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Christine Chiew

Partner

England & Wales

020 3319 3700

christine.chiew@keystonelaw.co.uk

“Very grateful for Christine Chiew and her paralegal Chelsea Qu at Keystone Law for guiding me through a successful ILR application. My application was a little less straightforward due to my travel dates, and they worked closely with me to personalize my application to my unique circumstances. They were thorough, knowledgeable, and supportive. Highly recommend.”

- Client, Aditi Babel

Christine is an immigration lawyer specialising in both private-client (including high-net-worth individuals) and corporate immigration. She advises individuals on all aspects of relocating to the UK to live and for work.

Christine has a wealth of experience and knowledge in corporate immigration and sponsor licence applications for organisations who wish to employ foreign workers. She frequently advises Tier 1 (Investor), Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and overseas clients wishing to establish themselves in the UK.

Christine has expertise in advising private clients and their families (unmarried/civil partners, spouses, children, and domestic workers) on full immigration/relocation, from leave to enter/remain applications and extensions, to settlement and obtaining citizenships.

Christine speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay.

Expertise

Christine specialises in UK immigration, advising on Tier 1 Investor, Entrepreneur, and Innovator visas, Skilled Worker and Tier 5 categories, and Overseas Representative visas for global clients.

Experience

  • Advised several snooker players on their immigration options for trials with the World Snooker Championships and subsequently switching to Tier 5 Sportsmen visas.
  • Assisted numerous students switching to the Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa on an urgent basis (before the rules changed in 2019), to include advice on sources of funding, entrepreneur teams, preparing business plans and interviews.
  • Assisted an individual client, who was the subject of domestic violence, to successfully switch from the spouse visa to another visa category.

Christine advises employers on sponsor licences, having supported charities, care homes, FTSE 100 companies, and gaming organisations with licence acquisition, compliance audits, intra-company transfers, and Home Office challenges.

Experience

  • Acquired a sponsor licence for a South African Charity to enable the organisation to transfer its top medical doctors, radiographers and anaesthesiologists to the UK under the shortage occupations.
  • Acted for a FTSE 100 food and beverage company in getting its sponsor licence for the UK; and obtained intra-company transfer licences for Turkey, the US and South Africa. Managed and supported their day-to-day sponsor licence system in all aspects of immigration relating to recruiting skilled workers/directors and their families/intra-company transfers as and when required.
  • Undertook a sponsor licence audit for a renowned gaming organisation and successfully challenged the Home Office when the licence was withdrawn.
  • Assisted care homes with obtaining Sponsor Licence to recruit foreign migration workers (nurses, social workers etc.).

Christine has extensive experience securing entry clearance and leave to remain, including Tier 1 Entrepreneur visas, 10-year long residence cases with complex absences, and Skilled Worker applications from the Middle East.

Experience

  • Assisted numerous clients to successfully obtain indefinite leave to remain for individuals under 10-years’ long residence, owing to excessive absences as child students in their earlier days. Provided extensive compassionate circumstances explanations and supporting evidence in their representations and obtained positive outcomes for the clients.
  • Assisted a Bahraini client in his initial entry clearance for Tier-1 Entrepreneur application. Successfully extended his visa again in June 2022. Has now advised on requirements for settlement and citizenship applications.
  • Assisted with many entry clearance Skilled Worker applications from the UAE and Kuwait.

Christine advises high-net-worth individuals on accelerated settlement and nationality, including immigration planning for dependants outside marriage and investments of £2m–£10m in the UK economy.

Experience

  • Advised high-net-worth investors who invested over £2m, £5m and £10m funds in the UK economy. Provided strategic advice from the outset on sources of funding, permitted investments, business plans, including possibilities of dependants outside marriage, to obtain indefinite leave to remain (accelerated) and settlement.
  • Advised a wealthy investor on the immigration of his children/families outside marriage as his dependants.

Christine advises high-net-worth private clients and their families on full immigration/relocation, from leave to enter/remain applications and extensions, to settlement and obtaining citizenships.

Experience

  • Assisted with a UHNW Syrian family with entry clearance for Tier 1 Investor applications in an exceptional circumstance where client had to file their applications from Kuwait because it was dangerous to be in Syria at the time of war.
  • Assisted with a UHNW UAE family with Tier 1 Investor extension applications from Dubai during Covid when applications should have been made from within the UK.

Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.

Recognition

Recommended by The Legal 500 for Immigration 2017–2026

“Christine Chiew – To me she is one of the best immigration lawyers at the moment. She has often helped clients of mine finding solutions in an ever-changing immigration environment. She also does something unique which is to consider the various other aspects of the client’s needs when planning the client’s strategy.”

The Legal 500 2023

Christine is accredited as an Immigration Lawyer under the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2021, she worked at the following firms:

  •  Edwin Coe LLP