Zeena Luchowa

Partner

Sector: UK Immigration
Location: London

Zeena is a Partner at Laura Devine Immigration in London. She is listed in the Legal 500 2024 directory as a ‘Next Generation Partner’, and as ‘Up and Coming’ in Chambers and Partners 2024.

Zeena co-leads the firm’s Human Rights practice with Matthew Wills and has extensive experience in dealing with both personal and business immigration matters. Zeena deals with a range of complex personal immigration matters. This includes matters relating to refusals, challenging mandatory 10-year entry bans, appeals to the First-Tier Tribunal as well as applications for judicial and administrative review.

Zeena’s corporate immigration experience includes advising prospective and current Skilled Worker and Intra Company Transfer sponsors on compliance with sponsor obligations, right-to-work checks and the recruitment of individuals or transfer of employees from overseas. She is also involved in assisting with sponsorship following company acquisition and the transfer of employees under TUPE regulations.

Additionally, Zeena advises on settlement, British nationality registration and naturalisation cases, with a particular focus on the tracing of British nationality based on the post-independence British colony status of a parent or grandparent. Zeena is particularly well known for dealing with complex nationality cases.

Zeena is a member of the Law Society’s Immigration Law Committee and represents the organisation externally and in consultations with the Home Office. She was actively involved in the proposed changes to the Immigration Rules, including the new Skilled Worker route, which came into force in December 2020, Covid-19 concessions and has provided commentary on the EU Settlement Scheme and Home Office’s procedural changes to applications. In 2020, she was commended for her exceptional contribution to the legal profession by the Law Society.

Zeena is an Author for the Free Movement blog and volunteers for Here For Good, a charity assisting individuals with applications under the European Settlement Scheme. She regularly provides commentary in the media, most recently to BBC World, BBC Radio, Channel 5 and ITV News. Zeena sits on the Centre for Women’s Justice legal reference panel and is a mentor for BPP Law School’s Access to Practice scheme. Recently, Zeena was shortlisted as a finalist in the Under 35 Lawyer of the Year category for the Inspirational Women in Law Awards with The First 100 Years.

Zeena is recognised in leading legal directories as an “outstanding lawyer” and for her “dedication and generosity with a fierce intellect.” She is noted as being “very easy to communicate with, has significant experience and has a good eye for detail.” “She is exceptionally professional and personable, and her written work is fantastic. She goes above and beyond anything we expect.”

History
2015 – present | Laura Devine Immigration, London
2010 – 2015 | Sookias & Sookias

Education
2013 | Admitted as a Solicitor of England and Wales
2008 – 2009 | Legal Practice Course at BBP Law School, London
2005 – 2008 | LLB Law at Queen Mary, University of London

Listed: Immigration, Legal 500 UK 2024 – Next Generation Partner
Listed: Immigration, Chambers UK 2024 – Up and Coming (Immigration: Personal and Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation)

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