The Northern Ireland practice is part of our all-island multidisciplinary approach to immigration and our international Global Mobility Services network.
The team provides legal advice on all aspects of UK immigration law (Northern Ireland has the same immigration rules as the UK), and generally provides advice and assistance in the following areas:
The impact of Brexit and the EU Settlement Scheme
The team advises on the impact of Brexit and the EU Settlement Scheme, and assists employers formulate plans to retain their EU workers*. We provide one to one assistance with employees (including completing immigration applications), training for Human Resources staff and management, facilitate workshops for impacted staff and provide information such as FAQ documents.
Philip McNally, a Manager in our team, is engaged regularly as a public speaker on this topic.
*Employers should note that every EU26 national (an EU national who is neither British nor Irish) is required to make a mandatory application under the EU Settlement Scheme. If an application is not made, the employee will have not have evidence of their right to live and work in the UK.
Sponsor licences and UK visa applications
- Since the decision of Britain to leave the EU, less and less EU nationals have come to live and work in the UK. As a result, employers are being forced to look beyond the EU for potential employees.
- The team assists companies with Sponsor Licence applications (to allow a company to employ non EU workers) managing the Sponsor Management System and visa applications for their employees.
The immigration impact caused due to mergers and acquisitions
Further immigration support services
Depending on the immigration requirements of the company, we also provide services such as:
- EU Settlement Scheme applications
- Applications to become a British citizen
- Immigration due diligence (e.g. Right to Work checks, immigration audits)
- Advisory support on The Common Travel Area and Civil Penalty Notices
- A range of Apps which can help your immigration function
The Corporate Immigration and Employment Law team also advise on Irish citizenship applications.
