Our immigration team
With years of experience and thousands of happy customers behind them, our immigration team is on hand to make your visa application process as stress-free as possible.
Meet our Immigration team
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Philip GambleFounder and Senior Partner
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Reg BamfordGroup CEO
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John DunnDirector: Citizenship and Immigration
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Mishal PatelDirector: Citizenship and Immigration
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Gia SivitilliImmigration and Nationality Advisor
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Chelsea HallettImmigration and Nationality Advisor
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Maxine FurlongImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
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Yolanda MurrayFront Office Manager
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Rajeshri SolankiOffice Administrator
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Nicole WilliamsImmigration and Nationality Advisor
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Simone JordaanImmigration and Nationality Advisor
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Meghan McArthurImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
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Michaela BennyImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
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Kelsey GoodchildImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
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Lisa OosthuizenImmigration and Nationality Advisor
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Shelley ChristiansCasework Admin Assistant
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Christine Jansen van VuurenImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
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Ruben Van NiekerkAdmin Assistant
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Chanell AdamsAdmin Assistant
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Kerry MilneAdmin Assistant
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Michael CragoImmigration Caseworker
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Tobias StromImmigration Caseworker
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Sandra ZegaracWork Permits Manager
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Sharifa ChowdhuryImmigration Caseworker
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Jessica ClampettCasework Admin Assistant
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Kristy De GoedeImmigration and Nationality Advisor
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Mikayla SchilderImmigration Administrator
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Nicole LawrenceMigration Administrator
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Gabriella BarriesAdmin Assistant
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Mishkaah EbrahimAdmin assistant
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Carryn PhillpsImmigration and Citizenship Caseworker
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Philip GambleFounder and Senior Partner
Philip trained with the Home Office within their Citizenship Directorate until 1992. He was the founder partner of Montgomery and Co and later Managing Director of 1st Contact Visas.
He has assisted in developing Government policies with the Points Based System and has instigated changes in Policy towards the descendants of Government employees of former British Territories. Philip is also responsible for immigration training in NHS Hospitals.
He is widely regarded as an authority on British nationality law and the effects of decolonisation within the former British Empire. Philip is registered with the OISC as a level 2 adviser in Immigration.
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Reg BamfordGroup CEO
Having qualified at Deloitte & Touche in Cape Town, Reg moved over to London and spent three years in investment banking in the city.
He founded a small tax consultancy in 1996 and in six years turned this into a company with offices in three countries and over 200 staff.
Reg lives in Putney, with his wife and two young sons. In his spare time, he competes internationally at croquet – he is a seven-time winner of the World Championships.
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John DunnDirector: Citizenship and Immigration
John joined Sable International in 2008 and has managed multiple divisions during his time with the company.
He has over a decade of experience in immigration, citizenship and residency-by-investment. He combines that with a background in sales, marketing and management to ensure that Sable International is the go to for all things relating to citizenship and immigration around the world.
Outside of work, John is dedicated to his young family. He enjoys fitness activities and loves the outdoors.
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Mishal PatelDirector: Citizenship and Immigration
Mishal was born in Mombasa, Kenya and relocated to the UK in 2004 after a successful colonial nationality claim through Philip Gamble & Partners.
Mishal joined Sable International in 2009 and is a registered adviser with the OISC. Mishal works closely with Philip Gamble and specialises in isolating claims to British Nationality for those who have connections to former British Territories, those who are resident in the UK and those adopted by British Citizens. Mishal has a special interest in East Africa and the sub-continent. He is fluent English, Kiswahili and Gujarati.
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Gia SivitilliImmigration and Nationality Advisor
Gia graduated from the University of Cape Town with degrees in International Relations and Education.
She currently handles the admin for our immigration team as well as the citizenship team.
She is a keen traveller and explorer, with a particular love for exploring destinations that are not too “touristy” yet. When she’s not travelling, she enjoys spending time with friends, family and her dogs.
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Chelsea HallettImmigration and Nationality Advisor
Chelsea joined Philip Gamble & Partners in 2015 as a Nationality Administrator with a background in administration.
Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, she has travelled extensively throughout the UK and developed an interest in British Nationality. She is organised, optimistic and dedicated. Using her exceptional customer service and administrative skills, Chelsea ensures that all of our clients have the best possible experience.
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Maxine FurlongImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
Maxine joined Sable International in January 2015, as part of our umbrella department.
She then joined the Philip Gamble & Partners’ administration team, where she began learning about British nationality and UK immigration routes. Maxine’s interest in different client’s unique situations led her to become an Immigration Caseworker.
Maxine loves making her clients’ wishes to visit or move to the UK come true and has a strong passion for customer satisfaction. Outside of work, she loves travelling and discovering new places, seeing friends and spending time with family. She is currently studying a BComm in Business Management through UNISA.
