ABOUT US

Victoria GIRSA

Ashley BAYLES

Joanne SULLIVAN

GBS UK Immigration was founded by Victoria Girsa, Ashley Bayles and Joanne Sullivan in 2016. Holding over 30 years’ experience in UK immigration law between them, it was the founders' aim to provide flexible, honest and reliable fixed fee immigration advice. The company continues to provide a high standard of service to clients worldwide today with both Joanne and Victoria at the helm.

At GBS UK Immigration, we are passionate immigration advisers, registered and regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

The UK Immigration Rules are complex and constantly changing. The right to appeal has also been significantly restricted in recent years. It is therefore now more important than ever to obtain professional advice, from an accredited adviser , so that your application has the best prospects of success. Failure to obtain the right advice could result in your application being refused and your immigration record being tarnished, thus impacting on your ability to remain in the UK or re-enter in the future.

Accredited advisers have to go through a rigorous process to demonstrate fitness and competence to practise immigration law in order to achieve such status. Further, they are required to continue professional development training in order to maintain accredited status. At GBS UK Immigration, we have advisers accredited to OISC Level 3, which is the highest level of accreditation, enabling us to assist in matters from basic immigration advice to more complex matters including appeals. We are also proud to be members of the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) .

You can therefore rest assured that your case will be in safe hands when instructing GBS UK Immigration and that you will receive a personal level of service, rather than being just another file number in an ever-growing caseload. With Home Office application fees regularly increasing, we believe it is crucial to provide clients with access to affordable, professional and reliable advice.

Testimonials

“This is our second time with Ashley and the support was again simply outstanding and excellent just as the first time...”

“We investigated UK lawyers within the area to which we were moving and found Ashley, whose online details were impressive. Following an initial phone call, Ashley proved to be committed, extremely thorough and very easy to deal with. Through all stages of the visa application, Ashley maintained a professional yet personal and trusted ‘partnership’ in our application. Her knowledge of the eligibility requirements for my wife's visa was excellent and contact was maintained at all times, with replies to any questions we posed almost instantaneous.

As a result, we will be engaging Ashley again when we need to apply for the visa extension in 2 years’ time. We cannot speak highly enough of Ashley’s service and would be confident in recommending her to any potential visa applicant.”

“If only there was another way to give 5+ stars, we would. Absolutely first class, we can’t thank Ashley and the team enough for all their efforts. From the first point of contact, to the result we were hoping for and everything else in-between, Ashley and all at GBS couldn’t have been more professional, transparent and supportive - least of all in the middle of a global pandemic. For anyone thinking about going through the UKVI process, without hesitation reach out to Ashley and the GBS team first. We’ll certainly be back for our renewal.”

“I was very lucky to find Victoria. She was able to clearly explain what needed to be done and it was obvious to see her in depth knowledge of the legal issue at hand. Victoria has a very friendly, comforting manner with a lot of empathy towards her client which immediately puts you at ease. Any question I had was easily answered in depth in a way that was easy to understand. I was very happy when Victoria offered to fill out the necessary paperwork for me and made me an exact list of all the papers I would need to submit to the Home Office. It was so nice to be received with her friendly smile when I would go to her office; I will miss that now that it’s all been resolved!”

“Thanks to Victoria, I now have the correct paperwork from the Home Office and my time in the UK officially counts towards my potential citizenship application in 5 years’ time. I will definitely be asking Victoria to handle my case when the time comes!”

“I have known Joanne for over 8 years and have worked closely with her on matters involving Armed Forces Personnel. Joanne has vast experience in Immigration matters and also a deep background in how service in the Armed Forces impinges on this complicated and complex area of the law. I have no hesitation in recommending Joanne to any member of the Armed Forces with an immigration problem; she will understand where you are coming from!”

“Joanne and her team did an incredible job on my visa. I successfully received the visa I applied for. They were extremely attentive to all the details of my application, strategic and conscientious throughout the process. I highly recommend GBS UK immigration Ltd.”

“Absolutely delighted with their services and their professionalism. They were always approachable and they were very helpful to us. Couldn't thank them enough... Definitely recommend GBS UK to anyone.”

Victoria Girsa

Victoria graduated with Law and International Relations Bachelors Degree from the University of Portsmouth. She then undertook her Legal Practice Course (LPC) at Oxford Institute of Legal Practice. Victoria started working as an Immigration Paralegal in March 2009 and qualified as a Solicitor in April 2012 after completing her Training Contract at a firm in Portsmouth.

Victoria was nominated as one of the top 175 Solicitors in the UK according to Vouched For in April 2016. However, Victoria is no longer practising as a Solicitor, but is now regulated by the OISC and registered as a Level 3 Immigration Adviser.

In addition to English and Latvian, Victoria also speaks fluently in Polish and Russian. Victoria is also able to communicate in Arabic.

Ashley Bayles

Ashley was one of GBS UK Immigration's founders but owing to changing family circumstances, made the difficult decision to step down from her position of Managing Director and Adviser in 2024.

She put the 'B' in 'GBS'!

Joanne Sullivan

Joanne started practising immigration law in June 2002, having previously studied a BSc (econ) in International Politics and European Studies and a Masters in European Integration.

Joanne specialises in HM Forces immigration law and, notably, has successfully campaigned against unfair Immigration Rules relating to HM Forces personnel and their family members, resulting in a change to the Immigration Rules.

Joanne was previously accredited as a Level 2 Adviser under the Law Society's Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme in 2005 and is now regulated and registered under the OISC as an Immigration Adviser.

01422 553 690 (Yorkshire) | 02392 658 262 (Portsmouth) | info@gbsimmigration.com

GBS UK Immigration is a trading name of GBS UK Immigration Ltd which is a limited company registered in England and Wales, no. 10343449. Our registered office is at Larch House, Parklands Business Park, Forest Road, Denmead, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO7 6XP.

GBS UK Immigration Ltd is regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). Ref No. F201600086.