Immigration Associate - Compliance

Contract: Full time, permanent

Team: UK Inbound - Compliance team

Office Location: 1st Floor, 95 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7NA, United Kingdom OR 7th Floor, Saville House, 74-90 Savile Street, Sheffield S4 7UD, United Kingdom

The role: This is a fantastic opportunity for a solicitor qualified in England & Wales to join a successful team. This role is a unique opportunity, encouraging utilisation of entrepreneurial qualities and autonomy to liaise with existing clients while also growing new client business. The post holder will create innovative solutions, problem solve and provide collaborative support to colleagues within the team. Associates are responsible for assisting the team manager with the successful delivery of the team’s output of work and will report to the team manager in London. This includes, but is not limited to, allocating work within the team, monitoring workflows, day-to-day liaison with clients, the preparation of applications and reporting on the performance of the team. The Associate acts as a reference point for day-to-day questions and should be a source of technical expertise for other members within the team. The Associate should act as a role model for more junior members of staff, assisting them to develop their core competencies to the level required.

What your day will look like:

• Receive work from manager/senior associate/partner and manage the matter or delegate to juniors (as appropriate). This includes but is not limited to: sponsor license applications under the Points Based System (“PBS”), sponsor license compliance reviews, M&A activity impacting sponsors under the PBS, review and assessment of illegal working and preparation of representations to the UKVI in respect of suspension or down-grading of sponsor licenses.
• Attend client sites to undertake/lead mock Home Office audits.
• Prepare analysis of findings of audits as directed.
• Accompany other team members to attend Home Office audits.
• Act as key point of contact for compliance matters and participate in Compliance Surgery rota with manager support as needed.
• Review work as appropriate drafted by Paralegal/Coordinators.
• Legal research as required.
• Participation as required in client reviews, preparation of reports and meetings and involvement in presentations and training.
• Provision of legal advice and strategic advice under supervision and guidance.
• Involvement in mentoring/training of others as well as operational issues.
• Responsible for billing/WIPPER management of own cases and junior support.

The team: The team sits within the UK Inbound practice and has a broad range of clients including professional and financial services, oil and gas, and technology sectors. We are an established team, committed to strengthening and growing our practice, which encompasses four main focus areas: sponsor licensing; compliance improvement and training; support with UKVI action; corporate activity. The team works with the wider Fragomen network on a regular basis and this role would ensure exposure to the Global and US practices. The Compliance team is primarily responsible for the delivery of UK immigration compliance work in Fragomen. Our team approach is to maximise efficiencies, ensure ownership of work and to empower team members to design work practices to meet the expectations of the firm’s clients.

What we are looking for:

Essential criteria:

• Must be a qualified Solicitor in England & Wales.
• Corporate immigration experience is mandatory.
• Confident advising senior client stakeholders and developing business.
• Strong technical capabilities.
• A high level of accuracy and adaptability is important.
• You will ideally be a self-starter with resilience and strong commercial acumen.

Preferred skills:

• Compliance experience.

What to expect:

Once you have submitted your application, our Talent Acquisition team will review your skills and experience. If these match the requirements of the position, a member of our team will contact you to schedule an initial phone call. If shortlisted, you will be invited to participate in our interview process, which will consist of at least two stages, one of which will be conducted in-person. Depending on the role, you may also be required to complete a written assessment. After the interviews, we will carefully evaluate all candidates and make our final decision. You will be notified of the outcome and feedback will be provided.

At Fragomen, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace for all applicants and employees. If you require any specific accommodations or support during the interview process, please let us know, and we will consider what reasonable adjustments are possible to meet your needs. Fragomen is committed to promoting equal opportunities for all employees and applicants, regardless of race, ethnicity, heritage, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.

All offers and/or employment contracts are contingent upon the successful completion of the Firm’s pre-employment screening process. This process may include verifying the candidate’s identity, confirming legal authorization to work in the offered position’s location, and conducting a comprehensive background check, where permitted by local regulations. We use limited AI‐assisted tools for administrative screening purposes only - never for decision‐making. All hiring decisions are made by people. Applicants may have rights to information and explanations regarding the use of such tools, or request human review, as required by applicable regional laws.