Grace McGill

Partner, Burness Paul

ILPA Trustee and ILPA Scotland Working Group Trustee Liaison

Grace McGill is Partner at Burness Paull. She has extensive experience of all aspects of Immigration law having practised in the field since 1995. 

She is a Law Society of Scotland Accredited Specialist in Immigration law & has been a Trustee of ILPA since 2015. 

Grace is the ILPA Scotland working group Trustee Liaison.

Grace has delivered ILPA’s EU Settlement Scheme (beginner and advanced) training and ‘Introduction to Immigration Law’ for MP Caseworkers and Researchers.

Grace's Upcoming Training

Grace's Past Training

Tutors: Grace McGill and Iain Halliday, McGill and Co. Solicitors

This course is a practical session designed to help a caseworker become a pro at using the EU Settlement Scheme. The training will take you through the life cycle of a case using the Android app and will provide you with a detailed overview of the new system and how to effectively navigate it to assist your clients.  The materials will cover the law, documents required, red flags and how non EU national family members also apply under the Scheme. There will also be a specific focus on issues impacting those with vulnerabilities who are looking to make applications under the Scheme.

  • The legal framework of the Settled Status Scheme and the legal basis of the status;
  • The development of the Scheme and the plasticity of the rules – a warning that things can change fast;
  • How to use the app to get to the application;
  • How to make an application;
  • The documentation: what to collect before starting the process including issues with regards to variations of documentation;
  • Submitting documentation; the limitations of size and number and making paper applications;
  • What to do if there is a request for further documentation and how to address the questions;
  • Issues of importance in respect of people with vulnerabilities – identifying the vulnerabilities and seeking to overcome them;
  • Regional case studies

This training was part of the ILPA EU Settlement Scheme training programme, which comprised of seventeen training sessions delivered in eight regions across the UK between June 2019 – December 2019.

Tutors: Darren Carter, Tiers 2 and 5 Sponsorship Policy, Home Office; Grace McGill, McGill & Co. Solicitors; Natasha Gya Williams, Gya Williams Immigration

Interactive Q&A session on Tier 2 and 5 sponsorship policy.

This Q&A is an opportunity for those advising/assisting clients with sponsorship issues to engage directly with the Home Office Tier 2 and 5 sponsorship policy team. During the session we will touch upon a wide range of issues affecting the sponsorship licence regime, providing practitioners with the chance to feedback concerns directly to the Home Office policy team. This session will not offer an overview of the sponsorship licence system and participants are expected to already have working knowledge of Tier 2 and 5 sponsorship licences.

Tutors: Darren Stevenson and Grace McGill, McGill & Co Solicitors

This course takes an in depth look at Tier 2 of the Points Based System. This will include the recent changes that came into effect in November 2016 and April 2017.

Learning objectives:

  • Delegates will review the two recent statement of changes to the Immigration Rules
  • Speakers will provide a critical overview of the Tier 2 changes and the practical impact on both individual and corporate clients
  • The new ‘appropriate salary’ amounts in relation to ‘new entrants’ and ‘experienced workers’ shall be covered in detail
  • Speakers will provide practical and strategic advice on submitting Sponsor licence and Tier 2 applications

Learning outcomes:

  • Delegates will gain understanding of the changes to the Tier 2 category that have occurred within the last year
  • Delegates will learn to identify and overcome the more complex aspects/pitfalls of the Tier 2 category and gain an understanding of how to provide strategic advice to clients
  • Delegates will learn how to advise organisations regarding the implications of a change in ownership/structure to their business from an immigration standpoint
  • Delegates will learn how to advise sponsors to be compliant from an immigration standpoint
  • The origin of the Points Based System
  • Key changes to Tier 2 over the last year
  • Introduction of the Immigration Skills Charge and how it will be applied
  • Sponsor licence applications
  • Sponsor compliance and audits
  • Mergers and acquisitions

ILPA is commissioned by Parliament UK to deliver training to MP researchers and caseworkers throughout the UK on Introduction to Immigration Law and Introduction to Asylum and International Protection.