UK immigration matters and articles on migration, studying or working in the UK, as well as other countries. UK immigration visa appeals, refusal of visas or leave to remain, deportation and removal from the UK and overstaying in the UK. Articles on setting up a business online and making money online.
How will new points-based immigration system affect the
UK economy?
The government are introducing a new immigration system to include
post-Brexit EU migrants coming to work the UK.
By Charles Kelly, Property Investor, Author of Yes, Money
Can Buy You Happiness and creator of Money Tips Podcast.
In this Money Tips Podcast episode:
1.EU migrants will have to qualify under
points system to work in the UK after January 2021
2.Minimum salary, skill level and English
language ability applied to EU migrants
3.180,000 more people in UK employment
which stands at a record 32 million
4.8.4 million 16-65 year old’s ‘economically
inactive’ says Home Secretary
5.Learn about investing in property before
buying anything!
Can you afford to retire?
Millions of people, or over 80% of the population, will
either retire in poverty or not be able to afford to retire at all. What’s your
strategy?
You can learn how to acquire income producing assets using
other people’s money and other no money down strategies in order to become
financially free.
Smart investors take advantage of creative finance ‘no
money down’ tools in order to build massive property portfolios in a few
short years, as their hands are not tied by mortgage lenders and the need to
save large deposits and pay higher taxes.
Free property investment taster day
Before you any property, take time out to learn proven
successful strategies from expert multi-millionaire property investors on a
free taster ‘property discovery day’.
If you’d like more information on how to acquire wealth
building assets using none of your money, email me at Charles@CharlesKelly.net or
send me a message through Facebook or my Money Tips Daily community.
See more articles at www.moneytipsdaily.com
There are more examples and practical
steps to getting rich and being happy in my book, Yes, money can buy
happiness, I cover the 3 R’s of Money Management, the Money B.E.L.I.E.F
System and much more. Check it out on Amazon http://bit.ly/2MoneyBook.
Cyprus is a modern fast-growing EU country, which is also
steeped in history. The Bible mentions the early Apostles who travelled to
Cyprus and formed early Christian churches in the region during the days of
Roman Empire.
As a member of the European Union and Commonwealth, Cyprus
is strategically placed to take advantage of economic growth in a growing
region straddling Europe and the Middle East.
Cyprus has recently been ranked the 5th best relocation
destination in the world by an international lifestyle review (source: 2014
report prepared by Knight Frank, a leading independent, global real estate
consultancy firm). Ranked by key business and leisure indicators, Cyprus was
the only European country alongside Switzerland to make it into the top five –
ahead of London, Madrid and Monaco. Cyprus ranked highly because of its
favourable tax regime for new residents, particularly high net worth
individuals. And with at least 320 days of sunshine a year, and classified as
the sunniest European location, you can enjoy an incredible lifestyle on this
beautiful island in the sun.
Europe has established itself as the most sought-after
region in terms of high net worth immigration, accounting for over half of the
total number of global citizenship applications, with the Caribbean in second
place, followed by North America in third. Recent studies conducted by global
immigration experts, ranked the Cyprus Citizenship by Investment Program among
the “top ten best in the world”.
The Cypriot immigration policy and legal framework now
enable Non-EU applicants to obtain Cypriot citizenship on an expedited basis –
fast. There are a number of reasons the Cyprus Citizenship by Investment
Program is now considered to be the most attractive in Europe, including:
·Application process takes 6 months, with approval
granted within 2 to 3 months, being by far the fastest route to EU Citizenship.
·There is no requirement to make a donation to
the local government, in contrast to many other citizenship programs worldwide.
·Cyprus does not require applicants to live on
the island prior, during or after the application process, unlike all other EU
countries with citizenship programs that impose residency requirements.
·Simple and straightforward application process
with no requirements to disclose source of wealth or funds,
·No medical testing, no interview, and no
language requirements.
·Approved by the EU (being one of only two CBI
programs in Europe with official EU approval).
