Immigration & Asylum Caseworker
Law Society Accredited Senior Caseworker (Immigration & Asylum), with a particular focus on asylum, international protection and human rights matters.
In asylum cases, language, culture and country context can be important to understanding the evidence. Dr Popalzai brings these perspectives to his current work as a Senior Immigration Caseworker.
Current Practice
Dr Popalzai works as a Senior Immigration Caseworker with Sentinel Solicitors, assisting clients in asylum, protection and human rights matters. His work includes preparing witness statements and clients for substantive asylum interviews, addressing credibility and evidential issues arising from Home Office decisions, and assisting with appeals.
He has particular experience working with vulnerable clients, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and people whose cases involve allegations of persecution, trafficking or torture.
Areas of Casework Experience
- Asylum and international protection claims
- Witness statements and substantive interview preparation
- Home Office refusal decisions
- Credibility and evidential issues
- Appeal preparation
- Country-of-origin evidence
- Vulnerable clients and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
- Interpreters and translated evidence
Relationship to Country-Expert Work
His immigration practice gives him practical familiarity with the setting in which country evidence, witness evidence and translated material are used. His immigration casework and independent Afghanistan country-expert work are, however, professionally distinct.
When acting as an independent country expert, Dr Popalzai's role is to provide impartial opinion within his expertise rather than to advance the position of either party.