Jonathan Roberts

Expertise

• UK Family Visas
• UK Spouse Visa
• UK Fiancé Visa
• Unmarried Partner Visa
• Adult Dependent Relative Visa
• UK Skilled Worker Visa

Experience

• Trustee of Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar
• Member of Gray’s Inn

Education

• Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB)
• LLM International Law
• Bar Practice Course

More About Jonathan Roberts

Jonathan has a breadth of experience in challenging Home Office decisions, representing clients before the Tribunal, and securing positive outcomes.

Some of his most successful cases include:

• Represented a client with suicidal ideation through a complex asylum claim, in which the client disclosed months of torture at the hands of his uncle, a member of the Iranian Basij (a form of “religious purity police”). Jonathan represented the client from the initial asylum claim, through a Home Office refusal, and ultimately before the First-tier Tribunal, where the Judge accepted that the client was a refugee.
• Acted for a number of clients at the pre-litigation stage of judicial review, challenging the reasonableness of delays of several years in the Home Office decision-making process.
• Advised several applicants under the EU Settlement Scheme who did not meet the relevant criteria by the application deadline and, through novel interpretation of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, successfully securing pre-settled status despite those criteria not being met.
• Advised a client with severe PTSD, and built sufficient trust to enable the client to discuss traumatic events that formed the basis of the application.

Part of Jonathan’s success is because he refuses to follow a ‘template’ on how to run a case. He believes that templates will get you part of the way there, but they never fully fit each person’s unique circumstances. He ensures that each matter receives an individually tailored approach, giving the case the best possible chance of success.

Jonathan’s attitude of refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer means he will always fight for his client’s interests until all possible routes forward are exhausted. Even where Jonathan has been unable to get the Judge to accept his submissions without issue, he has been able to persuade the Judge to also place doubts on the conclusions reached by the Home Office. This has allowed him to obtain orders that are more beneficial to his client’s position than the Judge had initially intended to grant.

He believes that working together with the client and gaining their trust is when the best possible outcome can be achieved. It is vital to make sure that we have all the necessary information to fully advise our clients. Clients may come to their lawyer looking for advice on one aspect of immigration law. However, it is only through open conversations with them, that both the lawyer and the client are able to consider all potential avenues for the best way forward. When all avenues are considered, it opens up possibilities that the client did not necessarily know were even options at first.

People place a lot of effort on ‘looking like a lawyer’ and ‘acting like a lawyer’. These are important skills, and being able to step into that space is good to create professionalism and trust. However, sometimes a client wants to know that the person they are talking to is a real person and that they want to help them.

This is particularly important when working with vulnerable clients. Jonathan recognises that a lawyer’s role is to be fully prepared to deal robustly with the Home Office, but not to appear aloof or make the process unnecessarily difficult for the client while their case is being prepared.

Jonathan enjoys seeing the positive effect his work has on his clients. One of his proudest moments was when he won a complex refugee case which took months to prepare statements and bundles of evidence for the Tribunal to consider. Months later, the client came back to Jonathan’s office to show him that he had just got his provisional driving licence in the UK and had just met somebody he was slowly starting a relationship with. Winning is one kind of satisfaction, but being able to give somebody their life back is something that truly can’t be found anywhere else.

To keep up with ever-changing UK immigration laws, Jonathan regularly follows industry news, as well as prominent voices for updates in the legal world. Each figure provides their own views on the legal developments, and these opinions help to inform Jonathan’s approach towards considering the same principles and outcomes, although they do not define or limit it. Within the team, Jonathan regularly provides legal updates and reviews changes to case law along with senior solicitors. He also provides training to junior members of the legal team on how to address the issues raised by a client.

Jonathan enjoys meeting different people from all walks of life, from all over the world. Many of whom come to him because they need somebody to help them with the same question: ‘how do I secure my position in the UK?’ For every single client, the path is different, and navigating the unique challenges of each particular case makes every day its own new success story.