·English is widely spoken.
Since 2013, there have been over thousands of successful
applicants under the Cypriot programme, generating more than €3 billion in
investment.
A minimum investment of €2.0 million in property or real
estate is required, plus a donation of €75,000 to the Governments Research and
Development fund and €75,000 to the Land Development Organisation.
Cyprus uniquely offers a fast-track route to citizenship
within just 6 months of making the required investment. This guarantees a
Cypriot passport and citizenship of an EU country, giving the holder the right
of freedom of movement and work, travel, study and to live anywhere within the
EU, including countries such as Germany, France and Italy. The investment may be
reduced down to €500,000 after 5 years.
The obvious attraction for high net worth individuals is the
rapid citizenship for qualifying real estate investments.
How does the Cyprus Permanent Residency Programme work?
Investors can secure permanent residency rights in Cyprus
through investment in new property or real estate in the country. The permanent
residency programme is one of the fastest and straight forward investor visa
programmes in Europe. It requires investment of only €300,000 into property to
gain the Cyprus residency permit.
The permanent residency visa is granted within two months of
the investment and covers the whole family including parents - of both the main
applicant and spouse - plus dependent children up to the age of 25. Residency
is valid for life and can be passed down to dependents and spouse.
The permanent residency programme offers rights of travel
throughout the European Union and requires a single visit to Cyprus by all
family members every two years.
Investments may be made by a company for which the main
applicant and spouse are beneficial owners. The investment can be in to a
maximum of two brand new properties provided they reach the €300,000 permanent
residency limit.
In light of tougher legislation on landlords, punitive taxes and falling house prices in london, Money Tips looks at whether property is still a good investment ?
First,
we had the George Osbourne 2015 finance act phsing out tax relief on buy-to-let
mortgages. Tax relief will be gone by next year as will many property owners
and landlords as they start to pay more tax and even struggle to show a return
on their investment. This is a travesty and goes against all principles of
business lending.
The
then Chancellor George Osbourne also removed wear and tear allowance, which
will cost small landlords dearly.
If
that wasn’t enough, the government are now proposing new rules to do away with
Section 21 notices, which enables landlords to legally regain possession of their
property without having to give a reason or find fault.
Many
property owners have already sold up or reduced the size of their portfolio in
order to cut borrowing. Property prices in many parts of the country have
dropped for a number of reasons, including of course Brexit.
Some
see this as an opportunity to buy more property as so-called amateur landlords
run for the hills.
Others
worry that long term open-ended tenancies may be the beginning of the end for
the buy to let business as we know it. The banks will certainly be concerned
about gaining possession of their security in the event of a default on the
mortgage.
The
BBC and media have been all over the story citing cases of victims of
unscrupulous landlords who apparently evicted them at short notice because they
made a complaint about a repair job.
We
usually only hear one side of these stories, which surprise me for two reasons.
One,
most landlords would want to maintain the property in good order and any that do
not are shooting themselves in the foot and giving the vast majority of good
landlords a bad name.
Secondly,
no landlord wants to evict a good tenant who is paying rent knowing that they will
have a void and then have to pay an agent to get another tenant.
So
what do I think of this?
Housing
Crisis
These
measures will not solve the housing crisis. If anything, it will make it worse
as more landlords pull out of the market to avoid open-ended long-term
tenancies. If this happens, rents will go up based on the simple economic laws
of supply and demand.
Long
Term Secured Tenancies
Private
landlords were never meant to fill the gap in the market for long-term
tenancies. Buy-to-let mortgages do not allow such tenancy agreements under the
terms of a typical mortgage. Secured tenancies were traditionally was provided
by council housing, which have not been built in any great quantity in the
London area since the 1970s. Despite government encouragement and cheap
borrowing, councils are often reluctant to build more council houses as they
fear that they will lose them further down the road and the right to buy
scheme. Many have even sold of housing stock to huge housing associations.
