Immigration and Asylum

Licensing

Family and Children Law

Sophie has considerable experience in all areas of immigration law. She regularly appears in appeals before the First-Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in asylum and human rights, deportation, as well as entry clearance cases. She advises on merits of fresh immigration and asylum claims, claims certified as clearly unfounded and challenges to trafficking assessments.

Sophie has with particular expertise in working with very vulnerable clients such as minors; victims of torture including sexual violence; and victims of trafficking and exploitation.

Sophie also has expertise in immigration matters including EEA nationals and their family members.

Sophie enjoys working with clients from an early stage of a case and regularly advises on evidence and procedure.

Sophie also accepts instructions on a Public Access basis.

Notable Cases

She has been involved in a number of reported cases including :

• Tanveer Ahmed (Documents- unreliable and forged)* [2002] UKIAT 439 : In this starred determination, the Upper Tribunal provides guidance on the principles and standard of proof to be applied in the assessment of documentary evidence in asylum appeals.
• MOJ & ors (return to Mogadishu) Somalia CG [2014]UKUT 00442 : The Tribunal considered the issues of Article 15(c) risks, IDP’s and internal flight within the complex security situation in Somalia.
• VB & Anor (draft evaders and prison conditions : Ukraine) CG [2017]UKUT 79  The Upper Tribunal accepted that there is a real risk that detention and imprisonment conditions in Ukraine will breach article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Upper Tribunal also accepted that convicted criminals, including those who have evaded military service and were sentenced in absentia, face a real risky of detention upon their return to Ukraine.

Privacy Notice

Download Sophie's Privacy Notice.

LLB (Hons)

LLM International & Commercial Law