How To Become An Immigration Lawyer

Hi, I'm Imran Bhatia. I'm due to start a training contract with the city firm next year and I'm a tutor at City Law Tutors in London. Today, I'm going to talk about how to become an immigration lawyer.

Immigration lawyers are rapidly growing area, and it's really important that lawyers are aware of changes such as in European union law and other international laws. In addition, people are becoming increasingly keen to exercise their rights and find out what they can or cannot do on the immigration law. So, as this area of law increases, such as competition for jobs within the field, so it's really important that somebody wishing to embark on a career as an immigration lawyer can develop certain skills on the way to this field.

The first stage would be in whatever undergraduate degree you choose to study to gain a good strong record, a 2-1 or a first would be advisable. This is important because then, you will need to go into law school either to study the GDL law conversion course if your first undergraduate degree was not in law and then to do the LPC or BPTC depending on whether you wish to be an immigration solicitor or a barrister respectively. If you have done the LOB degree at undergraduate level, you will go straight on to the one of the professional courses proceeding barrister as discussed.

When studying in your degree, be it a law degree or otherwise, and then your courses at law school, it will be very advisable to select modules or elective subjects which are linked to immigration law such as for example, European union law. This will enable you to get in a better understanding in the field you wish to work and also be able to demonstrate enthusiasm for the subject to an employer at a later date. It would be really important as well to keep up-to-date with developments and changes in this very fast-paced area of law.

This may also inform your selection of which law school and which course at law school you choose as you want to make sure that you are studying at an institution where the materials are kept up-to-date and the teaching reflects the latest styles of the law in the immigration field which is a rapidly growing and changing area. It would also be worth trying to gain an internship or work experience with either an immigration law firm or another law firm with a strong immigration department or alternatively with a government agency, just so to gain an insight into the work the immigration law does and to appreciate this field of work. It would also be worth maybe seeking international experience or possibly with a non-governmental organization.

It's really important for an immigration lawyer to appreciate the sensitivities of work at this area of law. These can be personal and cultural sensitivities as the law can be dealing with the difference between families keeping together and people's safety and wellbeing. So, an appreciation of different international and cultural differences would be really advisable here.

So, a strong academic record, experience within the field, subject choices that reflect an enthusiasm for the subject and also awareness of the international and other cultural factors at work in this area, are all really important for somebody wishing to become an immigration lawyer. .