SIAU - Key Persons
Azhar Chohan has worked in immigration and asylum law for over 30 years. He has worked in three different law centres and with several solicitors' firms and OISC-regulated organisations, in private practice, and was a trustee of SIAU from when we started work in March 2006 until October 2007. He is the part-time immigration caseworker for Slough's Member of Parliament, since 2005. He is a trained advocate and represents people's cases at the First-tier and Upper Tribunals. He trains other advisers in immigration and nationality law. Azhar is regulated by OISC at Level 3 and is also qualified as a senior caseworker/supervisor with IAAS. He is a part-time consultant with SIAU and also with RC Immigration Services, representing appeals as required.
Mai Knibbs is a solicitor, a counsellor, a dyslexia therapist, a Reiki practitioner, Alexander Technique tutor and a retired teacher. She is a Quaker with a Catholic interfaith background. Since student days, she has supported local and national initiatives for peace, justice and understanding.
Nisar Rehman was involved in setting up SIAU in 2006 and worked here most of the time for the next 11 years. He now runs hisr own immigration consultancy. He has always remained supportive of SIAU and agreed to become a trustee in January 2021.
Job Titles:
- Level 2 OISC Regulated Adviser
Parveen Akhter is a Level 2 OISC regulated adviser, who had worked at Hudson Legal for over 13 years before joining SIAU in January to April 2018, and then returning here in September 2019. She has many years' experience in dealing with immigration, asylum, discretionary leave, nationality and European applications and works closely with clients to put their cases to the immigration authorities and support them through the process. Parveen works four days a week with SIAU. Parveen says, ‘I am able to hold my ground in a highly pressurised situation and calm the nerves of my clients with a professional and informed manner. Hence, I am not fazed by varying immigration enquiries/developments as they present themselves.' Outside work, Parveen is interested in growing her own and her family's food, reflexology and reading.
Parvinder Matharu runs Sewak Housing Services Ltd, accommodating homeless young people and running a women's refuge, mainly supporting Asian and other BAMER women who experience domestic abuse, where many also need immigration advice and help. She previously managed Kinara local Asian women's refuge, which often accommodated and supported women without secure immigration status and worked closely with SIAU .
Ray Barkley worked for Mars for many years; he is now the secretary of the Slough branch of UNITE the Union, and active in Slough Trades Council and the Berkshire Credit Union. He is also a trustee of Slough Refugee Support and the chair of trustees of Slough Labour Memorial Hall.
Job Titles:
- Level 3 OISC Regulated Adviser
Shabana Bokhari is a Level 3 OISC regulated adviser so is able to represent immigration clients before the First-tier and Upper Tribunals, as well as to the immigration authorities. She has worked at SIAU since January 2018, and previously with many different immigration firms and consultants since 2010, most recently with Newland Chase. She has extensive experience of all aspects of immigration and nationality law and wants to increase her experience of advocacy before the Tribunals. Shabana works at SIAU one day a week only. She says, ‘I am enthusiastic, reliable and have superb communication skills. I am adaptable, enjoy challenges, work great in a team but also work well autonomously. I work well under pressure as I have great experience working in fast paced environments and have also developed great client facing skills.' Shabana speaks Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi, has an LLB from the University of East London and has worked towards an LLM in human rights.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Trustees
- Trustee
Sue Shutter is the Chair of Trustees. She is a Level 2 OISC regulated adviser who regularly volunteers at SIAU, and is also a trustee at the Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens. She worked part-time for the previous Member of Parliament for Slough, doing constituency immigration casework, and before that worked at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants for 22 years. She wrote the first three editions of the JCWI Immigration, nationality and refugee law handbook and is an active member of the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association.