Naomi Hanrahan-SoarPartner

I was made Partner in 2023 and have over 15 years of experience at Band 1 ranked UK immigration law practices including Gherson, PwC Legal and Mishcon de Reya. I have extensive experience assisting High Net Worth Individuals in complex and extraordinary immigration matters as well as the full gambit of corporate immigration matters for companies of all sizes and industries.

I support clients to ensure immigration compliance, whether for individuals on a path to British citizenship, or companies seeking to manage their illegal working and sponsorship duties. I have obtained successful outcomes for a multitude of Sponsor Licence compliance issues, suspensions and civil penalty issues, despite often facing challenging and complex circumstances. Most recently I have successfully defended a care workers sponsor licence from revocation in a climate of many within that industry losing their licences.

I also cross over with corporate law work on a regular basis, frequently assisting clients with the immigration ramifications of changes in ownership, acquisitions, and share transfers on their sponsor licence. These are often considered very complex but I simplify them for clients so that they can be readily handled without fuss or hassle. I regularly liaise with the heads of business at the Home Office to overturn unsatisfactory decisions and ensure the appropriate use of discretionary decision-making powers to reach the right legal outcome for my clients.

I advise across a range of sectors with a considerable client base and expertise within the biotech, science and technology industries as well as media and entertainment. I regularly advise and consult on the unique concerns of STEAM companies within the requirements and restrictions of immigration law. My client base within spans startups to unicorns, global corporate groups and boutique founder owned.

I have played a significant role in advising the Home Office and the MAC on various new immigration rules over the years including providing appropriate legal wording for the introduction of the Tier 1 Investor and Entrepreneur accelerated routes to settlement, legal simplification projects and assisting in the beta phase testing and rollout of the settled status system and alternative BRP collection systems. I also regularly speak at conferences, have presented at the Houses of Parliament and write for various publications on UK immigration matters.