Presenting Officer

Government Recruitment Service; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A government agency in Cardiff is seeking Presenting Officers to represent the Secretary of State at Immigration Tribunal hearings. The role involves preparing and presenting cases, requiring strong advocacy skills and resilience. Candidates need to thrive in demanding environments and maintain a comprehensive understanding of immigration law. This position offers part-time working hours with opportunities for training and personal development in a dynamic legal context.

Benefits

Comprehensive training programme

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Proven experience in presenting cases in legal settings.
• Ability to prepare documents and submissions effectively.
• Capacity to handle a demanding and dynamic workload.

Responsibilities

• Present cases before the Immigration Tribunal on working days.
• Prepare and present cases, reviewing decisions and key evidence.
• Maintain understanding of immigration law and policies.
• Work flexibly with operational needs and court changes.
• Develop structured submissions in adversarial environments.
• Complete post-hearing work accurately and timely.
• Build relationships with stakeholders in the legal process.

Skills

Ability to remain calm under pressure

Strong advocacy skills

Understanding of immigration law

Personal resilience

Job description

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter‑terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Customer Services Group is an important operational arm of the Home Office, responsible for delivering a wide range of public services that support the UK’s economy and cultural life. Our work spans the administration of passports, citizenship, civil registration, and visas, as well as managing asylum applications, support and accommodation, along with resettlement and returns.

ALAR (Appeals, Litigation and Administrative Review), part of Asylum and Human Rights Operations within the Home Office, plays a vital role in ensuring fairness and integrity in the UK’s immigration system. We manage and review cases where appeals or legal challenges arise, defend decisions where appropriate, and provide remedies for applications that do not meet Immigration Rules.

Appeals is the largest area within ALAR, with around 1,200 colleagues across 10 locations. Our team represents the Secretary of State in Immigration Tribunal hearings, ensuring decisions are robust, lawful, and fair.

Every member of the Appeals team helps maintain effective immigration control, deliver accurate decisions, and keep the UK safe and secure—while protecting the integrity of the system and upholding individual rights.

Presenting Officers represent the Secretary of State at the First-tier Immigration Tribunal, preparing and presenting a challenging caseload independently to ensure sustainable decisions are robustly defended. This is a very demanding position, requiring the ability to remain positive and focused in a challenging, dynamic and fast-changing environment.

Presenting Officers need to retain composure and operate effectively when faced with frequent and often robust challenge from legal representatives and Immigration Judges and a high degree of personal resilience to quickly move forward when challenged.

The role requires extended periods of concentration and focus when preparing cases, presenting in opposition to legal representatives and undertaking target‑driven review work.

Post holders must be able to operate largely autonomously, balance a challenging schedule of case preparation, frequent attendance at the immigration Tribunal, and complex immigration review work.

For all its challenge, the role offers a unique opportunity to develop advocacy and decision‑making skills in a fast‑paced legal environment and the opportunity to develop expertise in immigration law and advocacy.

If you thrive in a challenging, dynamic environment, enjoy problem‑solving, and want a role that makes a real impact on the integrity of the UK’s immigration system, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Present cases before the Immigration Tribunal on approximately 60% of working days, ensuring professionalism and appropriate conduct in a public setting.
• Prepare and present cases effectively, including reviewing decisions and legal representations to assess their sustainability and identify key evidence for strong arguments.
• Develop and maintain a sound understanding of immigration law, policy, and processes.
• Work flexibly to accommodate court listing changes and operational needs, including preparing and presenting cases at short notice.
• Deliver structured submissions and cross‑examination in an adversarial environment to uphold decisions appropriately.
• Complete post‑hearing work accurately and within required timeframes.
• Undertake immigration review work in line with relevant rules, guidance, and standards when court attendance is not possible or as required by business needs.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with key stakeholders, including Immigration Judges, HM Courts and Tribunal Service staff, legal representatives, and colleagues across the Home Office.

Working Pattern

This role is suitable for part‑time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 21.6 hours per week for London locations and 21.72 hours per week in all other locations.

The extent to which the job holder’s time will be split between court and review work will be determined by operational requirements and so will vary over time. Job holders will therefore need to be flexible and open to undertaking all elements of the role as required and have the capacity and resilience to frequently present at the immigration tribunal on 60% of their contracted working days.

Training

Successful candidates will complete a comprehensive foundation and mentoring programme covering immigration law, tribunal procedures, safeguarding, and advocacy skills. Training includes classroom learning, mentoring, and consolidation sessions in a supportive environment, with progress formally assessed to ensure competence. Attendance in person is required, with limited flexibility on timings—please raise any concerns before applying. Candidates must be prepared to absorb complex information quickly and demonstrate continued development throughout training.

Travel

Successful candidates will join a busy team presenting cases at local Tribunal Hearing Centres. In some locations, the hearing centre may be further from home than the unit, and occasional travel to other centres may be required, though some hearings are via video link. Most hearings are in person, and listing arrangements can change, meaning hearings could revert to 100% face‑to‑face at any time. Staff must also attend the office for training, mentoring, and typically once every fortnight for team engagement.