Peter Jorro

Year of Call: 1986

"I found him to be effective, knowledgeable and thorough counsel."

Chambers UK, 2023

"He is very solid and has fantastic knowledge."

Chambers UK, 2022 (Immigration)

"Peter is an excellent barrister both for advisory work and in court. He is the only immigration barrister I use."

Legal 500, 2022 (Immigration, Tier 1)

"Peter is an excellent advocate, extremely persuasive in court."

Legal 500, 2021 (Immigration)

"An excellent advocate; he is extremely persuasive in court and writes very well. He is able to distil the legal arguments in an extremely succinct and helpful manner."

Chambers UK, 2021 (Immigration)

"Absolutely outstanding in his ability to think commercially, and in his pragmatism, his eye for commercial solutions, and his really broad knowledge. We try to use to use him for absolutely everything." "He was brilliantly prepared, his written submissions were excellent - and we won. His experience really shows and he has encyclopaedic knowledge."

Chambers UK, 2020

Contact

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Legal 500 2023: Leading Junior
Legal 500 2023: Leading Junior

Peter Jorro is an immigration barrister with particular expertise in refugee and asylum law, and in private immigration cases. He undertakes advocacy in the Tribunal, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal and has been junior counsel in the Supreme Court.

He is ranked Band 2 for Immigration in Chambers UK and in Tier 1 in the Legal 500 (including business immigration) - leading juniors.

Peter is registered with the Bar Council for public access work and regularly assists private clients in various immigration and nationality law scenarios.

Immigration Law

Overview

Peter practises in all areas of immigration law. He joined Garden Court Chambers in 2000 after having been at the Refugee Legal Centre and having worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He undertakes advocacy in the Tribunal, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal and has been junior counsel in the Supreme Court.

In particular he has represented in several confidential asylum appeals made by individuals with a high profile in the countries from which they have claimed asylum.

He also has a wealth of experience and success in PBS (Points Based System), business, EEA, family and general immigration cases both on appeal and on judicial review in the High Court and now in the Upper Tribunal. He has advised and made written submissions to the courts on immigration issues in family proceedings. He has advised and assisted clients on applications for British nationality, by way of registration and naturalisation, and has successfully challenged refusals of British nationality by way of judicial review.

He has advised and assisted on behalf of companies applying for Tiers 2 and 5 'Sponsor licences' (in order to employ migrant workers) and has drafted representations and grounds for judicial review in challenging Home Office decisions to refuse or to suspend and revoke sponsor licences.

He is ranked Band 2 for Immigration in Chambers UK and in Tier 1 in the Legal 500 (including business immigration) - leading juniors.

Direct Access

Peter is registered with the Bar Council for public access work and regularly assists private clients in various immigration and nationality law scenarios, including, in particular, with applying under Tier 1 of the PBS, making human rights applications, advising and assisting in applications for British citizenship and in challenging, by way of appeal or administrative and judicial review, refusals of leave and in assisting companies with PBS sponsorship issues.

Notable Cases

HJ (Iran) and HT (Cameroon) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] UKSC 31, [2011] 1 AC 596
Seminal asylum judgment relating to gay claimants but with wider applicability in terms of the true ambit of surrogate protection under the Refugee Convention.

T6 v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] UKSIAC 95/2010
Appeal before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission by a very high profile Algerian businessman / 'oligarch' who has fallen out with the Algerian President and whose case was certified by the Secretary of State on 'UK's relations with other country' and 'public interest' grounds.

Gekhang (Interaction of Directives and Rules) [2016] UKUT 374, [2016] Imm AR 1141
A legally important case for the Tribunal endorsing the appellant's submissions as to the correct inter-relationship between, and the primacy of, the EU Qualification and Procedures Directives to the approach to asylum determination in the Immigration Rules. The determination is also very helpful to all Tibetan asylum seekers previously resident in India.

R (Tshiteya) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] EWHC 238 (Admin)
Regarding fresh claims and Article 8, ECHR.

FK (Kenya) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWCA Civ 119
Successful appeal against negative 'country guidance' decision relating to risk of genital mutilation for Kenyan women.

RM (Somalia) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2007] EWCA Civ 751
Successful appeal in case emphasising the importance of not conflating claims for refugee status and humanitarian protection.

AJ (Liberia) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006] EWCA Civ 1736
Successful appeal relating to risk of suicide as an argued breach of Article 3.

Secretary of State for the Home Department v Akaeke [2005] EWCA Civ 947, [2005] Imm AR 701, [2005] INLR 575
On administrative delay by the Home Office rendering a decision to remove a person from the UK a disproportionate interference in her right to respect for her family life in the UK.

He v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2002] EWCA Civ 1150, [2002] Imm AR 590
Chinese religious sect member fearing persecution.

