Chris Harber

Chris Harber is a Partner and Head of Immigration at Boyes Turner. He founded and leads the firm’s immigration department, building it from the ground up in January 2021 into one of the Thames Valley’s most active and highly regarded immigration practices.

With over a decade of experience spanning the UK government, in-house practice and private practice, Chris brings a rare combination of perspectives to his work. He spent three years as an Immigration Officer with the Home Office, before moving into global mobility roles at EY and then Mastek, where he led international immigration programmes across multiple jurisdictions. That background, understanding the system from the inside, and then from the employer’s perspective, shapes the way he advises clients: practical, direct, and with a clear focus on what actually works.

His practice covers the full range of corporate and private immigration work, from Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility routes to Global Talent visas and bespoke mobility strategies for internationally mobile workforces. He also advises High Net Worth individuals on personal immigration matters, including settlement and permanent residency.

Chris’ work has received recognition across the industry, being named in Citywealth’s Top 30 Immigration Lawyers 2026 and in the Legal 500.

Chris leads a specialist immigration team of six at Boyes Turner. His focus is on corporate and business immigration: helping employers navigate an increasingly complex sponsorship regime, advising on compliance risk, and building scalable immigration frameworks for high-growth and multinational businesses.

He acts for start-ups and scale-ups hiring internationally for the first time, FTSE 100 businesses managing large sponsored workforces, and everything in between including major hospitality and leisure operators, technology companies, financial services firms, and life sciences businesses. He also advises a number of High Net Worth individuals and professional athletes on personal immigration matters.

Chris speaks regularly at industry conferences and events on immigration matters including the UK Hospitality Workforce & Skills event in London, and is regularly invited to provide expert comment for industry publications, journals and the national press. He has also co-hosted Boyes Turner’s Employment Law Pod, where he breaks down complex immigration developments for a business audience.

What motivates him is straightforward: immigration law has real consequences for real people and real businesses. Getting it wrong can mean losing a valued employee or disrupting a business’s ability to hire the talent it needs. Getting it right, with clear and actionable advice, is what he finds genuinely rewarding.