Great Lawyers, Great Results.
- Immigration Appeals
- Marriage
- Fiancée
- Civil Partners
- Family Members
- Tier 1
- Entrepreneur Visa
- Investor Visas
- Tier 2
- Student Cases
- Long Residence
- EEA
- Overstayers
- Human Rights
- Asylum
- Bail and Detention
- Nationality
- Employer Services
- Sponsor Licenses
- Immigration to other countries
- Other Immigration Categories
- Immigration Guidance Training
- Visiting the United Kingdom
Meet Our Lawyers
We are incredibly proud of our team of both associates and junior immigration lawyers. A full list of staff can be requested upon application. Only our associate level immigration lawyers are detailed. Meet our expert lawyers below.
Amir Zaidi
Our team of specialist immigration lawyers is headed by Amir Zaidi.
Prior to heading up the immigration team at Westkin Immigration Associates, Amir practiced as a barrister at 1 Mitre Court Buildings. He was called to the Bar in 1999 and specialised in immigration (personal and business), nationality and human rights law for a period of 10 years.
Amir has a strong reputation amongst immigration lawyers as a leading practitioner within all areas of personal and business immigration law. He is well known for his unshakeable commitment to achieving outstanding results for all his immigration clients. Amir has conducted well over a thousand immigration appeals before the First Tier and Upper Tier Tribunals (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) and has advised an equal number of clients on a wide range of immigration matters to a successful conclusion.
Amir holds Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) accreditation at the highest level.
Amir is registered as a Funding Review Adjudicator for the Legal Services Commission and has published articles in Immigration & Nationality Law and Practice, Independent Lawyer magazine and has been profiled in The Times newspaper for his work in immigration law.
Amir provides immigration law training and undertakes immigration accreditation marking for Central Law Training on the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) Immigration Accreditation Scheme. He also trains immigration lawyers, solicitors and caseworkers in a number of areas of immigration law for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) and teaches courses for OISC accreditation for Immigration-Training.co.uk.
He can be contacted directly on amir.zaidi@westkin.com
Hateem Ali
Hateem has a breadth of experience acting for clients in various industry sectors including financial institutions and services, pharmaceutical companies, engineering and oil and gas companies, retail businesses and other law firms.
Hateem also advises on the full range of applications covered by the Immigration Rules including visitors, students, sole representatives, family members, indefinite leave to remain applications and applications submitted under European Law.
Hateem specialises in investor applications, acting for both clients of private banks and high net worth individuals worldwide, with a particular profile in the Middle East and North Africa.
Hateem originally qualified as a solicitor in 2007 at another well known London firm. Hateem joined the Business Immigration Team at Westkin Associates in September 2009 and is an accredited Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) advisor.
Hateem has spoken on UK immigration law issues both in the UK and overseas.
What our clients say:
“Hateem was very helpful throughout the whole process, making sure I had all the right documentation and we even met up on the weekend before the application date to go through one last check! I truly appreciate all the help that I have from Hateem and Westkin.”
“I was in the process of applying for a Tier 1 and the main concern I had was the waiting time as I needed my passport back before the new year. Called up several solicitors and Hateem from Westkin gave the best advice in terms of time-line, process and what they can do to help. Hateem was very helpful throughout the whole process, making sure I had all the right documentations and we even met up on the weekend before the application date to go through one last check! And the amazing thing is it took less than a month from me calling Westkin up to getting a Tier 1 Visa approved! I truly appreciate all the help that I have from Hateem and Westkin.”
He can be contacted on hateem.ali@westkin.com.
Kelly McClarey
Kelly graduated from Brunel University in 2008 with a 2:1 Law LLB degree. She then went on to work for the charity the Refugee Legal Centre (later known as Refugee and Migrant Justice aka RMJ) where she received extensive training and successfully passed the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme at the highest level, level 2 Senior Caseworker (level 3 OISC). At RMJ, Kelly represented many vulnerable clients at the Home Office stage and at court, where she has full rights of advocacy before the First-Tier and Upper-Tier Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.
Upon the demise of RMJ and after obtaining two years of experience there, Kelly joined Duncan Lewis & Co Solicitors in 2010, where she worked as an immigration caseworker for a year. At Duncan Lewis, Kelly specialised in the detained fast track process, appeals and unaccompanied minors.
In 2011 Kelly joined Westkin, where she uses her vast experience and knowledge to best represent our client’s. Kelly is our in house advocate and has a very high success rate.
Kelly’s areas of experience span; asylum, human rights and further leave applications including applications ‘outside the rules’; entry clearance, settlement and naturalisation applications including refugee family reunion; EEA workers and family members rights; removal and deportation matters; and, bail applications. Kelly has experience working with unaccompanied minors, victims of domestic violence and detained persons, including the detained fast track process.
