John is a Law Society of Scotland-accredited specialist UK immigration and nationality lawyer. He works with businesses and their HR teams to guide them through the sponsor licence and skilled worker visa system. He advises private individuals on their migration plans and helps them choose the best migration strategy for their needs.
John is a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) and co-convener of ILPA's Scotland Working Group. He sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law.
John regularly guides businesses and their HR teams through the sponsor licence system, enabling their staff to secure Skilled Worker visas. He has advised a wide range of sectors ranging from hospitality, leisure and construction, to space and technology.
In addition to advising on licensing requirements, John has particular expertise helping businesses navigate the immigration rules for foreign nationals entering the UK to undertake after-sales installation and servicing work in the UK in relation to contracts with overseas companies.
As well as working with businesses, John also works with private individuals and their families to help them choose the best migration strategy for their needs. John has an interest in current and historical British citizenship law and ancestry, and particular expertise in problem-solving complex immigration cases.
John recently helped a large space technology company secure a sponsor licence to support recruitment of specialist engineers. He works with a large number of companies to ensure they make the most of their existing sponsor licences and help them navigate the Home Office's sponsorship system.
John routinely advises the higher education sector on compliance duties for both sponsored workers and sponsored students.
John's litigation experience includes representing clients in immigration appeals at the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal and acting as instructing solicitor in immigration, asylum, and nationality cases at the Scottish Court of Session, the UK Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights. He was lead solicitor in the landmark Supreme Court case of The Advocate General for Scotland v Romein [2018] UKSC 6 which opened up a route to British citizenship for children of foreign-born British women born outside of the UK and Commonwealth between 1949 and 1983.
John has concluded several complex international adoption cases, including Hague Convention adoptions, step-parent adoptions, and petitions for recognition of foreign adoptions at common law.
He was a key author of the immigration chapter of the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia published in 2016 and is a regular contributor to the Free Movement blog, covering immigration and nationality case law, news, and commentary.
