Meet Our Lawyers

Westkin are leading immigration lawyers in London.

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, junior lawyers are not included. All are regulated by the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner.

If you wish to contact any of our lawyers directly, please give us a call or email at your convenience. If you are unsure which immigration lawyer is right for you – call in or use the enquiry box on the right, and we will ensure you speak to the right expert.

Amir Zaidi

Our team of specialist immigration lawyers is headed by Mr. Amir Zaidi.

Amir specialises in Immigration in all categories, with a focus on the needs of private clients, including High Net Worth Individuals, Business Leaders and international dignitaries. Aside from undertaking all aspects of immigration work, Amir can advise on all aspects of relocating to the United Kingdom and UK business generally.

Prior to heading up the immigration team at Westkin Associates, Amir practiced as an Immigration 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 18 years.

Amir built up a strong reputation amongst immigration solicitors as a leading practitioner within all areas of personal and business immigration law. He is well known for his unshakeable commitment in 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 also a panel member of OISC, an invitation only position.

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 also writes on Immigration matters for London Chamber of Commerce and comments regularly in the UK and international media.

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

Senior Associates

Hassan Mehdi Padhani

Hassan Mehdi is one of the lead senior associates at Westkin with over half a decadeís experience practising in immigration law.

He applies strategic-thinking and his expert problem-solving skills to provide legal solutions to your most complex immigration issues. Commercially aware and fast, he is usually the first port-of-call for global high-net-worth individuals facing problems relocating or transferring businesses to the UK.

In addition to corporate matters, he has a proven track-record of finding answers and representing those with the most difficult of issues, including human rights, discretionary and family applications in addition to Tier 1 and Tier 2 applications.
Hassan Mehdi 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.

He is renowned for his professionalism, efficiency with each case and attention to detail; with the belief that the client is always priority.

He now leads a dedicated team of lawyers, who provide the first-step in finding the solution to your immigration needs. Contact them now for a confidential discussion on your immigration matters.

What some of our clients say:

“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 caseÖTo 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”

‘How refreshing! Nothing like calling to seek guidance and clarity and that’s exactly what I got (from Hassan Mehdi) in about 10 minutes. The initial communication was focused, professional, concise and friendly. When dealing with matters that may not be familiar to you, you need someone who will shed light and untangle the many options available. Thank you very much Hassan and Westkin.’

‘I am so pleased that I found Westkin associates. I went previously to a much cheaper lawyer and they got me nothing more than two refusals! I then spoke to Westkin…I spoke to Hassan Mehdi who was very good. He explained the whole process and explained where I was going wrong and even gave me guidance on what documents I needed from my accountant. I Loved his cover letter – it was very good and highly professional.’

Hassan can be directly contacted on hassan.mehdi@westkin.com

Amy Smith

Amy joined Westkin Associates in January 2013 after graduating from Canterbury Christ Church University with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) in 2012.

During her three years of working in UK Immigration, Amy has gained experience in a wide range of areas such as PBS Tiers 1 & 2, family and partner related cases, applications made under the EU regulations, visitor visas and assisting in appeals.

Despite having a varied case working background, Amy is highly experienced in all forms of corporate immigration and has a helped expand the firms Tier 2 department to offer a world-class service standard. Amy regularly provides training sessions to the firm and liaises with the Home office in regards to clarification and Improvement of the rules and policy guidance.

Amy is highly proficient in Tier 2 and Tier 5 Sponsorship licences, Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (ICT) visa applications. Naturally she also has strong expertise in all family applications, including dependents and spouses.

Amy is dedicated to ensuring her client’s best interests are the main priority in her work ethic and her flexible approach to each client’s needs ensures they feel well looked after throughout the entire process. Her dedication to attention to detail ensures no task is completed half-heartedly.

Amy can be contacted on amy.smith@westkin.com

Rosy Romano

Ms. Romano joined the firm in 2016 as a Senior Associate.

Rosy is regulated at the highest (Level 3) by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.

She studied at the Faculty of Law in Milan, Italy. During her studies she worked as a legal assistant where she gained experience in International and family law and medical negligence cases.

When she relocated to the UK in 2009 she started working for ‘Lawrence Lupin’ Solicitors where she expanded her skills and specialised in immigration. She gained extensive experience in all aspects of immigration law, with particular emphasis on asylum, detention, appeals (both 1st and Upper-tier tribunals) and personal immigration.

Rosy also has strong experience in initial and extension applications for the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa, having assisted many clients in both the £200,000 and £50,000 variation of the visa.

She qualified under the Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme at supervisor level. Since then she has branched into corporate and business migration and has proven herself at Westkin with her directness and being able to manage any application with the upmost professionalism.

Rosy also speaks Italian and French fluently.

Lizama Thahir

Lizama has specialised in UK immigration since 2007, advising on the full range of immigration, nationality and EEA cases.

Lizama is a senior associate and joined Westkin in September 2017 from a highly regarded Legal 500 ranked corporate city firm. Prior to this, Lizama had worked at a multidiscipline firm and before that, she had worked at a city-based niche immigration practice.

Lizama advises both corporate and private clients on the complete range of immigration and nationality issues and has a proven track record of successfully
challenging the Home Office at the First Tier Tribunal and the Upper Tier.

She advises start-ups, SMEs and large global entities on PBS sponsor licence applications and compliance issues. She also advises HR personnel on meeting
right-to-work checks and preparing for Home Office compliance visits. She also advises on the rights of EEA nationals and their family members to reside in the UK and on Family Migration applications for partners and parents to join family in the UK.