What our Client’s say:
‘At the court and before my case hearing I was extremely nervous as it was my first time ever in any court, but Kelly was there, chatting to me, reassuring me, discussing many topics which made me feel at complete ease. When we entered the court room I have had my expectations met with regards to Kelly, especially when she knocked down the HOPO at many occasions……
…..To Kelly McClarey, a big thanks from my heart for all the effort you have put into preparing my statement for the court and to your brilliant display at the court room.’
Sharan Birring
Sharan Birring is our Head of Human Rights Team.
Sharan’s undertakes a wide variety of Immigration work, usually with a focus on Human Rights. She is acknowledged as a leading caseworker and advocate in Immigration cases.
Sharan is the an upper second class Degree from King’s College, London
She also holds a Post Graduate Qualifications from the prestigious College of Law in London. Sharan also holds qualification as a barrister and is a member of the Historical Society of the Middle Temple.
Sharan holds a unique perspective in immigration case law, being one of the only immigration lawyers to have been offered work at the Immigration Courts.
Prior to working at Westkin, Sharan was a leading caseworker at RMJ where she had considerable success in variety of appeals.
Sharan is known as a tenacious advocate in court, where her calm and detailed approach makes her a feared adversary of the Home Office.
What our clients say:
“First of all i would like to say thank you very much for your very kind support, when we won the case. Please say big thanks, most importantly to Sharan. She was brilliant in the court room! She spoke in court, nonstop for more than two hours for me!”
-Tariq from Slough
Sharan can be contacted directly on sharan.birring@westkin.com
Shareena Rahman
Shareena, our Immigration Adviser, has a Bachelor of Laws Degree from University of the West of England, Bristol.
She is a junior in immigration with significant experience in Points Based System applications and Nationality.
She is known for her devotion to client care, attention to detail and efficient dealing with cases.
She is currently accredited at Level 1 OISC qualification.
Prior to joining Westkin, Shareena experience in corporate law during her internship period with an International Law Firm in Asia.
She was also actively involved with the student union and she was the president of the Malaysian Society.
What our clients say:
“Friendly, efficient and knowledgable. Shareena saved me thousands of pounds and many many hours on my immigration endeavours, and to her, I owe the world! Now I can happily say I am a British citizen, and have the passport to prove it. Many thanks to Westkin Associates, their positive attitude, and a business they’ve clearly worked hard to absolutely master.”
“I would highly recommend using Westkin Associates due to the good quality service that they provide. My application was handled Shareena Rahman and supervised by Hateem Ali. They were both very professional and helpful and only needed one appointment to go through all the relevant documents and to discuss the application procedure. Shareena was extremely helpful in ensuring that the right documents are obtained and that they are presented accurately through the application’s cover letter. I thought the cover letter was very well written and clearly laid out. Both the cover letter and application form was scanned to me prior to the application date for me to review and communication was excellent as I was always informed of any updates / news with regards to my application. Any queries I had were also answered within the same day which made me feel fully supported all throughout my application. Therefore, I would highly recommend Westkin Associates”.
She can be contacted at shareena.rahman@westkin.com
Yomi Yusuf
Yomi is our Head of Human Rights Department.
Yomi discovered that he had a passion for helping people with any complex immigration issues and this was demonstrated by his consistent commitment to winning cases against the Home Office, as vast majority of his applications were allowed without the need for appeal. This often turned out to be very cost effective for his numerous clients, many of whom confirmed they had almost given up on hope as they had been turned down by other people.
He encourages clients to come forward no matter the complexity of their case and he always ensures to keep them informed every step of the way.
Yomi firmly believes every case worth a shot. Yomi deals with all forms of immigration with particular experience, ranging from long residence, EEA applications, Detention/Bail, Discretionary leave, and all family and relationship applications.
Yomi’s clients are from all over the world but he has earned the trust and forged strong relationships with the Arab/North African communities many of whom can easily testify to the tenacity of how he has dealt with their cases.
Examples of Yomi’s high profile cases
Overstayers
Obtaining discretionary leave for an over stayer (within 3months) on the basis of his relationship to his partner who had ILR. The client could not believe the timescales and much desired result.
Removal and Deportation
Obtaining an injunction to stop a deportation and subsequent client’s release from detention even though his immigration history was seen to be appalling. The client had established strong family ties under Article 8 of the ECHR as this formed the foundation of the representations.
Compassionate Circumstances/Human Rights
Obtaining in country discretionary leave to remain for applicant (with special needs) and carer who had both arrived on visitors visas. The main applicant had significant ties to persons settled in the UK and who were willing to provide support. The applicant, carer and their family members were astonished as they had been told they could not apply in-country.
