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Introducing Guernsey’s First And Currently Only Independent Immigration Consultant

19 May 2010

Overseas Angels was founded by Angelique Blin seven years ago to facilitate the arrival of international staff into UK healthcare positions. Angelique founded the business in London but is now “back home” in St. Peter Port ready to take the company to the next level.

Founding the company in London was essential as Angelique needed more experience and specialist training that was not available in the Channel Islands, and also for 5 years she had to care for her sick father whose treatment was in the UK. She was only able to return when he had made a full recuperation.

“The key reason to move to Guernsey was to come home” states Angelique “however it has had some benefits for my clients with no vat on their invoices and faster work due to the reduction of Government regulation”. It would sound as if the move to the island was a win-win situation and in the long term it will be but the move was very costly with restructuring and travel fees.

Operating a company in Guernsey is much more personal than in London, despite the many multinational companies on the island “the Guernsey business community has been very helpful in helping us settle in” claims Angelique.

The topic of immigration is a political flashpoint however it is a fact that our medical establishments and many other businesses in the UK could not operate without overseas staff. Overseas Angels are helping trained people legally enter the UK with a job in place so they are adding to the economy from the moment they arrive, servicing a critical need. Of course most of the people we help will never come to Guernsey they simply pass into the UK and then to their relevant job. We hope they may come to the island on holiday one day!

Including her time in her previous role at BUPA, Angelique has brought thousands of key workers to the UK. “Over seven years at Overseas Angels we have brought in a few thousand, directly or indirectly to the UK. As we also have worked on behalf of suppliers, employers and through solicitors.There are care homes whose entire staffing has been supplied by us and we were amongst the first to complete laser technician work permits for the new non cosmetic surgery industry”.
Overseas Angels are not just immigration consultants as they recognise that establishing the staff in the UK is as important as getting them here. Angelique counts this as her main success “that they settle and establish themselves long term, complete training and get a promotion – many arrive as carers with little money and are now registered home managers. We have always had a career policy and not just a job offer. This is now part of the Home Office/Border Agency policy for care worker applications – however we were always doing it”.

A great deal of our success can be credited to our secure relationships with the Department of Health, Department of Education, the various overseas labour services and Embassies. Further specialist knowledge is provided by Overseas Angels professional partners; including Peninsula Business Services; providing personnel, employment law, tax and health & safety services.

The biggest issue facing immigration is the profusion of illegal agents and criminal gangs bringing people illegally into the country or extorting money from those that wish to migrate. The immigration process is riddled with complexity and constantly shifting criteria. To the unscrupulous profiteer, this intricacy has allowed them to issue misleading advice on government rules to suit their own ends. We are aware of some of our happy clients being approached in such a manner. Rogue advisors operating from around the world release hostile accusations on legitimate immigration sources. In our campaign to clamp down on illegal agents, Overseas Angels has received an unprecedented level of support from the UK government and international embassies”.
Looking to the future, Angelique predicts “the Home Office / Border Agency is changing the immigration systems but the need for foreign workers is still there and continually growing. The tightening up of the system will help stop the abuses”.

Angelique Blin was born in Wales to parents from Mauritius and France. Having spent some of her childhood in South America where her parents were doing voluntary work; before father returned to his normal profession as a barrister and later became a judge; she grew up in England and Guernsey (the Island she calls home). Fluent in several languages Angelique spent several years working for British Airways and North West Airlines in the USA, initially as a stewardess and then latterly as a specialist translator. On landing back in the UK she entered the world of international immigration, employed as “Senior Business Development Manager Overseas Staffing” at BUPA, bringing qualified medical staff from around the world to work in the UK. On leaving BUPA Angelique gained additional qualifications and founded Overseas Angels to continue this work for a wider range of clients.

Overseas Angels is based in Guernsey and act as immigration consultants primarily to the healthcare industry. The company have been operating for 7 years and specialise in legally bringing medical staff from around the world to the UK where they are supported and helped to develop a career as a nurse, doctor or healthcare professional. The company also undertake work from other business verticals including banking and finance industry or work with solicitors on a specific case.

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