What this life looks like
You help people cross borders, build new lives, and reunite with families. Immigration Lawyers navigate the complex legal systems governing visas, asylum, citizenship, work permits, and deportation. In Africa — a continent of significant internal and outward migration, with millions of refugees and economic migrants — immigration lawyers play a vital role in protecting the rights of some of the most vulnerable people.
What she actually does
You advise clients on visa applications and work permit requirements, represent asylum seekers before immigration tribunals, challenge unlawful deportation orders, assist families with reunification applications, advise companies on international staff relocation compliance, handle citizenship and naturalisation matters, and represent refugees in status determination proceedings.
Where you can work
| Sector | Places in Africa |
|---|---|
| Refugee Organisations | UNHCR Africa offices, Jesuit Refugee Service, Refugee Legal Aid Project (East Africa), PASSOP (SA) |
| Immigration Firms | Fragomen Africa, ENS Africa Immigration, Law Trust (SA), Caveat Legal — specialist immigration practices |
| Human Rights NGOs | Lawyers for Human Rights Refugee & Migrant Rights Programme, UNHCR Legal Partners |
| Government | Immigration Department legal advisers, Department of Home Affairs legal teams (SA, Nigeria, Kenya) |
Why it matters in Africa
Africa hosts over 26 million refugees and internally displaced people. The African Union's free movement protocols and AfCFTA are creating new questions about the right to live and work across borders. At the same time, millions of Africans seek opportunities abroad, facing complex immigration systems in Europe, North America, and Asia. Immigration lawyers serve both those arriving and those seeking to leave.
Your pathway in
- Study Law (LLB) and focus on international law, human rights law, and administrative law
- Complete professional legal training and Bar admission
- Gain experience with refugee organisations: UNHCR, Jesuit Refugee Service, or national refugee legal aid bodies
- Develop knowledge of international refugee law — the 1951 Refugee Convention is foundational
- Learn multiple languages — many immigration clients need lawyers who speak their mother tongue
Skills you will need
- Immigration and asylum law
- Refugee law (1951 Convention)
- Tribunal advocacy
- Client counselling (trauma-sensitive)
- Language skills
- Humanitarian law
A woman in this field
Grace Maina
Kenya
Grace is a Kenyan human rights and immigration lawyer who has spent her career representing refugees and asylum seekers in East Africa. Working with the Refugee Consortium of Kenya, she has successfully challenged unlawful deportations and refoulement of refugees, and has advocated before Kenyan courts and the African Commission for the rights of refugees to access education, employment, and legal status. She is a champion of stateless persons' rights across the region.
Take your first step
- Research Africa's refugee situation — the UNHCR publishes an annual Global Trends Report that gives comprehensive data on African displacement
- Study the 1951 Refugee Convention — it is the foundational document of all refugee and immigration law globally
- Visit the Jesuit Refugee Service or UNHCR website to understand the legal challenges facing refugees in your country
- Learn about the African Union's free movement protocols and how the AfCFTA is changing intra-African migration rights