Long Residence
Obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain for applicant who had been in the UK for 14years or more. The applicant had worked in different names and also had mislaid most of his documents proving his continuous residence. The applicant had been informed that it was near impossible
He can be contacted at yomi.yusuf@westkin.com
Sophia Gandhi
Sophia has a breadth of knowledge in all aspects of Immigration law.
Sophia read Law with European Union at the University of Leicester, during which time she had been selected for a one year Erasmus scholarship at the University of Stockholm in Sweden to study International and European Commercial Law modules.
She was called to the Bar in 2008 and is a member of Middle Temple Inn.
Sophia has extensive advocacy experience. Prior to joining Westkin Associates, Sophia was a County Court Advocate for banks in cases relating to commercial enforcement and breach of contract. With experience, she became a “priority agent” for a major bank. She also has a great interest in Human Rights and has interned at Human Rights organisations in the UK, including The AIRE Centre, and HRLN in India where she assisted High Court Advocates in preparing Public Interest Litigation petitions. She sits on the board of Trustees for a Women’s charity, FPWP Hibiscus.
Sophia is accredited at Level 1 OISC qualification.
Sophia is fluent in Gujarati and is advanced level in French.
sophia.gandhi@westkin.com
What our clients say:
“…Sophia was superbly efficient, with a remarkable depth of knowledge of Immigration Law; her foresight on all matters with my case was outstanding. She is an expert in her field, and came across as a lawyer with ‘heart’. She is truly a credit to the firm..”
“…My case was handled by Sharan and Sophia. They always responded to my emails promptly and always were available to answer any of my queries, they even spared time to listen to my frustrations regarding what I had gone through, prior to coming to them, with great empathy. The case was prepared quickly and professionally and the outcome was positive. BIG thanks to Sophia and Sharan.”
Houman Mehr
Houman has a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Northampton; he subsequently went on to achieve a Commendation for his Post-Graduate Diploma in Law, at the prestigious London College of Law.
Houman began working with us in 2011 as the personal assistant and apprentice of our Legal Director Amir Zaidi, having performed exceptionally during this period and having attained his OISC credentials he is now a fully fledge advisor in his own right.
Houman specialises in Tier 1 applications, in particular the Entrepreneur visa. Houman deals with around 3-4 Tier 1 applications per week and has a good knowledge of general business and investment issues.
Houman is renowned for his great attention to detail and commitment to his client’s. Furthermore he has an acute awareness of cultural differences in business having lived in three different countries and being able to speak 5 different languages.
What our Client’s say:
“Houman kept me fully up to date before and after my application was submitted, he is very well read on the immigration rule and regulation and always gave me fair and professional advice each time we communicated”
“I have been in regular contact with Houman, who has really been very supportive, answering all queries on time. Moreover, he has been very honest with me, and therefore made everything clear to me. This combination of efficiency, honesty, fairness and professionalism are keys to Westkin’s success. I thank them all for helping me and I am very delighted with the high service they provide”
“very professionally providing a very high service”
He can be contacted on houman.mehr@westkin.com
Hassan Mehdi Padhani
Hassan Mehdi Padhani read law at Queen Mary University of London graduating with a 2;1 with Honours.
He also holds a Post Graduate Qualification from the prestigious College of Law in London where he attained his Legal Practice Certificate with Commendation all at first sitting.
Hassan deals with all forms of immigration with particular experience, ranging from Visitors Visa, Discretionary Leave applications, all Family and Relationship applications, Long Residence applications, EEA applications, and Post Study Work.
Hassan believes every case has a chance of success if dealt with in the right manner and professionalism.
He is renowned for his professionalism, efficiency with each case and attention to detail; with the belief that the client is always priority.
What some of our clients say:
‘’…I was so scared to approach any solicitors then. However, when i was researching on the internet for appropriate trustworthy solicitors, i came across “WESTKIN ASSOCIATES”. I called them, and who answered the call??? Hassan… He was so friendly towards me and the way he talked to me, i just thought that i could so trust him, He gave me an appointment to visit them. When i reached the firm, he specially came down to receive me. I was pleased with his hospitality and warmth….They met me twice after getting the appointment. I was very comfortable to ask them to handle my application. On the appointment day, as they had promised me, they were right on the time. Everything was taken care of so easily, i was so much thankful to them. I am not saying anything more, but truly its just because of them, I am so well placed over here. Thanks a lot Hassan and Shareena…. What you guys did was absolutely brilliant…’’
‘’My case is still up for a decision from the Judge, but whatever the outcome, I know that I have had the best practitioners in London looking after my case…To Hassan, thank you for your kindness. To Westkin Associates, you are second to none, you have got on board a young and very professional and dedicated team with a huge potential, and needless to say that I will be highly recommending your services to anyone seeking professional advice.’’
Hassan can be directly contacted on hassan.mehdi@westkin.com
London
W1H 5YN
United Kingdom
© 2011 Westkin - London Immigration Lawyers
