Aisha Choudhry

Associate at Bates Wells

ILPA Trustee and Co-convenor of the ILPA Well-being Working Group

Aisha is an Associate at Bates Wells. She primarily deals with tier 2 applications involving sponsor licences, mergers and acquisitions, strategy and compliance. She is also experienced with sole representative of overseas business applications.  

Prior to Bates Wells, Aisha worked at EY.

Aisha is passionate about well-being in the workplace and is a trained Mental Health First Aider. Aisha is a co-founder and co-convenor of the ILPA Well-being Working Group.

Aisha delivers ILPA’s ‘Sole Representatives’ training, has been a panelist at the Practising Immigration Law: everything you need to know seminar, and co-chaired ILPA’s inaugural Well-being Conference.

Aisha's Upcoming Training

Aisha's Past Training

Tutors: Aisha Choudhry, Bates Wells and David Lemer, Doughty Street Chambers

To provide an overview of the Representative of an Overseas Business visa, including representatives of Overseas newspapers, news agencies, or broadcasting organisations, as well as reviewing common issues arising in such applications.

1. Introduction – Immigration Rules
2. Cross Cutting requirements

  • General grounds for refusal
  • Dependents
  • English language test
  • Maintenance
  • Eligibility for settlement

​3. Sole representatives coming to the UK to establish a branch of an overseas business

  • Background of the company – assessing the parent company, various corporate structures – branches, wholly owned subsidiary
  • Background of the individual – seniority, length of service with the overseas company, shares in the company, consider the length of time that the company has been established, its turnover, profitability and number of employees. It must be the intention that the business remains centered abroad.

4. Representatives of overseas media businesses with no established presence in the UK – key considerations at different stages of the application process

  • Entry clearance applications – in circumstances where the company has already been set up in the UK,
  • Extension applications
  • Settlement

5. Refusals
6. Appeals
7. Case Studies

We are delighted to be hosting the inaugural ILPA Well-being Conference for the first time on Thursday 16th May 2019 to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.

The day will consist of a series of talks and workshops around the topics of mental health, vicarious trauma and well-being in the workplace.

10:00 – 10:15 Chairs Opening Remarks 
Nath Gbikpi, Soliciotr, Wesley Gryk Solicitors

10:15 – 11:00 Communication for Well-being
Anna Robinson, Senior Solicitors, Laura Devine Solicitors, Mental Health Ambassador and practising Psychotherapist

11:00 – 11:30 Welcoming Diversity
Raggi Kotak, Barrister, 1 Pump Court Chambers

11:30 – 12:15 Vicarious Trauma
Beate Dasarathy, Legal Officer in the Medico Legal Report Service and Ilana Bakal, Psychological Therapist, Freedom from Torture

12:15 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 – 14:00 Experiential and Interactive Session 
Brendar Beder and Linsday Wittenberg, Smooth Transitions – Executive Coaching

14:00 – 14:45 Mental Health First Aid
Zoe Puckering, Mental Health First Aid England

14:45 – 15:00 Break

15:00 – 16:00 Panel Discussion: Self-care and care for others in the workplace

Chair:
Aisha Choudhry, Associate, Bates Wells

Panel:
Tim Barden, Partner and Head of Immigration, Bates Wells

Kat Hacker, Head of Legal Protection, Helen Bamber Foundation

Dr Francesca Brady, Clinical Psychologist and Co-head of Therapies, Helen Bamber Foundation

Rajesh Rai, Barrister, 1MBC Chambers

16:00 – 17:00 This Place Minds: Lewis Silkin Campaign 
Emma Richardson, Director of the Worksphere HR Service, Lewis Silkin LLP

17:00 – 17:15 Chair’s Closing Remarks

Thursday 02 May 2019, 17:30 – 20:30

Are you thinking of a career in immigration law and want to find out more about training routes and qualifications? This discussion will introduce you to the variety of pathways into practising immigration law and will draw upon the expertise of immigration practitioners from across the sector. Our expert panel will share their routes into, and experience of, practitising immigration law as well as providing you tips and guidance for your own career pathway.

The event is open to all but is specifically targeted at law students, paralegals and anyone who works within the advocacy and advice sector.

Chair:
Elspeth Guild Partner, Kingsley Napley and Professor of Law, Queen Mary University

Panellists:

Julian Bild, Solicitor, Anti-Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU)

Sam Ingham, Trainee Solicitor (now qualified Solicitor), Laura Devine Immigration

Ayesha Mohsin, Partner, Luqmani Thompson and Partners and ILPA Trustee

Gillian Brownlee, Legal Counsel (FCILEx), Kingsley Napley

Zoe Harper, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers

Nath Gbikpi, Solicitor Wesley Gryk LLP

Aisha Choudhry, Associate, Bates Wells and co-convenor of the ILPA Well-being Working Group