Written by Zahraa

I completed my Work Experience with the Home Office in UKVI (UK Visa and Immigration). It was a very rewarding experience as I was able to network with many different staff members from different teams across the Home Office building departments. On my first day I was introduced to the main team that I was based in at Fleetbank House. The people there were a variety of case workers, litigation officers, home office representatives and many more.

I saw how case workers handled the appellants appeal to stay in the country by writing a pre-action protocol letter. The letter states that they will do a judicial review for the appellant. This is because , after an appellants plea has already been declined, they will argue their case to go through the application process again and give new reasons why they believe they should be allowed to stay.

This second assessment is called a judicial review. The case worker has a certain amount of days to write a letter called (PAP) pre-action protocol. This letter must be completed within a certain amount of days and if it is delayed, the case worker must write another letter stating when to expect the PAP letter. In litigation, they deal with finding effective solutions to problems that may arise in the system. They must find a solution that is cost effective and is as quick as possible. A home office representative I worked with showed me how hearings in the tribunal take place. We visited a tribunal and saw the process of the hearing; from the solicitors and their clients preparing their arguments, to the judge reaching a decision after analysing all the evidence given to him.

This side of my work experience was both inspiring and enlightening as I saw the raw side to the job. I realised that it was a person’s life moreover their entire future that would have been made in that room by one judge. The visit to the tribunal was one of the most enjoyable parts to my placement. During my placement, I also realised that the home office is not a big, scary place full of high ranking, prideful employees but rather a team who supports each other and helps with whatever you need. There is no intense competitiveness within the company and this is one of the biggest misconceptions with huge companies like the home office.

I strongly recommend to anyone either wanting to join the civil service or unsure about their future career to do a work placement within the home office. Work experience doesn’t feel like work, it is more of an opportunity to have fun and enjoy yourself while meeting new people and gaining more experience in something you may not have known about before. After all, trying new things is the only way you’re going to learn what your new passions are!