June 16th, 2025
When preserving family wealth and ensuring smooth intergenerational transfer are priorities, a Family Investment Company (FIC) can offer significant benefits. A Family Investment Company is a private limited company created specifically to hold and manage investments for a family. It is increasingly becoming a preferred alternative to trusts—especially since the 2006 reforms that brought all…
June 9th, 2025
In a world increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI), governments are grappling with how to regulate its transformative potential while maintaining competitiveness. The UK government has taken a distinct path—eschewing a centralised legislative regime in favour of a sector-led, principles-based framework. This direction was laid out in the AI Regulation White Paper, first published in…
June 4th, 2025
Why Are There Delays at the Land Registry? Several factors have contributed to the current backlog at HM Land Registry: Increased Volume of Transactions: The Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in property transactions, overwhelming the system. Staffing Challenges: The pandemic also brought about staffing shortages and…
May 29th, 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how businesses operate—automating processes, generating content, analysing data, and even making decisions. But as the use of AI increases, so too does the need for legal and ethical oversight. Whether you’re building AI tools in-house, purchasing off-the-shelf models, or integrating AI into customer services, it is essential to understand…
May 21st, 2025
The UK Government has introduced a sweeping set of immigration reforms aimed at reducing overall migration levels. These changes, announced by the Home Secretary and now confirmed through updates to the Immigration Rules, mark one of the most significant shifts in policy in recent years. The revised rules are expected to take effect in stages…
May 6th, 2025
If you own a leasehold property in the UK, you may have heard whispers about “marriage value” — and not the romantic kind. In leasehold terms, marriage value is a crucial concept that can significantly affect how much you pay when extending your lease or buying your freehold. Let’s break it down, especially how it…
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…
