Elspeth is an internationally acknowledged expert in the field of European immigration law. She previously acted as Special Advisor to the House of Lords Inquiry into Economic Migration in the EU, and is currently involved in training judges in EU law. She is frequently requested to make submissions to parliamentary committees on the subject and she acts as an occasional expert to international organisations such as the European Commission, UNHCR, and the Council of Europe. She combines her contributions to the department with a part-time chair as professor of European Migration Law at the University of Nijmegen in Holland.