The
government and local authorities must build affordable rental social housing as
a matter of urgency. The current scheme of asking developers to give a percentage
of the development over to affordable housing is just not working or providing
enough stock. Frankly, in the south-east affordable housing is just not
affordable. I have seen developers who cannot offload affordable housing even
on shared ownership schemes.
Has
Right-to-Buy Passed its Sell-by Date?
The
government also needs to restrict right to buy in order to keep housing stock
within the social rented sector and remove the excuse local authorities use to
sit on their hands whilst spending millions housing people in expensive
temporary accommodation.
The
right-to-buy was a revolutionary flagship policy under Margaret Thatcher‘s
Conservative government in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. It did a lot to help social
mobility and allow people get on the property ladder. The problem is that the
money from the sale of the council houses was not reinvested into building new
stock.
Underlying
Shortage of Housing in the UK
There
is still a massive shortage of housing in England, as the population has risen
sharply in recent years due to immigration and people living longer. Divorce
also increased the need for smaller rental units such as studios in one-bedroom
apartments. Net migration, the difference between people coming into the
country and people leaving the country, has been running at around half a
million people each year for years. A small city the size of Bristol would have
to be built every year to just to cope with the number of new arrivals alone,
according to organisations like Migration Watch. As this is unlikely to happen
- as far as I know there is no plans to build another Milton Keynes or Basildon
- there will be a strong demand for property for the foreseeable future.
Even
if there are fluctuations in the market, the fundamentals and underlying demand
will still remain. The U.K.’s population is set to hit 60 million within the
next decade and they all will need somewhere to live.
As
for this latest announcement, we don’t know exactly how the new rules will play
out or when they will be implemented. We do know that the government do not
want to go back to the bad old days of protected tenancies where a landlord
could never regain possession of their property or increase the controlled rent.
Until a few years ago, there were thousands of these properties with sitting
tenants dating back to the 60’s and 70’s. Owners would sell off the properties
at huge discounts at auction. Tenants were offered thousands of pounds in
bribes to vacate. A good friend of mine used to buy these properties in London
and then negotiate with the tenant to leave with a nice cash sum! They made a
fortune. If we return to this situation, the supply of private rented
accommodation will dry up.
Like
it or not, the government needs private landlords as there is simply not enough
social housing provided by councils and housing associations. Some corporate
landlords are coming into the market but they are catering for the luxury end,
such as in the city centre studios and co-living for young professionals.
So
for all of the above reasons, I think there will be a demand for private rented
accommodation even with anti-landlord legislation. Landlords are small business
people and small business people are resilient to legislation changes and
government red tape such as licensing (another issue for the sector to cope
with). They will survive and adapt. Like Darwin said, it’s not the strongest
species that survive, but the most adaptable.
Property
is a long-term investment and there will always be challenges.
Landlords
and investors need to keep abreast of new legislation by attending courses and
seminars run by reputable organisations.
The
National landlords Association is a good source of information and it lobbies the
government on behalf of landlords.
Property
still a good investment because you can use leverage or bank and other people’s
money to acquire properties.
If
you currently own property, I would not jump ship just yet. If you are planning
to invest, I would proceed with caution and always educate yourself before
dipping your toe in the market.
If
you like further details a property courses, such as a one-day introduction to
property investing, drop me a line.
I
have a limited number of complimentary tickets to attend an excellent course run
by experts, which will give you a clear overview into the market.
My
new book, Yes, money can buy happiness,
is due out on the 4th of May. Watch out for a special offer for all my podcast
subscribers!
One of the all-time great self-help books has to be Think
and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I still have my battered old copy of the book,
which I bought in the Philippines in the 1980’s.
Written in the 1930s by Hill while working in the White
House for President Roosevelt during the dark American depression years, it
still inspires people 90 years on.
This book is the daddy of all self-improvement books selling
well over 10 million copies and still selling. It claims to have made thousands
of people millionaires and I know people have turned their lives around after
reading this book and taking action.
