WEB 3119 Adoption: a guide for immigration practitioners (In-person)

Level: Intermediate- Advanced

This session will enable immigration practitioners to understand necessary arrangements and the basic family and immigration law principles of inter-country adoption and the immigration routes to allow internationally adopted and adoptive children to enter the UK.

Topics include:

• The different categories of inter-country adoption.

• Immigration routes to entering the UK as an adopted or adoptive child

• ECOs attitudes to foreign adoptions

• Evidence needed to ensure children are permitted to enter

• British Citizenship acquisition and registration of internationally adopted children

• Current issues of immigration concern, including the concept of ‘habitual residence,’ ‘special restriction’ and ‘de facto’ adoptions and kafala ‘adoptions’

Type of course: Overview

Aim of course: To enable immigration practitioners to understand the core principles of inter-country adoption and the immigration routes to allow internationally adopted and adoptive children to enter the UK.

Audience: A basic understanding of family immigration law is necessary. No prior knowledge of inter-country adoption is needed.

Tutors: Naomi Angell at Osbornes Law, Alison Hunter at Wesley Gryk Solicitors and Kathryn Cronin of Garden Court Chambers

Naomi Angell is a consultant at Osbornes Law and heads their adoption surrogacy and fertility law unit. She specialises in intercountry and domestic adoption, international and domestic surrogacy, fertility law and children’s cases with an immigration interface. Naomi is recognised as a leader in her field in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 directories. She advises and represents children, birth parents and extended family members, intended parents in surrogacy cases, adopters and foster parents. In addition she advises and acts as an expert witness to local authorities, foreign courts, lawyers and organisations involved in cross border children’s cases.

Alison Hunter is a partner at Wesley Gryk Solicitors. Over two decades of practice, she has developed extensive experience in all areas of UK nationality and immigration law. Her specialist knowledge of European free movement law and her expertise in intercountry adoption matters are both widely recognised.

Kathryn Cronin has an extensive and varied immigration, asylum and family law practice. She is known for her representation of vulnerable clients, in particular asylum and human rights cases involving women and children. Kathryn was ranked for immigration (Band 1) and family law in Chambers UK 2020. Kathryn has considerable experience in crossover areas where family or childcare cases involve associated issues on immigration status, or concerning immigration cases where there are family and childcare law and practice considerations. She frequently advises in family proceedings concerning immigration and nationality issues as well as international adoptions, international surrogacy arrangements and transnational care and child placement arrangements. She is author of the text: Child Migration: Family and Immigration Laws, Bloomsbury 2025.