UK naturals brand Lush has hired immigration experts to conduct meetings with its staff across its UK and Germany bases in order to clear up staff concerns regarding the consequences of Brexit.

The company has awarded the consultancy contract to Portsmouth-based GBS UK Immigration with Victoria Girsa, a Director with the company’s south coast office, to hold sessions with staff in Poole, London and Dusseldorf. Girsa will advise them on their immigration status following the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Lush is well known for its diverse staff, with more than half its Poole employment being from overseas and many British staff working abroad.

A spokesperson for Lush said, “Freedom of movement is integral to Lush as a business, allowing us to put the right people in the right positions regardless of nationality and forge equal relationships with suppliers in remote areas of the world.
“With the help of Victoria and her colleagues at GBS UK Immigration, we are taking steps to support staff members affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU as we navigate this complex political situation together.”

Girsa continued, “The new UK government proposal on EU nationals’ rights in the UK post-Brexit, published on June 26, creates more questions than provides answers and adds to the confusion and uncertainty of what EU nationals should do.
“Each case is unique and requires professional legal advice regarding paperwork, documentation and application updates from the Home Office.
“We are repeatedly hearing that some staff are being advised what to do by family and friends, but failure to obtain the right advice could result in applications being refused and immigration records being tarnished, thus impacting on the ability to remain in the UK or re-enter in the future.”