My treasured battered old copy of Think and Grow Rich
One of Hill’s mentors, Andrew Carnegie, started him on a 20
year quest to study and write about what makes people successful and gave him
his secret, which Hill cleverly sprinkles throughout the book without
specifically revealing it.
Carnegie, then the richest man in the world worth over 400
million and still one of the all-time wealthiest men when his wealth is
adjusted for inflation, introduced Hill to the likes of Henry Ford and Harvey
Firestone. He went on to give most of his fortune away setting up thousands of
Carnegie libraries in America and Britain. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are
following in Carnegie’s footsteps.
The brilliant title, “think and grow rich”, is actually a
little deceiving because it suggests that you can merely “think” and grow rich.
I remember reading:
First you have to decide on exactly how much money you want.
Secondly, you must decide what you will give in return for
the money, as there is no such thing as something for nothing.
There’s always a catch!
However, if you read the book, you’ll discover that it’s
packed with practical ideas and advice to help you accumulate wealth and riches
– whatever that means to you.
The author never suggested that you could just sit there meditating
and think and grow rich. Ohm, the money will come!
Hill specifically refers to many steps including, organised
planning, specialise knowledge, taking decisions, masterminds, goal setting and
taking action to start a small business or getting a better job.
Interestingly, some of the small business idea are not
dissimilar to the sort of things you would do as a start-up entrepreneurial
today.
Napoleon Hill writes about how to start in a service
business, which is ideal for somebody with little or no capital. That’s still
true today. He even offers bookkeeping as an example of a good service to start
with. Even today, most businesses need a good bookkeeper just as much as they
need an accountant. When I was in business, we always struggled to find a good
bookkeeper and had to pay well to find a good one.
Other useful tips he gives are getting help writing a better
CV so that you can get a higher paid job and gaining specialist knowledge as
opposed to the general knowledge taught in schools.
He also talked about people bringing business ideas to
venture capitalist and becoming overnight millionaires.
Some of the chapters were a little weird, but overall the
advice is still relevant even by today’s standards.
Hill cleverly mentions the one ‘big secret’ placed
throughout the book, but doesn’t tell what it is! You have to read the book to
find it.
Nowadays, it is far easier to get started in business with
the advent of the digital age. Fortunes have been made faster than ever before.
We have so many tools at our disposal that you can get on business within a day
with no premises, leases or staff.
More training and specialist knowledge – from courses on
getting started in property or setting up an Amazon store - is available than
ever before. You don’t need years or even months to learn new skills.
If you would like to learn how to increase your earning
power and expand your wealth, drop me an email to charles@charleskelly.net
7 Tips
To Become More Creative And See Opportunities
Have
you ever been in a country and had trouble finding a taxi? This happened to me
many times in America, where I was stuck for hours miles from my hotel., And in
the Philippines where it was not only hard to find a cab but when you found one
they always tried to rip you off.
I
had a story recently that the founders of Uber was in a similar situation while
attending a conference in Paris a few years ago but decided to do something
about it. They of course went on to found a company which now provides millions
of people with a good transparent service, which we can use from our phone and
pay for without cash.
According to Investopedia.com, Uber’s story began in Paris
in 2008. Two friends, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, were attending the
LeWeb, an annual tech conference the Economist describes as “where
revolutionaries gather to plot the future".
In 2007, both men had sold start-ups they co-founded for
large sums. Kalanick sold Red Swoosh to Akamai Technologies for $19 million
while Camp sold StumbleUpon to eBay for $75 million.
Rumor has it that the concept for Uber was born
one winter night during the conference when the pair was unable to get a cab.
Initially, the idea was for a timeshare limo service that could be ordered via
an app. After the conference, the entrepreneurs went their separate ways, but
when Camp returned to San Francisco, he continued to be fixated on the idea and
bought the domain name UberCab.com.
