Boris Johnson appoints British-Iranian solicitor Seema Kennedy as new minister for immigration
Sometimes a news story catches your eye. Many top London immigration solicitors read with interest that Seema Kennedy had been appointed as Immigration minister in place of Caroline Nokes. For most, the unusual aspect of the report was that Caroline Nokes is said to have learnt about her removal as Immigration minister via social media.
However, co-founders of OTS Solicitors, Teni and Oshin Shahiean, picked up on the news of Seema Kennedy’s appointment with particular interest. That is because Seema Kennedy is a solicitor and the first Member of Parliament to come from an Iranian background.
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Central London OTS Solicitors help individuals and businesses with all aspects of Immigration law. If you need individual or business immigration law advice call us on 0203 959 9123.
The appointment of Seema Kennedy as Immigration minister
Seema Kennedy was born in Lancashire, the daughter of an Iranian Muslim father and Irish Catholic mother. At six weeks old, she and her family moved to Iran. They were forced to flee Iran because of the Islamic revolution. After the government seized her parent’s home and business, the family returned to the UK.
Seema Kennedy trained as a solicitor but joined the family property business before becoming a Member of Parliament for South Ribble in 2015. She has the distinction of being the first Member of Parliament of Iranian descent, with an Iranian father.
Why does Seema Kennedy’s story strike a chord with Teni and Oshin Shahiean? Well sister and brother co-founders of OTS Solicitors were born in Iran and came to the UK with their parents at an early age, both going onto qualify as solicitors. To Teni and Oshin Shahiean it was natural, given their life experiences, to want to help others receive the best Immigration legal advice. From that ambition came the drive to specialise in Immigration law. Given the importance of family in the Iranian culture, Teni and Oshin Shahiean decided to form their own legal firm, OTS Solicitors, with a focus on client experience and diversity. OTS Solicitors was included in the leading legal directory, the Legal 500 within two years of trading and in 2019 won an industry award, “Most Innovative business immigration Law Firm 2019” from SME News.
To top London immigration solicitors it is welcome news that two women, Seema Kennedy and Priti Patal, the new Home Secretary, have received promotions in Boris Johnson’s government. However, unlike her predecessor Caroline Nokes, Seema Kennedy will not get a seat at the cabinet table.
Teni Shahiean, CEO at OTS Solicitors, thinks that could be a good or bad thing, depending on whether you are a glass full or half-full type of Immigration solicitor. By not giving the new Immigration minister, a seat at the cabinet table that may signal that Immigration is no longer a ‘hot topic’ and the discontinuation of the hostile environment policy. To some the decision may seem strange, given the countdown to Brexit and the impact of coming out of the EU on the UK economy and workforce.
For her part, Teni Shahiean hopes that Seema Kennedy’s promotion to Immigration minister, without a seat at cabinet, just gives extra time to focus on the Brexit countdown.
Coming from a migrant background and as an SME business owner, who launched OTS Solicitors just over five years ago, Teni Shahiean knows from both personal and business experience that business owners want their business immigration solicitors to provide integrated legal services and solutions that are results driven. It can be hard for entrepreneurs and business owners to make decision on future migrant work force needs when there is uncertainty over the Brexit date and the implications for the UK economy and Immigration policy.
Immigration law, whether it is a spouse visa application, an Asylum seeker claim, an Investor Visa or a business immigration matter, is not only legally complex but always involves individuals caught up in the Home Office process. Whether you are applying for Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme or a business owner applying for a Sponsor Licence because they are desperate to recruit migrant workers to make a success of their business, waiting for a Home Office decision can be excruciating. Whilst it helps to have a trusted and dependable Immigration advisor to give the best legal advice, uncertainty over Brexit and slow Home Office procedures, make the Immigration process far more difficult than it needs to be.
Whilst the UK remains on ‘’Brexit countdown’’ OTS Solicitors are flooded with new Brexit related individual and business enquiries. Since the referendum, OTS Solicitors have had enquiries from people and from businesses concerned about how Brexit will affect them and have been delivering ‘’Brexit ready’’ legal support packages so that they are “geared to go” from day one of when the UK leaves the EU, deal or no deal.
How can OTS Solicitors help?
Central London OTS Solicitors help individuals and businesses with all aspects of Immigration law providing proactive, results driven Immigration legal advice.