Free Hybrid Seminar – The Immigration White Paper in Perspective: Economic Migration, Border Control, and Asylum Policy in the Year Ahead

This topical seminar will examine the proposals set out in the May 2025 White Paper on immigration, offering critical legal and policy insights. This event will be especially relevant for practitioners working across immigration, public law, and human rights.

Topics to be covered:

• Economic migration and proposed changes to work routes
• Restrictions on student and graduate migration
• New border controls and implications
• Asylum restriction measures
• Integration policy

Following the seminar, attendees joining in person are warmly invited to stay for a networking drinks reception at Chambers.

Speakers
Sonali Naik KC, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Sonali Naik KC specialises in public law cases and in all aspects of immigration, asylum and nationality law and practice. She regularly advises on and acts in public law policy challenges and test cases in this field. She is representing UNHCR in a challenge to the refugee child family reunion policy in the Court of Appeal, listed for May 2025, and she acted in the successful ‘Rwanda’ litigation (AAA and others) in the Supreme Court. Sonali also acted in the leading case on internal relocation in the asylum context: AS (Afghanistan) v SSHD [2019] WLR 5345. In 2023, Sonali was listed in The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 list, which recognises excellence in the legal profession. She was also a recipient of a Highly Commended Award at The Lawyer Awards 2022 for a pro bono initiative to assist Afghan judges in securing UK visas.

Adrian Berry KC, Garden Court Chambers
Adrian’s practice spans a range of public law areas concerning nationality, immigration and mobility, human rights, international protection,  education, and social assistance. He is ranked Band 1 in Chambers & Partners and Tier 1 in Legal 500 2025 for Immigration Law. He is the co-author of the current 4^th edition of Fransman’s British Nationality Law. Adrian is a Patron of the Immigration Law Practitioner’s Association (ILPA), Convenor of its Legislation Working Group, and its former Chair. He was appointed King’s Counsel in March 2025.

Mark Symes, Garden Court Chambers
Mark Symes provides advice and representation in all areas of immigration, asylum, and human rights law, including European Union free movement law. He has represented clients in every court from the Tribunal to the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights. Mark deals with work ranging from business immigration and entry clearance representations and appeals, to refugee and criminal deportation cases. Mark regularly represents individuals who face separation from loved ones. He is one of the elite top-ranked barristers for immigration in Chambers UK (Band 1) and the Legal 500 2025.

Helen Foot, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Helen specialises in immigration, judicial review, human rights and nationality law. She has fifteen years’ experience in the First-tier and Upper Tribunal and the Administrative Court, and has appeared in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, including as junior counsel in KO (Nigeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 53 and R (Hysaj and others) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2017] UKSC 82. She specialises in complex protection claims on behalf of trafficking victims, children, LGBTI refugees and those fleeing gender-specific persecution. Helen is a contributing author of Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice, Jackson’s Immigration Law and Practice, and Legal Action Group’s Support for Asylum Seekers and Other Migrants.

David Sellwood, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
David specialises in immigration, asylum, nationality, and human rights law. He acts in public and private law proceedings in courts and tribunals at all levels, including SIAC and the Supreme Court. His expertise includes complex immigration, asylum, deportation, and citizenship deprivation proceedings, as well as judicial reviews and claims challenging unlawful immigration detention. David is co-convenor of Garden Court’s Immigration Team and ranked in Chambers and Partners, UK Bar (Immigration). He is regularly instructed in unlawful detention and false imprisonment claims in the Administrative and County Courts.

Reserve your in-person or online ticket
In-person tickets are limited by the venue’s capacity. After you have completed the form, we will be back in touch to confirm whether a place is available at the event.

If you have booked an online ticket, we will send joining details to all those who have signed up on the day of the event. Please check your junk inbox if you have not received the link by Wednesday 18th June. If you have not received the link by 3pm on Wednesday 18th June, and it is not in your junk inbox, please email webinars@gclaw.co.uk.