In 2009, Camp was still CEO of StumbleUpon, but he
began working on a prototype for UberCab as a side project. By summer of that
year, Camp had persuaded Kalanick to join as UberCab’s ‘Chief Incubator’. The
service was tested in New York in early 2010 using only three cars, and the
official launch took place in San Francisco in May.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Uber’s disruptive technology, explosive growth, and constant
controversy make it one of the most fascinating companies to emerge over
the past decade. The almost ten-year-old company soon grew to become the
highest valued private startup company in the world. But with its rapid
growth came many controversies that knocked down its valuation from a lofty $70
billion to $48 billion in its last funding round in Jan. 2018. On May 23, 2018,
the company announced a new tender offer that would bump the company's
value to $62 billion. Source: Investopedia.com
On
my recent holiday I was able to use Uber and similar apps. The cars are clean,
the vast majority of the drivers are polite and I no longer get ripped off when
arriving at an airport.
Do
you ever find yourself complaining about a service or situation?
Dr Joe
vitality said that whenever you see a lot of people complaining about something
there is always an opportunity there.
I
used to complain about not been able to find a taxi or getting ripped off, but
I never saw the opportunity to do anything about it.
You
may have seen the recent movie, The Greatest Showman, which was about BT
Barnum. Barnum was not only a great showman, but it was someone that sort
opportunities where other people only saw problems. In other words, he was a
visionary.
Thousands
of products and businesses have been started by people who wanted to solve a
problem. I’m sure you have had ideas for products or services, but perhaps you
were not able to follow them through. Sometimes our mind or that voice in our
head tells us things like:
“That
will never work”
“
someone else is probably doing it already”
Or,
“ it’s too difficult and you can’t do that”
Before
you know it, you’ve talked yourself out of it and a few years later you find
that someone else has “stolen” your idea!
By
opening your mind to the opportunities around you, you too can become a
visionary. You don’t have to form an Uber or a Google or Facebook. Remember
that all of these companies were formed to solve a problem. In the case of
Facebook the founders wanted to meet girls on campus. Do you remember what it
was like using search engines before Google?
7 techniques
to help you become more creative and see opportunities:
1. Open
your mind and realise that problems are opportunities. There’s an old saying
that where there’s muck there’s brass meaning that where there’s dirt or messy
problems, there is money and opportunity.
2. Clear
the clutter and noise from your mind. Sometimes we literally can’t see the wood
from the trees because our minds are cluttered with so many things that we
can’t see things that are right in front of us.
Techniques to clear your mind include meditation and just
being quiet with yourself. Meditation doesn’t need to be complex, but you will
improve with practice.
Dry just sitting and breathing into your belly for a few
minutes. Just take deep breath right down into your belly and watch your
stomach move up and down
just concentrate on the breathing and let other thoughts
come and go. See if you can do that for two minutes. Then extend it for longer.
You don’t have to think of anything or listen to meditation musical tapes.
3. Sit
still for 30 minutes.
I learned this from the great Brian Tracy. His technique
involves going into a quiet room and sitting for 30 minutes with no music no
phones, no coffee or food just you in a chair in a quiet room. You don’t need
to think of anything but you need to be quiet and just alone with yourself.
Nowadays we are hardly alone with ourselves for any length
of time because we have so many distractions, especially our smart phones which
are buzzing and pinging every minute. Try this technique and you’ll be amazed
at how many ideas just pop into your head when you least expect it. You will
also feel relaxed, refreshed and calmer.
4. Go
for a walk.
This
is especially effective if you can walk around nature in a field or a park.
Just walk and admire nature, the Sun or the sky. Health practitioner suggests
that we should walk for at least 30 minutes a day so you can combine the
techniques and kill two birds with one stone!
5. Keep
a notebook or a journal and write down every idea you think about during the
day.