Also MN and others (Ahmadis - country conditions - risk) Pakistan CG [2012] UKUT 00389 (IAC); RQ (Afghan National Army - Hizb-i-Islami - risk) Afghanistan CG [2008] UKAIT 00013; HY (Yibir - YS and HA applied) Somalia [2006] UKAIT 00002; MN (Findings on Sexuality) Kenya [2005] UKIAT 00021; AK and others (Tribunal Appeal - out of time) Bulgaria (starred) [2004] UKIAT 00201, [2004] Imm AR 486; OA (IFA - Unduly Harsh - Chechens - Relocation) Russia CG [2002] UKIAT 03796; Horvath [1999] INLR 7 (IAT); Yousfi [1998] INLR 136; Mario [1998] INLR 306; Mustafaraj [1994] Imm AR 78; Laftaly [1993] Imm AR 284; on-going (into 2018) cases relating to the Afghan citizens who 'hijacked' an aircraft to the UK in 2000.

Contact Peter

Notable Cases & News

Garden Court Immigration Team dedicate 10th Edition of Macdonald's Immigration Law & Practice to the life and legacy of Ian Macdonald QC

The General Editors, Stephanie Harrison QC, Ronan Toal & Sadat Sayeed, are leaders in the field & practice in the number one ranked Garden Court Immigration Team. David Neale is a legal researcher & former barrister

25 June 2021

Three FREE 90-minute seminars to celebrate launch of the Immigration Appeals and Remedies Handbook (2nd edition)

Mark Symes and Peter Jorro, of the Garden Court Chambers Immigration Team, are doing three FREE 90-minute seminars to celebrate the launch of their Second Edition Immigration Appeals and Remedies Handbook.

25 May 2021

Upper Tribunal rules Home Office interpreted guidance on settlement illegitimately

Peter Jorro of the Garden Court Chambers Immigration Team represented the appellant, instructed by Jessica Wong of Brion & Co.

22 March 2021

Peter Jorro joined leading US immigration attorney in a presentation for the Raindance Film Festival, London

Peter presented on 26 February on the topic of US/UK Work Permits for the Film & Television Industry.

28 February 2018

Peter Jorro gives oral evidence to House of Lords Constitution Committee

He did so alongside Alison Harvey of the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association.

16 November 2016

Chambers UK Bar Guide ranks Garden Court in Band 1

Garden Court Chambers recognised as a leading set for immigration, social housing, civil liberties, police law, Court of Protection, crime and inquests and public inquiries.

30 October 2015

The Immigration Appeals and Remedies handbook now available to pre-order

Mark Symes and Peter Jorro launch new handbook on appeals and judicial review.

1 July 2015

Garden Court Chambers ranked Band 1 in Chambers UK 2014

We are once again delighted to have been ranked as a leading set by Chambers and Partners in the Chambers UK 2014 directory.

31 October 2013

Garden Court Chambers recommended as Top Tier Set in Legal 500 2013

Garden Court Chambers is once again delighted to have been recommended as a Top Tier Set in this year's Legal 500. We are recommended in six areas of law as a set, with 11 silks and 27 junior barristers recognised individually.

25 September 2013

All related news

Publications

Peter is the co-author (with Mark Symes, also of Garden Court) of Asylum Law and Practice, the leading practitioner's textbook concentrating on asylum law, with the Third Edition due out in October 2022 (Bloomsbury Professional, 2022)

Peter is the co-author (with Mark Symes, also of Garden Court) of the Immigration Appeals and Remedies Handbook, which has been described as a "compulsory addition to the library of every immigration judge and practitioner", now in its Second Edition (Bloomsbury Professional, 2021).

He is a contributor to Macdonald's Immigration Law & Practice, the leading practitioner's textbook on immigration law, now in its Tenth Edition (LexisNexis, 2021)

He is a Consultant Editor for Halsbury's Laws of England, Fifth Edition, Volume 57 on Immigration and Asylum (LexisNexis 2012) and was a contributor to the 2002 reissue of the Fourth Edition, Vol. 4(2) in relation to British Nationality, Immigration and Asylum

Peter has also been responsible for the asylum chapter of (Jackson's) Immigration Law and Practice (most recently for its Fourth Edition - Tottel, 2008)

Training and Seminars

Peter frequently conducts training courses on asylum and immigration law related issues for various organisations, especially the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA).

Appearances

Peter has often put the case on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees on television and radio. An interview with Peter on BBC World News is available on the BBC website.

What others say

"Peter Jorro is empathetic, skilled, knowledgeable & a legal professional at the top of his game. His arguments are precise and brilliant with great attention to detail. Peter was empathetic towards our circumstances and made us feel understood. It felt that there was someone in our corner who was helping us. Peter’s advice was targeted and he unpicked our very complicated case which had been stuck in a negative loop for 12 years and got us a victory within 18 months. The submissions were powerful and the case was agreed in our favour outside of the Courts." Public Access Client

Education

  • LLB (Hons) (LSE)

Professional Membership

  • Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA)

We are top ranked by independent legal directories and consistently win awards.

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