Oscar Pajuelo graduated from the Immigration Law LLM at CCLS in 2018. He now works in his dream role at UNHCR Peru as Head of Field Unit, working to protect migrants and refugees. Learn how studying at CCLS helped him achieve this:
While I was doing my LLM research I was looking for a change in career. I previously worked as a Corporate & Immigration Lawyer in PwC Peru, however I wanted to change my career path and focus in humanitarian matters related to migration and refugees. There were other universities that offered Masters in Immigration Law, however only CCLS provided the mix of in depth legal research and social studies that I was looking for. I considered that courses such as Ethics of Migration & Asylum, International Refugee Law, Security and Human Rights would give me more insight in international migration & refugee regulation and policies, and in general they would provide me with the necessary tools to grow in this field to protect migrants and refugees across the world.
After reviewing the courses I also considered that CCLS was in the top 50 law schools of the QS Rankings, had a long history of welcoming students from around the globe, and was located in London, one of the most diverse and welcoming cities in the world.
I have two favourite memories as a CCLS student. One of them was a field trip to Vienna organised by the Immigration Law specialism and UNODC. On this trip, we visited the UN HQ and had a workshop with members of the diplomatic academy of Vienna, as well as specialists of the Human Trafficking and Human Smuggling section of UNODC.
My second favourite memory was meeting lawyers from all around the world and from different specialisms and forming a “family” that was always there for studying, talking, writing essays or going to the pub. Even after two years since graduation, we are still in touch and share our professional and personal experiences.
What does being a member of the CCLS community mean to you?
Being a member of the CCLS community means to be part of a network of top notch lawyers that share a common background and are highly specialized in their respective areas. I strongly believe that being part of this community does not only give the members a strong CV and opens a lot of doors, but it gives us the opportunity to challenge ourselves by reaching new heights in our professional career.
As mentioned before, before studying at CCLS I was a Corporate & Immigration lawyer, but I wanted to change my career path and enter the humanitarian world in order to work in favour of migrants and refugees. While studying at CCLS I gained all the knowledge necessary to achieve my goals. In addition, and thanks to the Immigration Law specialism I managed to also obtain practical experiences in this topic with two internships in ECRE and UNODC and was able to form part of a project called Search and Rescue Observatory for the Mediterranean (SAROBMED) with professor Violeta Moreno-Lax.
I finished the LLM in 2018 and came back to Peru 12 December 2018. Later, on 24 December, thanks to the knowledge and experience mentioned above, I was able to enter UNHCR Peru in the position of Head of Field Unit in (a city with an increasing population of migrants and refugees) the city of Arequipa just two weeks after I came back from London.
My parents always told me that changing my career so radical while I was 29 was too risky. However, I decided to take the chance as I felt that working in the protection of migrants and refugees was my dream. Certainly, while I was getting to the end of the LLM and my future was uncertain I was scared of going back to the same routine I was before the LLM. However, thanks to CCLS and the lecturers of the Immigration Law Specialisms I succeeded and I am currently working in my dream job.
I would strongly recommend perspective students to study at CCLS, as it is a versatile school that will let you grow in your career or change your career path.
Firstly, the variety of the lectures and their high standards will let you focus on the areas you are interested in. Secondly, the quality of the lecturers, as they are recognized internationally and will provide the right incentive to be an active member of the lecture. Thirdly, the variety of cultures and people will enrich the debate in the lectures and will let the new students learn about different strategies or perspective of legal issues that are treated differently in other countries.
Finally, I advise the new students to take as many extracurricular activities as they can handle, such as conferences, workshops, tours and sports. All of these activities will lead to sometimes unexpected yet fulfilling experiences.
Would you like your story featured? Contact: ccls-alumni@qmul.ac.uk