You
might be surprised at how many ideas you’re already generating right now. When
doing your own “brainstorming”, remember that you’re not judging the idea at
this moment. Just write them down and return to them later. Serial
entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Simon Woodroffe (who founded Yo! Sushi) carry
notebooks and journals with them and make notes all the time. You can also make
notes on your phone or laptop, but there’s something about physically writing
an idea down that activates your brain. The late Jim Rohn used to be big on
giving journals. He kept journals all of his life. I remember him saying to me,
don’t trust your memory.
6. Act
on your ideas immediately.
It
has long been known that acting on an idea immediately gives it far more chance
of going from gestation to birth. Acting on your idea could mean something as
simple as writing it down or putting in your diary to follow up later. Nowadays
we can research things immediately on Google, so we have no excuse!
7. Finally,
never underestimate the power of your own mind.
You
don’t have to be a genius to be wealthy or successful you just have to be
focused.
I remember working in commission only salesforce in the
1980s where the top salesman, a guy called Doug, was earning 20 times the
income of the bottom 20% - around £100,000 per annum, which was a lot of money
back then. He didn’t seem to work any harder than anybody else. Doug was in his
50’s and put in a full day but never really looked stressed. However, he did
not hang around at the coffee machine gossiping or chatting about the recession
we were going through – he decided not to join it! He did have a PA, which
separated him from the rest, but other than that he was a fairly ordinary guy.
He came out on an appointment with me once and I thought I was going to say
this really super salesman. Surprisingly, he was quiet, unassuming, normal and
did more listening than talking.
The manager of our branch got him to give a talk on how he
was so successful and earned so much commission when others were struggling.
When I heard he was given a talk I was really excited and
thought I was really going to get some big secret and new ideas. When he gave
the talk, I was a little disappointed as he didn’t really say very much that I
didn’t already know.
However, there are two things that stuck out in my mind from
his talk all those years ago. Firstly, he was a relentless prospector and
marketer and was always sending out letters or making calls.
Secondly, when asked by my audience member what his secret
to success was, he just pointed his finger to his head and said, “it’s all up
there, in your mind”.
You only need one good idea, followed through with action
and persistence to turn your fortunes around. There are thousands of stories of
men and women of all ages from 10 year old YouTube millionaire kids to Colonel
Sanders, who started KFC when he was 65 years old and unable to live on his
pension – he approached thousands of companies before his idea took off.
In a major shake-up to the immigration rules, thousands of
low-skilled migrants could come and work in the UK for up to a year under proposed
new post-Brexit migration rules.
The low-skilled migration programme is intended to protect
parts of the economy reliant on overseas labour until 2025.
British Home Secretary Sajid Javid told the press that the
new system would be based on UK needs rather than where migrants were from and
show the UK "open for business".
Announcing what he said would be the biggest shake-up of
immigration policy for 40 years, Mr Javid has moved away from a "specific
target" for reducing numbers coming into the UK, net migration would come
down to "sustainable levels", he said.
The government White Paper - a document setting out proposed
new laws before they are formalised in a government bill and law - includes:
Removing the cap on the number of skilled workers, such as
doctors or engineers, from EU and non-EU countries
A consultation on the minimum salary requirement of £30,000
for skilled migrants seeking five-year visas
No visas for visitors from the EU
Phasing in the new system from 2021
The Home Secretary said the proposals would enable the UK to
exercise control over its borders and "deliver on the clear
instruction" of the British people when they voted to leave the EU.
The ending of free movement from the European Union forms
part of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal.
Lower-skilled and unskilled working migrants will no longer
be able to come to work in the UK from Europe and automatically settle
permanently the government says.
A "transitional measure" will allow people from
"low-risk countries" in Europe and outside the EU will be able to
come to the UK, without a job offer, and seek work for up to a year on a
temporary visa, similar to a working holiday arrangement.
The new scheme will help fill vacancies in sectors such as
construction and social care which are dependent on foreign labour. Ministers
fear these sectors will struggle to adapt when free movement of labour ends.
There will be a "cooling off period" after a year
of temporary work, meaning people will be expected to leave at that point and
not to apply again for a further 12 months.
