Bar Standards Board pauses most new foreign-lawyer applications to requalify as barristers
The Bar Standards Board is pausing work on most new transferring qualified lawyer applications from foreign lawyers while it clears a backlog and consults on rule changes, Legal Futures reported on September 30, 2026. Applicants who can show a pupillage offer, chambers place, or other employment needing a practising certificate remain exempt. Director General Phil Goldring said the system should focus on those who will practise in England and Wales.
Key points
- The BSB is pausing new transferring qualified lawyer applications except those with proven routes to practise.Legal Futures
- Exemptions cover evidence of a pupillage offer, chambers place, or employment requiring a practising certificate.Legal Futures
- Legal Futures said the pause has no set end date and will cover consultation plus Legal Services Board approval.Legal Futures
- TQLs were 29% of authorisation applications in the year to March 31, 2026, down from 40% the prior year.Legal Futures
- The BSB processed over 700 TQL applications in that year, three times recent annual volumes, with a backlog remaining.Legal Futures