Lizama also advises High Net Worth individuals on relocating to the UK with their family members, relying on establishing a business interest or making a substantial investment in the UK. She provides strategic advice on qualifying for indefinite leave to remain and is experienced at advising on applications made outside the rules, relying on Article 8 Rights to a Family and Private Life in the UK.

Associates

Sandra Ong

Sandra started working with Westkin Associates in June 2016 as a Trainee Associate.

She graduated from university with an Upper Class Honours degree and was also awarded a Graduate Award from the university. During her time at university, she gained experience at some of the largest corporate law firms in Malaysia. She went on to study the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) at BPP University and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July 2016. In additional, she is now regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioners.

She is currently an Associate at the firm and has an in-depth knowledge of all types of immigration matters particularly corporate immigration. She works regularly with international businesses to manage their Tier 2 matters in addition to providing high quality immigration advice and support. In addition, she is experienced in a range of areas including Points Based System applications, family and partner related cases, applications made under the EU regulations and overseas representative visas.
Sandra speaks Malay, Indonesian, intermediate Cantonese and basic Mandarin in addition to English.

Kirstin Caspersen

Kirstin is an Associate and joined the firm in July 2016. She is regulated at the highest (Level 3) by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.

Kirstin is experienced in business, family, long residence, nationality, visit and EEA applications. She provides strategic advice in all categories, specific to individual situations and requirements, to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.

She advises entrepreneurs on the complexities of extension and indefinite leave to remain applications, ensuring technical requirements are met. She has successfully challenged the Home Office on unfair refusals, challenging both Home Office errors and incorrect assessments of genuineness.

She additionally advises companies, especially start-ups and SMEs on PBS sponsor licence applications and compliance issues. She has successfully challenged licence suspensions, allowing companies to continue sponsorship of their highly skilled sponsored workforce.

She also advises on sole representative applications, enabling overseas companies to send representatives and their families to the UK to establish UK based branches, and for them to remain in the UK lawfully throughout.
Apart from business applications, Kirstin advises partners and parents of British citizens and those with settled status on their residence options in the UK, including applications outside the rules. She also advises EEA nationals and their family members on their residence in the UK. In particular, she advises LGBTQ+ couples on their residence options to remain lawfully in the UK on the basis of their relationship.

Hailing from Canada with an Honour’s Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Sexual Diversity Studies with distinction, and from Poland with a Master’s Degree with distinction in International Relations, Kirstin brings to the team a wealth of academic knowledge in international law, international business relations, international politics, human migration and human rights.
In addition to immigration experience, Kirstin applies her broad experience in business and education, having run her own teaching company in Poland. Kirstin is a proud member of Mensa UK.

Marta Loboda

Marta joined Westkin Associates in July 2016 after having completed two internships with the firm during her time at university.

After she graduated from King’s College London with an Upper Class Honours degree in Law, she completed her Legal Practice Course at BPP University in London. After completing her studies, Marta worked for a reputed immigration practice in the City where she earned valuable experience in immigration law working on Human Rights cases, European law cases and Immigration appeal cases. She subsequently joined Westkin where she trained under Kimia Sepahzad, a caseworker with extensive knowledge and experience in the Points-Based System visas in particular in the category of Tier 1 (Entrepreneur), Tier 1 (Investor) and Tier 2 (General). Since becoming a caseworker in her own right, Marta has been managing an extensive portfolio of cases in the PBS categories, as well as Nationality, European and Family categories.

To further expand her knowledge in the immigration law, in October 2017, Marta obtained the OISC Level 1 qualification and is currently working towards obtaining Level 2 qualification.

Marta is fluent in Ukrainian, Czech, and Russian. In her spare time she enjoys running, swimming, film and cooking for friends and family.

Adel Abozaima

Adel has an Egyptian heritage; he speaks, reads and writes Arabic fluently. Adel started as an intern at Westkin in 2011 he then went away to read Law (LLB (Hons)) at Nottingham Law School from 2012.

Adel gained experience at a Magic Circle law firm as well as having experience within the legal financial sector at international law firms, central and investment banks.

He has been involved in assisting senior lawyers at Westkin with immigration matters for corporations, high-net-worth clients and foreign government officials as well as assisting in other areas of Immigration Law and Business Development.

 

Maryam Hadi

Maryam Hadi read law at Queen Mary University of London graduating with a 2:1 with Honours. She also holds a Postgraduate Qualification from the prestigious College of Law in London where she attained her legal practice certificate.

Maryam has been practicing immigration law for more than half a decade and she has extensive experience in all areas of Immigration law. She is regulated at the highest level, (level 3), by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.

Maryam deals with all forms of immigration with particular experience, ranging from asylum and human rights cases to family based applications, applications made under the EEA Regulations and applications made under the Points Based System.

Maryam is known for her professionalism and her excellent attention to detail. She is always very dedicated to ensuring that she achieves the best outcomes for her clients.

Navka Raja

Navka joined Westkin Associates in February 2017.

She read English Literature at Cardiff University before completing a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) with The University of Law. Navka has also completed the
LLM-LPC with The University of Law, during which time she gained an interest in immigration law.

Navka has acquired experience in a wide range of areas such as applications made under the EEA Regulations, family and partner related cases, and applications made under the Exceptional Talent route.

Navka has previously lived in Kenya and Tanzania, and is fluent in Kiswahili and Gujarati. She is a trained classical pianist and flautist and is a member of various chamber groups and ensembles in London.

Michael Marziano

Krishanthini Ravindran

Information to be updated

Legal Staff

Andreea Florea

Information to be updated

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© 2016 Westkin – London Immigration Lawyers