News

26.03.2025 - Spring Statement 2025: Key Announcements and Economic Outlook

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled a series of significant changes to the UK’s economic strategy during her Spring Statement in the House of Commons. The statement coincided with the release of the latest economic projections by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which has assessed the government's spending and economic outlook.

Here are the key highlights from the Spring Statement:

Welfare Reforms

The government is introducing significant changes to the welfare system, particularly targeting universal credit and disability benefits:

  • Health-related universal credit for new cla...

26.03.2025 - Spring Statement 26 March 2025 - tax anti-avoidance measures

Despite some speculation that Spring Statement might introduce new tax measures, we are pleased to confirm that no changes to the tax rules have been made, and as initially planned, the Spring Statement does not affect our current tax regulations.

However, the Government has used this opportunity to release a range of consultation documents, particularly focusing on tax anti-avoidance measures. These consultations may be of interest to some of our clients, and we have outlined the key points below.

Making Tax Digital

From April 2026, Making Tax Digital (MTD) will extend to certain taxpayers fo...

19.03.2025 - Home Office immigration and nationality fees: 9 April 2025

Immigration fees have increased by an average of five to ten percent.

You can see it on the page

12.03.2025 - Skilled Worker salary changes – 9 April

The minimum salary for Skilled Workers  for occupations in healthcare and education, PHD and STEM is being increased from £23,200 per year (or £11.90 per hour) to £25,000 per year (or £12.82 per hour).

Another small but potentially important change to be aware of is that the 40 hour working week used for the going rate in paragraph SW14.5 (transitional arrangements for salary on the Skilled Worker route) is being reduced to a 37.5 hour working week.

Where applicants are relying on a “new entrant” salary reduction, a change has been made to state that they must be relying on a UK qualification....

12.03.2025 - Protection for care workers – 9 April 2025

A new requirement has been added that must be met before a sponsor in England can sponsor a new recruit from other immigration routes or from overseas under the categories “6135 Care workers and home carers” or “6136 Senior care workers”. New paragraph SW 6.1C states that:

(a) the sponsor must have tried to recruit for the job the applicant is being sponsored for, from the pool of Skilled Workers who:
(i) are in the UK;
(ii) were last sponsored in an occupation code in SW 6.1B; and
(iii) are in need of new sponsorship because their sponsor has lost its licence or has not provided sufficient w...


12.03.2025 - Imposition of a visa regime on Trinidad and Tobago – 3pm 12.03.2025

Nationals of Trinidad and Tobago can no longer apply for an electronic travel authorisation to travel to the UK and will instead have to apply in advance for a visitor visa, as the country is added to Appendix Visa National effective almost immediately.

A transitional period is in place for six weeks, where those who already hold an electronic travel authorisation and a confirmed booking to the UK made before 3pm on 12.03.2025, to arrive in the UK no later than 3pm on 23 April 2025.

27.02.2025 - February 2025: The UK Suspends Double Taxation Convention with Russia

In August 2023, Russia suspended almost all provisions of its double tax treaty with the UK, as well as with several other "unfriendly" nations. These included treaties with Australia, Canada, EU Member States, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

The only provision not fully suspended by these suspensions was that for elimination of double taxation. The Russian decree's wording was couched to impose higher taxes on the domestic income of residents of other states, but at the same time avoid double taxation of Russian residents.

At the time, the U...

11.02.2025 - Nationality applications - guidance good character updated to clarify that applications made after 10 February 2025 that include illegal entry will normally be refused citizenship, regardless of when the illegal entry occurred

Good character guidance amended to block refugees from naturalisation.

Any person applying for citizenship from 10 February 2025, who previously entered the UK illegally will normally be refused, regardless of the time that has passed since the illegal entry took place.

Arriving without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey.

A person who applies for citizenship from 10 February 2025 who has previously arrived without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey will normally b...

07.02.2025 - Frequently asked questions: family member applications to the EU Settlement Scheme

Question:

Is there a requirement for durable partners to have cohabited in the UK before 2020 – or can the partnership/cohabitation have taken place entirely outside the UK?

Answer:

There is no requirement for durable partners to have cohabited in the UK. Whether a relationship was durable by 31 December 2020 is a question of fact based on the individual circumstances of the couple. There is no requirement to have lived together at all to be in a durable relationship e.g. cultural or religious reasons may mean a couple have lived apart despite being in a durable relationship.

However, if there...

31.01.2025 - Children being sponsored by a parent or legal guardian: Homes for Ukraine

A parent (or legal guardian) who holds permission under any of the Ukraine Schemes can apply to sponsor their child under Homes for Ukraine.

Children sponsored by their parents (or legal guardians) will hold permission to live in the UK for up to 18 months. They will have access to education, healthcare, benefits and employment (as appropriate under UK law).

A parent or legal guardian who is sponsoring their child will not qualify for thank you payments.

Both the applicant child and their sponsoring parent must meet all the requirements under the Homes for Ukraine scheme for the visa to be iss...

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