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Yolanda MurrayFront Office Manager
With over 30 years’ experience in administration and customer care, Yolanda joined Philip Gamble & Partners in January 2013 as Receptionist and Office Administrator.
She is often the first point of contact for our clients and is known for her professional and friendly manner. In addition to her great work ethic and excellent communication skills, her warm and approachable nature makes her an indispensable member of the team.
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Rajeshri SolankiOffice Administrator
Rajeshri came to the UK from Kenya in 1969 and has worked in administration and customer service roles throughout her career.
After spending four years working for UK Visas and Immigration, she joined Philip Gamble & Partners, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. She uses her customer service and admin skills to support our immigration team.
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Nicole WilliamsImmigration and Nationality Advisor
Nicole joined Sable International as an administrator, bringing with her a strong background in customer relations and various service industries.
Nicole is drawn to people, whether through work or in her spare time, when she plays softball for South Africa. Holding a diploma in project management, Nicole is also in the process of completing her degree in public relations.
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Simone JordaanImmigration and Nationality Advisor
Simone joined us in 2015 as a British Nationality Advisor.
She has a B.Comm in Industrial and Organisational Psychology. Among other things, Simone has worked as an assistant within a psychology practice and as an administrator at a five-star hotel where she had the opportunity to interact with customers from all corners of the globe on a daily basis. Empathetic and professional, Simone is an avid traveller, who has spent a lot of time exploring Europe.
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Meghan McArthurImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
Meghan started her career with Sable International in 2008, as part of our customer service department.
From there, she also spent time in our UK tax refunds and forex departments, gaining valuable insight into the overall workings of the business. Meghan’s passion for customer service and personal growth eventually led her to our visa department, where she now works as a UK Immigration Caseworker.
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Michaela BennyImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
Michaela was born and raised in Cape Town. She attended Wynberg Girls High.
She has previously worked in customer service and as an administrator at a college. During her time with the Immigration team at Sable International, Michaela has worked her way up to her current casework role..
Michaela enjoys spending time with family and friends and relaxing at home.
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Kelsey GoodchildImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
Kelsey grew up in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town and attended Wynberg Girls High School.
In our Immigration Department, Kelsey assists our caseworkers and is responsible for handling status traces and communication with clients.
She loves to travel and is slowly ticking off the countries on her bucket list. She also enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family and yoga.
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Lisa OosthuizenImmigration and Nationality Advisor
Lisa studied at Stellenbosch University, where she completed a degree in social work.
She is the administrative assistant for our immigration casework team.
When she’s not helping ensure all our clients’ needs are taken care of, she likes to spend time with her friends, family and children. She’s also quite fond of experimental cooking and going on adventures.
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Shelley ChristiansCasework Admin Assistant
Shelley was born and raised in Cape Town. She joined Sable International in 2017 where she started out in the 1st Contact department.
She previously worked in education and has had the opportunity to study Business Management and do a course in Office Administration. Shelley is now studying at a music school and in her spare time attends and performs at gigs. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
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Christine Jansen van VuurenImmigration and Nationality Caseworker
Christine has a Bachelor of Social Science in Organisational Psychology and Industrial Sociology from the University of Cape Town. She has a strong admin and customer service background.
In her role as an Immigration Caseworker, Christine handles the preparation and submission of British passport and entry clearance visa applications. As an ambitious and strong-willed individual, she prides herself on learning new things to develop herself both personally and professionally.
In her spare time, Christine enjoys gaming, reading or watching a new series.
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Ruben Van NiekerkAdmin Assistant
Ruben grew up in a small town in the Northern Cape. He has a background in hospitality and has worked in some of South Africa’s finest restaurants and hotels.
He previously worked in sales as a sales consultant for a company that specialises in short-term accommodation. At Sable International, Ruben is an Admin Assistant and provides our clients with the best service and assistance.
In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, the outdoors, gardening, meeting up with friends and road trips.
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Chanell AdamsAdmin Assistant
Chanell grew up in the Free State and has been in Cape Town for the past eleven years. She enjoys travelling and has had the opportunity to travel to Iran, Malaysia and Qatar.
Chanell has a National Diploma in Business Management and is in the process of completing her bachelor’s degree in communication science through the University of South Africa.
Outside of work, Chanell enjoys the company of friends and family, a good read and a night out on the town.
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Kerry MilneAdmin Assistant
Kerry was born in Johannesburg and has lived in Cape Town since she was six months old. She studied at the University of Cape Town, majoring in psychology and organisational psychology. She chose to study these subjects because she always wanted to work with people.
Thereafter, she completed her honours in organisational psychology. She has experience in sales and admin but excels at being organised and helping others stay organised.
Kerry joined Sable International as an Admin Assistant on our immigration team.
She enjoys being out and about with friends and family, cooking, baking and reading.
