legal team.

The Role

As an Immigration Solicitor, you will be responsible for managing a broad range of personal and corporate immigration matters, with a particular emphasis on sponsor licence compliance, suspension and revocation defence, judicial review of Home Office sponsor licence decisions, and business immigration strategy. You will supervise and mentor a team of paralegals, contribute to business development, and represent clients before tribunals and courts when required. This role is ideal for a solicitor looking to move into a senior, supervisory position, with a clear pathway towards Senior Associate / Team Lead / Partner responsibilities as the department continues to expand.

Key Responsibilities

• Advising SMEs, scale-ups, and multinational sponsors on a full range of UK corporate immigration matters, delivering commercially focused and pragmatic legal solutions.
• Providing strategic workforce planning advice, supporting clients with long-term immigration strategy, talent mobility, and sponsorship planning aligned with business growth.
• Managing a diverse caseload including sponsor licence applications, Skilled Worker, Global Mobility, Global Talent, Nationality, and private client immigration matters.
• Advising on and supporting complex sponsor licence compliance matters, including audits, risk assessments, and remedial action to ensure ongoing Home Office compliance.
• Preparing and submitting sponsor licence suspension responses and undertaking sponsor licence revocation challenges, including detailed legal representations to the Home Office.
• Acting for and engaging with high-value corporate clients, building trusted, long-term relationships and delivering a premium, client-focused service.
• Handling refusal, appeal, and judicial review matters, including preparation of legal representations and supporting proceedings before the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, and High Court, where appropriate.
• Supervising, mentoring, and supporting junior team members, assisting with case progression, training, and development under the guidance of senior management.
• Conducting file reviews and quality checks to ensure compliance with SRA, Home Office, and internal regulatory requirements.
• Contributing to business development and marketing initiatives, including client engagement, thought leadership, and service promotion.
• Assisting with the development of internal policies, precedents, compliance frameworks, and the firm’s sponsor licence compliance portal offered to clients.
• Supporting the onboarding and training of new hires and playing an active role in department growth and service development.
• Working towards designation as the firm's Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP), taking responsibility for the firm's regulatory compliance framework, risk management, and reporting of any serious breaches to the SRA.

Essential Requirements

• UK-qualified solicitor with a minimum of 3 years PQE in Corporate Immigration.
• In-depth knowledge of Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Sponsorship Licence and business visitor routes.
• Experience representing clients in appeals, administrative reviews, and judicial reviews.
• Demonstrable experience advising on sponsor licence suspensions, revocation challenges, and compliance duties.
• Experience handling personal immigration matters such as spouse visas, British citizenship, settlement, and visitor visas.
• Strong advocacy skills and tribunal experience are highly desirable.
• Proficient in the full Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced skills in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

What We’re Looking For

• A commercially minded and client-focused solicitor with a proven track record of success.
• An entrepreneurial approach to legal practice, with a passion for delivering innovative, technology-driven solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail.
• A collaborative team player who thrives in a fast-paced and supportive environment.
• Demonstrable experience supervising junior fee-earners, together with prior involvement in compliance, file review, or risk management functions within an SRA-regulated environment.

What We Offer

• A dynamic and inclusive workplace culture that values transparency, growth, and professional development.
• Clear progression opportunities and increasing leadership responsibility as the firm grows.
• Access to modern legal systems and digital tools
• Competitive salary starting from £40,000, depending on experience and the chance to be part of a forward-thinking, growing law firm.

Expected start date: ASAP, or by October 2026