Paragon Law

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Kirin Abbas

Director | SolicitorKirin Abbas is a Director at Paragon Law and a leading solicitor in the Corporate Immigration team. She advises UK and international organisations on all aspects of business immigration, with particular expertise in sponsor licences, sponsor compliance, Skilled Worker sponsorship and immigration strategy. Kirin works extensively with organisations in the technology, care and healthcare, higher education, engineering, professional services and energy sectors. She also works closely with universities and colleges, providing advice on student visas, sponsor licence applications and in-house immigration training and seminars. Kirin is known for taking the time to understand each client's organisation, commercial objectives and workforce needs. She provides practical, tailored advice that aligns with the client's business, rather than adopting a blanket approach.

Shehzad Babar

Solicitor and IAAS Level 2 Senior Caseworker and Supervisor at Paragon Law. Shezhad is a London based associate solicitor specialising in Corporate Immigration, with over 15 years' experience in Immigration Law generally; also, prior work experience (in Karachi, Pakistan) and an academic background in Corporate and Commercial Law.

Karen Halliwell

Karen Halliwell is a qualified immigration solicitor and Law Society accredited supervising senior caseworker. Specialising in all elements of deportation and detention-related issues. Karen regularly advises on highly complex cases and her expertise is recognised by excellent working relationships with solicitors in the criminal field, as well as the Probation Service.

Emma Okenyi

Director | SolicitorEmma is a Director, Solicitor and Head of the Personal and Family Immigration department at Paragon Law. She advises individuals and families across the full range of personal immigration and nationality matters, with particular expertise in complex family and private life applications, both in the UK and from overseas.Her practice includes partner, parent and child applications, indefinite leave to remain, long residence, British citizenship and nationality matters, applications involving domestic abuse, and cases requiring careful analysis of immigration history, suitability and human rights issues. She also represents clients in immigration appeals before the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, including complex and linked family appeals.As Head of Department, Emma combines casework with supervision, training and management responsibilities. She is known for a practical and client-focused approach, keeping clients informed, identifying risks early and explaining complex legal issues in clear, accessible language.Emma works with local authorities on immigration matters involving children in care and people affected by domestic abuse. She was also instrumental in establishing a monthly pro bono immigration advice surgery for users of Nottingham Citizens Advice Bureau, which has operated for more than seven years.

Joe Stickland

Joseph Stickland is a qualified Solicitor and accredited Law Society Supervising Senior Immigration Caseworker.Joseph specialises in Asylum and Human Rights Law and, in his role as a Solicitor and Senior Caseworker, he predominantly focuses on representing Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASCs) and victims of trafficking and modern slavery. His work often involves multifaceted tribunal appeals and complex judicial reviews.Having worked in the field of human rights since 2018, Joseph is used to advocating on behalf of children, vulnerable clients and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. He is accustomed to representing a vast range of clients from a variety of countries, cultures and backgrounds.

Nikita Swift

Nikita joined Paragon Law in 2022, shortly after she qualified as a solicitor. Prior to her time at Paragon Law, Nikita studied Law with Criminology (LLB) and the Legal Practice Course (LLM) at Nottingham Trent University. Following her graduation, Nikita joined a small London law firm where she trained as a solicitor before joining Paragon Law. Nikita also holds Senior Caseworker and Supervising Senior Caseworker accreditations with The Law Society.

Thalej Vasishta

Managing Director and Solicitor | Corporate Immigration | Paragon LawThalej “Thal” Vasishta is the founder and Managing Director of Paragon Law and a senior UK immigration solicitor specialising in corporate immigration, sponsor licence compliance, right to work and challenges to enforcement action by UK Visas and Immigration.He has specialised in business immigration since 1996 and advises UK employers, multinational organisations, education providers, care businesses, professional services firms and overseas companies on the recruitment, sponsorship and mobility of international workers. He also advises businesses on the immigration implications of corporate transactions, mergers, acquisitions, restructures, changes of ownership and TUPE transfers.A significant part of Thal’s practice concerns sponsor licence risk and enforcement. He advises businesses facing UKVI compliance investigations, sponsor licence suspension or revocation, allegations of salary underpayment, reporting failures and concerns identified during announced or unannounced compliance visits. His work includes preparing representations to UKVI, Pre-Action Protocol correspondence and judicial review challenges in the Administrative Court.Thal is particularly experienced in cases where the loss of a sponsor licence threatens a business’s workforce, commercial operations and the immigration status of sponsored employees. His recent work includes preparing and conducting challenges concerning sponsor licence revocation, procedural fairness, salary discrepancies, sponsor reporting duties and the Home Office’s approach to mandatory and discretionary revocation grounds. His work involves High Court judicial review proceedings and in preparing evidence concerning sponsor licence revocation and its effect on sponsored workers and business operations.Alongside contentious work, Thal helps organisations prevent compliance problems before they arise. He works with boards, HR teams, legal teams and Authorising Officers to design and review sponsor management systems, right to work procedures, reporting frameworks, document-retention processes and internal immigration audits. He provides practical training on sponsor duties, Skilled Worker sponsorship, UKVI compliance visits, right to work checks and the management of immigration risk within complex organisations. Recent training materials and client sessions demonstrate his focus on robust compliance systems, internal audits, salary monitoring, reporting duties and preparation for UKVI enforcement activity.Thal also advises on the right to work regime and the prevention of illegal working. His work includes helping employers assess statutory excuse requirements, digital right to work checks, follow-up checks, contractor and supply-chain risk, third-party checking arrangements and the interaction between immigration compliance, procurement and workforce management. He regularly speaks and writes about changes to right to work legislation and guidance, translating complex legal developments into practical action for employers.His broader corporate immigration practice includes sponsor licence applications, Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility matters, UK Expansion Worker cases, overseas businesses establishing UK operations, international assignments, business visitors and the transfer of senior or specialist personnel. He advises international businesses on the immigration aspects of entering the UK market, including the evidence, corporate structure and workforce planning required to obtain a sponsor licence and deploy key personnel. His work for overseas organisations has included UK Expansion Worker sponsorship, the establishment of UK branches and subsidiaries and the preparation of evidence demonstrating overseas trading and planned UK expansion.Thal also has experience of cross-border executive immigration matters, including US L-1A intracompany transferee cases and evidence addressing managerial or executive capacity. His practice therefore combines UK corporate immigration expertise with an understanding of the commercial, workforce and evidential issues arising in international expansion and senior employee mobility.He is known for providing clear, commercially focused advice in high-pressure situations. His approach combines detailed knowledge of immigration law and UKVI policy with an understanding of HR operations, corporate structures, workforce planning and the practical consequences of enforcement action.