Nerys Ireland Email & Phone Number

I am an immigration, employment and global mobility lawyer working as a Legal Director at Eversheds Sutherland. I provide full service immigration advice including sponsor licence compliance (Skilled Worker and Student); preparation and attendance at Home Office inspections; challenges to Home Office decisions (including administrative review, judicial review and appeals against civil penalty); cross border global mobility; prevention of illegal working; the Global Talent route and the Graduate route. I am part of the firm’s education sector and am one of very few lawyers in the UK with experience in advising on Tier 4/student compliance. I have an unrivalled national reputation for advising the education sector on UKVI Higher Education Assurance Team audits. I regularly provide training, undertake mock audits, provide advice on policy and strategy, undertake compliance projects and provide an outsource service for education institutions with a Student Sponsor licence. I am widely known for my role in planning, strategy, risk analysis and management of clients’ immigration compliance. I have developed a national reputation for my ability to work seamlessly alongside in-house legal teams, management and HR & compliance professionals in developing their UKVI compliance. This includes planning for audits and accompanying and representing clients at Home Office inspections. I work collaboratively with clients and pride myself on my ability to immerse myself within a client’s organisation to understand, and help deliver, their strategic aims. I have undertaken many secondments and led large teams of lawyers delivering on-site projects, allowing me to understand in-depth the practical needs of organisations, which in turn allows me to provide practical (rather than simply legal) advice, balancing risk against business need. I am also an employment lawyer, having begun my career in employment law before transitioning to cross practice in immigration and employment. This unique mix allows me to provide clients with one overall picture, incorporating both immigration and employment law aspects. Clients have found it particularly helpful when seeking advice on ET claims in respect of right to work, changes to terms and conditions and global mobility. More recently I have provided materials, delivered training, and advised clients on the new immigration system, its implementation, risks, and strategy for recruitment post Brexit.

Listed skills include Employment Law, Legal Advice, Mediation, Dispute Resolution, and 21 others.