Jenny Harvey Immigration celebrates its 5th anniversary

I met Jenny recently at her offices just off the Botley Road to hear about why she decided to go it alone and how, today (1stFebruary) after five years running JHI Ltd, a specialist immigration advice firm, she hasn’t regretted that decision, not even once.

“I was a partner in a large Oxford law firm for many years. I never planned to go it alone, I don’t come from an entrepreneurial family and, to be honest, I was always a bit wary of setting up on my own because you hear all these stories of sole practitioners being struck off and so on. The opportunity arose and I thought ‘why not?’ I took some time out and then decided, you know, I might as well have a go. I took lots of advice, did it slowly and never looked back. It’s not something I’ve regretted at all for a single day.”

“It’s not easy being in business on your own and there are certainly pros and cons, but, particularly with lockdown hitting I’ve just thanked my lucky stars every day that I haven’t been trying to work nine to five for a big firm, with a chargeable hours target. That must have been difficult when trying to combine home-schooling and everything else. Now my daughter is back to school, she pops in on her way home past the office with her friends for a slice of cake…that’s precious for me, moments like that wouldn’t happen if I was still employed. Having said that, when I had my daughter my Managing Partner at the time was very understanding and told me to come and go as I wanted, but lots of employees don’t get that and miss out on so much. Luckily I’ve never once missed anything that my daughter’s been in either before or after going on my own.”

From day one Jenny, most probably due to her planning  and reputation, hit the ground running. “Yes the work flowed from day one, thankfully. I was already quite well known in Oxford as an immigration lawyer, which is a very niche area. My clients actually managed to track me down after I went solo and as I became more familiar with tools like LinkedIn and asked all of my clients for a review (great advice I received early on), the work kept coming in and hasn’t stopped since.

“I’m now thinking of getting a consultant solicitor on board and then looking at the possibility of taking on an apprentice. It’s important to get the right fit, especially when there’s only two of you. I’d like to expand the business and then think about succession, having someone to step in my shoes at some point. It would also help with situations like holidays because I never unwind, even on holiday! It’s one of the downsides but it’s a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.”

Jenny offers excellent and efficient advice to individuals both in the UK and abroad as well as to businesses. Having practised in Oxford for over 25 years, she is well known in the local community though her reputation extends much further afield. Jenny explains more about the service she offers.

“I work with individuals who hope to join family members, often those who are married to British nationals and want to come and live here. I then help them to extend their permission to live here, to settle permanently and often to become British.  I also help students and skilled workers coming to the UK to work for an employer with a sponsor licence. 

“One area of expertise I have developed is in domestic violence applications, where somebody is married to a British national and they’ve come in on a on a visa on that basis. All too often the relationship breaks down because of violence and the victim often thinks they have to stay in the relationship. Their partner convinces them they have to stay otherwise they’ll be deported and they feel totally trapped. I can often help them stay here in their own right and have seen an unfortunate increase in these cases following lockdown.

“I also help businesses secure sponsorship licences so they can bring in skilled workers and I help to make sure their house is in order before applying for a sponsorship licence. A big aspect of that is helping them to ensure their Right to Work checks are in place.”

Giving back is hugely important for Jenny and whilst she has a charity of the year, she’s ‘accumulating’ them and is supporting four main charities in 2022.

“Because I don’t offer legal aid work, I decided what I would like to do is to try and give back as much as I can to the local community. So, every year I decide on a new charity to support, but the trouble is I now have a collection because I can’t actually bear to give them up. So, I’ve got several charities that I support. 

“Asylum Welcome has long been close to my heart . It’s based in Oxford and assists asylum seekers from around the world. The Oxford Food Hub offers vital support, especially at this difficult time. Opportunity International has recently come to my attention. As a female business founder myself, the charity’s focus is on education for girls, and its work with female entrepreneurs and women-led enterprises in Africa, is of particular interest to me. And, finally for 2022, I’ve pledged to celebrate each grant of British Citizenship to a client by paying for a tree to be planted via the Trust for Oxfordshire Plant a Tree Campaign.”

See Jenny’s website for more details about her charitable work and links to the organisations she is supporting.

So what are Jenny’s big three takeaways after her first five years working for herself?

“I’ve learned very quickly, don’t try and do everything yourself. Delegate things you can’t do or you don’t want to do. For me that includes my accounts and my website!

“Another big one is not taking on too many clients so I can do justice to the ones I do take on. 

“Lastly, follow your instinct. I take on lots of advice but, ultimately, I take the path I think is right…thankfully I haven’t made too many mistakes so far.”

Going it alone has certainly been a hugely positive move for Jenny, but what does she miss? “I do miss the environment of a large firm, the camaraderie, just being able to ask people off the cuff advice. It was like a family and we had each other’s backs. But, you have to develop a support mechanism to replace that and that’s why networks like B4 are so helpful to me in building a group of people who I can draw advice and inspiration from.

“Whilst there are things I miss, I wouldn’t change what I’ve got for anything.”

See https://jennyharveyimmigration.co.uk/