January 12th, 2023
The UK Companies House announced in 1 August 2022 that overseas entities are obliged to provide more transparency than they used to do. This decision was effected by the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 to prevent and crack down on money laundering and other financial crimes. Therefore, overseas entities engaging with transactions of…
December 30th, 2022
According to Interfax Ukraine (https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/867178.html), UK-based Elena Baturina and other oligarchs have been sanctioned by Ukraine. The EU and the UK are now under pressure to follow suit.
February 18th, 2022
Tier 1 Investor visa route has been closed to new applicants irrespective of nationality due to security concerns. Home Secretary Priti Patel made the announcement via Twitter on 17 February 2022 taking the unusual step of implementing the change with immediate effect. People who already have leave to enter or remain as a Tier 1…
February 18th, 2022
«Золотые визы Tier 1 Investor» в Великобританию прекращены. О намерении завершить выдачу Золотых Виз заявили источники в МВД страны. Британские власти решили таким образом бороться с отмыванием капиталов, а также прекратить проникновение средств и активов, связанных с российскими и другими властями. «Золотая виза» выдавалась иностранным гражданам с 2008 года. Нужно было инвестировать в экономику Великобритании…
March 3rd, 2021
As Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his budget today, the stamp duty holiday on house purchases has been extended until the end of June 2021. Since last summer, property buyers have benefitted from the suspension of stamp duty land tax on the first £500,000 of all sales in England and Northern Ireland. Anyone completing a…
February 5th, 2021
Freedom of movement between the UK and EU ended on 31 December 2020. Under the UK’s new points-based immigration system, EU and non-EU citizens are treated equally. With the exclusion of Irish citizens, anyone to be hired from outside the UK will need to apply for permission in advance.* To hire most eligible workers from…
January 8th, 2021
Reaping the benefit of the temporary reduced rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax, Buy-to-let landlords are eager to complete their property purchases before the end of the SDLT holiday on 31 March 2021. Investors have taken up the largest proportion of property sales in four years. According to research conducted by the estate agent…
November 19th, 2020
Part 10 of the Immigration Rules requires foreign nationals over the age of 16 from specific countries to register with the police if their visa is issued for longer than six months. Those who are required to register, must go to the police within seven days of arriving in the UK or of obtaining their…
November 19th, 2020
Are you an employer and considering applying for a sponsor licence to enable you to sponsor migrant workers? Good news: Home Office announced a new Priority service for expedited processing of sponsor licence applications. On 12 November 2020, the Home Office introduced a new paid service for expedited processing of sponsor licence applications, Once the…
October 23rd, 2020
In response to the challenges faced by businesses during the current outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK Rishi Sunak announced on 22 October 2020 additional governmental support to help employers retain their employees through the Job Support Scheme (JSS) during this winter from 2020 to 2021. The government…
September 29th, 2020
The Immigration Health Surcharge (“IHS”) is a fee levied on the majority of UK visa applications. You are required to make this payment as part of your application or when you book an appointment. The IHS was meant to increase from £400.00 to £624.00 per year, effective from 1 October 2020. However, the original draft order has…
September 14th, 2020
Yesterday, the Home Office announced its plans to close the Tier 4 Student route and replace it with the ‘Child Student’ and ‘Student’ routes. The changes are being introduced to give effect to the Government’s plan to create a global visa system which applies equally to all individuals coming to the UK to work or…
July 28th, 2020
New Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa Route The UK Government has published a policy statement on the new Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O) Visa route for Hong Kong residents with British National (Overseas) status and their immediate family members, including non-BN(O) citizens. The UK Government’s decision to introduce a new Hong Kong BN(O)…
July 20th, 2020
The Home Office does not intend to extend the Coronavirus Policy to automatically extend visas beyond 31 July 2020. The Home Office will instead make case-by-case assessments. Until now, those with visas or leave expiring between 24 January 2020 and 31 July 2020 could apply to have their visas extended without any additional cost by…
July 15th, 2020
The housing market, as with the rest of the economy, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown meant activity slowed sharply, with sales at half the levels of a year earlier. Viewings, sales and moves have now resumed in much of the UK, but buyers and sellers face fresh unease about job…
July 9th, 2020
The government has temporarily increased the stamp duty threshold to £500,000 for property sales in England and Northern Ireland, until 31 March 2021, to boost the property market and help buyers struggling because of the coronavirus crisis. Anyone completing on a main residence costing up to £500,000 between 8 July 2020 and 31 March 2021…
July 6th, 2020
The Government is considering introducing a six-month stamp duty (SDLT) holiday to revive the housing market later this year.The temporary measure would remove tax on the purchase of homes at the lower end of the housing market. Treasury officials are said to be looking at raising the threshold at which homebuyers start paying SDLT. Rishi…
July 6th, 2020
Businesses have the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work part time from 1 July as part of the government’s plan to re-open the UK and kick-start our economy. From 1 July, businesses can bring furloughed employees back to work on a part-time basis. ⠀ Firms will be given the flexibility to decide…
July 6th, 2020
The UK government has set up a new cross-departmental unit called the “Office for Talent” to make it easier for international scientists, researchers and innovators to obtain a UK visa to live and work in the UK in the post-Brexit immigration system. ⠀ This announcement follows the recent publication of the UK Research and Development…
June 26th, 2020
Currently, people arriving in the UK from outside the Common Travel Area (the UK, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) must self-isolate for a period of 14 days. Any person arriving into the UK must fill out an online locator contact form – providing details of where they will spend their…