Applicants will have to pay a fee and will not get access to
public funds or be able to switch to any other migration visa scheme.
The numbers being admitted on the one year scheme could be
"similar" to the 170,000 workers from outside the European Economic
Area currently in low or unskilled roles, it is estimated.
Critics, such as Migration Watch, argue that there was no
way of making sure people left after a year and the immigration figures, which
do not include people in the UK for less than a year, could be distorted as a
result.
"It is shocking that the government should have caved
in so completely to the demands of industry while ignoring the strong public
desire to get immigration down," said Migration Watch chair Lord Green.
"The chief winners will be business, as they exploit
the bonanza of a huge new pool of labour from around the world while continuing
to avoid their responsibility to the public to recruit and train up local
talent."
The curbing of free movement is expected to work both ways affecting Brits who want to work in Europe. The EU has not given any blanket assurances to Britons living in other EU countries instead leaving it to individual member states to set their own rules.
Thousands more foreign students will be able to study in UK universities
under plans to relax Tier 4 visa rules the Home Office announced this week.
The Mail on Sunday said the Government will scrap rules
requiring overseas students to provide evidence of sufficient funds to live
here and speak English.
Students add billions to UK economy say universities
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has simplified the process of
securing so-called 'Tier 4' visas for students from countries it considers a
'low risk' of abusing the system.
Critics warned that easing the rules risked bogus or
underqualified students who submitted applications in a bid to beat border
controls slipping through the net. But the Home Office insisted there was no
evidence students from the countries involved had exploited the system. Officials
insisted random spot-checks would weed out wrong-doing.
Home Secretary Sajid Javed
The measure follows other immigration reforms unveiled by Mr
Javid designed to make it easier for skilled non-EU migrants to work and live
in the UK.
The recently appointed Home Secretary appears to be sweeping
in a new migration mood after relaxing working visa rules to allow more non-EU doctors andnurses to work in Britain. He has enabled the NHS to recruit more medical staff
by excluding them from the migration cap, which means businesses and employers
will be able to hire an extra 8,000 skilled non-EU workers, such as engineers,
IT professionals and teachers.
The Home Office has also added 11 countries to its 'trusted'
list for the purpose of student visas. The additional countries – China,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Bahrain, Serbia, Dominican Republic,
Kuwait, Maldives and Macau – bring the list to 30, but excludes India.
They join trusted countries on list including Argentina,
Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan,
Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago,
United Arab Emirates, the US and Taiwan.
Overseas students from the nations on the list will enjoy a
streamlined application process, with fewer documents required when applying
for visas.
They will no longer need to submit evidence showing they
meet the requirements for living costs of up to £1,265 a month, previous
qualifications or evidence they can speak English fluently.
Figures show that in the year to March, some 100,769
students from the 11 nations were granted Tier 4 student visas to study in the
UK.
The new measures have been welcomed by UK universities who have
argued for easing restrictions on foreign students, claiming they contribute of
£2.3billion annually to the British economy.
But Migrationwatch warned of a so-called 'slippery slope', saying:
'The last time the student visa system was loosened in 2009 it took years to
recover from the massive inflow of bogus students, especially from India.'
In other measures, the Tier 1 immigration route for
highly-skilled individuals will be expanded to include fashion designers who will
be able to apply for the visas for 'exceptional talent' in the fields of
science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts.
The Home Office said the route was also being opened up to a
wider pool of TV personalities and film stars.
Mr Javed also confirmed that Afghan interpreters and their
families who have relocated to the UK can apply free for permanent residence.
Increased
numbers of students coming to study in the UK could provide a much needed boost
to the economy and buy-to-let property market, which have slowed since the Brexit
referendum and stamp duty hikes.
The British government are set to relax immigration rules to
allow more doctors and nurses from outside the EU to work in the UK.
Amid staff shortages in the NHS, the Home Office said
foreign medics would be excluded from the government's visa cap on skilled
migration.