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Michael CragoImmigration Caseworker
Michael joined Sable International in 2017 and took up a position in our Tax Refunds department. A year later he joined the Immigration department in our Cape Town office.
With a passion for UK immigration and citizenship, he registered with the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) in January 2021. He now works as an Immigration Caseworker and represents and assists clients with their cases.
He enjoys meeting up with friends and family, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
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Tobias StromImmigration Caseworker
Tobias was born and raised in London to American and German parents. He has a law degree in Criminology from Nottingham Trent University. After working in various roles, he found his passion in immigration and helping families reunite.
He is registered as an OISC level 1 adviser in the UK. He joined Sable International as an Immigration Caseworker and assists clients with their visa applications to enter or remain in the UK.
He enjoys competing in sports and visiting his family across the world.
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Sandra ZegaracWork Permits Manager
Sandra joined the firm in 2005 having previously worked with another leading UK visa agency.
She is a level one Registered Adviser in UK Immigration with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.
Her talents lie in producing constructive and helpful solutions for clients with unusual problems. Sandra has been strongly involved with visa audits for UK employers as well as registering her clients for Work Permit applications.
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Sharifa ChowdhuryImmigration Caseworker
Sharifa is human rights lawyer dedicated to giving people a voice against discrimination and protecting their rights and freedom. She is a level one Registered Adviser in UK Immigration with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.
Sharifa obtained her LLB (Hons) Law degree from Northumbria University in the UK and her postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Westminster. She is proficient in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu.
Sharifa assists our clients with obtaining Tier 2 entry clearance, extensions, settlement, Tier 2 sponsorship licence, British citizenship and other UK immigration applications.
She enjoys socialising, travelling and cooking.
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Jessica ClampettCasework Admin Assistant
Jessica loves to travel and has lived in more than 15 countries around the world. She moved back to Cape Town from Thailand in 2020 with her husband and son. Previously, she worked as a general manager in the luxury hospitality industry, managing private villas, assets, and resorts.
At Sable International, she assists the caseworkers with case-related administration.
In her free time, she enjoys baking and gardening.
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Kristy De GoedeImmigration and Nationality Advisor
Kristy has been part of the Sable International family for many years. She started off on the tax refunds team and then moved into the immigration department. She has since become an expert in assisting customers with their UK visa applications and extensions.
Dedicated to providing excellent customer service to all clients, she has become particularly good at assessing what a client’s best relocation options are.
Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also has a keen passion for travel.
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Mikayla SchilderImmigration Administrator
Mikayla was born and raised in Cape Town and studied at Wynberg Girls’ High School. Thereafter, she attended UCT to receive a Bachelor of Social Science in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. In her role as Administration Assistant, she helps facilitate clients' journeys to the UK from Australia.
She loves language and the arts. As such, her hobbies include reading, writing and drawing. After participating in an environmental education programme in Zambia, she also discovered a passion for sustainability and environmental protection. On the weekend, she spends her time with friends and watches Formula 1. -
Nicole LawrenceMigration Administrator
Nicole was born and raised in Cape Town and attended Groote Schuur High School in Newlands. She studied at the University of Cape Town, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social development and Sociology as well as an Honours degree in Social Development.
Before she joined Sable International, she was a research intern at the Human Sciences Research Council. She completed training and was tasked with interviewing South African citizens about the impact of Covid-19.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family shooting pool, playing dominos and watching soccer.
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Gabriella BarriesAdmin Assistant
Gabriella was born and raised in Cape Town. She attended Wynberg Girls’ Junior and High Schools before studying Beauty Therapy and Somatology. She went on to work as a personal assistant and au pair, and in various retail environments, gaining experience in sales, customer service and admin.
In 2020, she changed career paths and enrolled at Varsity College to study Business Principles and Practices.
She is creative and passionate, but always organised, diligent and determined. She enjoys being outdoors, going for drives, reading a good book, making the most out of life and spending time with family and friends. -
Mishkaah EbrahimAdmin assistant
Mishkaah was at Sanlam before joining Sable International in 2022. She completed a wealth management accredited course in 2019 through Inseta and, prior to that, a long-term insurance class of business course through Moonstone.
She is a friendly, hardworking and confident individual who loves building new relationships. She has three children and, in her free time, she enjoys catching up on series, walking her dog, swimming and going on road trips. -
Carryn PhillpsImmigration and Citizenship Caseworker
Carryn was born and raised in Cape Town where she attended Rustenburg Girls’ High and thereafter graduated from Varsity College with a Bachelor of Arts in corporate communication.
After several years working in a client-focused role in the hospitality and event planning industry, she felt it was time for a change. She joined Sable International in 2020, as Client Liaison on our 1st Contact Relocation team, before moving to the Immigration team in 2022.
Carryn enjoys photography, being outdoors with her dog - especially by the ocean where she resides - and spending time with family.