The visa or work permit cap imposes an overall limit for all
non-EU skilled workers at 20,700 a year.
It was introduced by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary
in a bid to reduce net migration to the UK, but the NHS has recently complained
that it has made it harder to fill job vacancies for doctors and nurses.
Prime Minister and former Home Secretary Theresa May MP
Tier 2 visas are a form of work permit for employers to hire
skilled workers to the UK from outside the European Economic Area and
Switzerland.
Since 2011, there has been a cap on the total number of
these visas that can be issued, which had not been reached until December 2017.
The government change is due to increased demand for NHS
workers, the largest employer in the UK, which account for 40% of all Tier 2 visas.
This week, the Financial Times reported that 2,360 visa
applications by doctors from outside the European Economic Area were refused in
a five-month period.
According to the BBC, NHS bosses have warned that
immigration rules were hampering their ability to find workers after visas for
100 Indian doctors were refused earlier this year. However, it seems odd that
the NHS would apply for 100 working visas without first checking on the availability
of visas.
NHS England report that there were 35,000 nurse vacancies
and 10,000 doctor posts unfilled in February.
Strict IELTS language tests and the perceived lack of settlement
opportunities may deter nurses from countries like the Philippines choosing the
UK over Australia, Canada and the U.S.
The changes are expected to only apply to doctors and nurses
- but the government could release hundreds of visas a month for workers in
other industries like IT and teaching.
Recently appointed Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who has suggested
a rethink of some parts of the government's immigration policy, said: "I
recognise the pressures faced by the NHS and other sectors in recent months.
Doctors and nurses play a vital role in society and at this time we need more
in the UK. That is why I have reviewed our skilled worker visa route."
Full details of the UK immigration rule changes are to be set out on Friday.
London has been ranked the best city in the world for university students,
according to a new international survey.
The capital of the UK replaced year's top city Montreal to
rank as number one study destination for the first time in the QS Best Student
Cities Ranking 2018.
The study, carried out by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, builds the rankings based on a number of factors, such as affordability, desirability and the view of students.
The student survey quizzed 50,000 students about the quality of their experience in their city, and their willingness to remain there after graduating.
London scored highly in the likelihood of students getting a job (or converting a student visa to a graduate work permit and eventually permanent residence in the UK) in the city at the end of their degree study in the UK. The city has a reputation as a multi-national international city with strong levels of tolerance and diversity.
There is also a concentration of world-class universities, such as University College London and Imperial College London, which makes the city attractive to students.
But the city did not score so well on affordability, coming in at 113th in the rankings.
Ben Sowter, research director at QS, said: "The 2018
ranking highlights the enduring quality of the student experience available in
London.
"The city benefits from outstanding employment
prospects, more world-class universities than any other city, and enviable
lifestyle opportunities.
"These factors mean that the capital remains a great
place to study despite eye-watering costs."
The Canadian city of Montreal dropped to fourth in the
rankings, behind Tokyo in second and Melbourne in third.
Australia, which offers students the possibility of a longer
term stay after graduating, also saw Sydney climb to ninth place, while the
United States failed to see any of its cities make the top 10.
Paris ranked fifth, after topping the table in 2016.
One of the most astonishing stories I have come across in the last few years is the tale of the billionaire Roman Abramovich visa expiry fiasco reported by the BBC and Sky news this week.
Roman Abramovich
The billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club could not return to the UK to see his team beat Manchester United to win the FA Cup on Saturday because he is waiting for his UK visa to be renewed!
Reports from a source close to Sky News claim that his current visa expired in April, which is remarkable considering the oligarch has lived here for many years, employs staff in the UK and owns a house in one of the most expensive roads in London.
Two questions come to mind:
How could he or his lawyers have allowed his visa to run out?
Why has he not applied for indefinite leave to remain or permanent residence?
Apparently, an application for his visa renewal has been lodged but the process is taking longer than usual, according to Sky’s the source.
The press are now linking the oversight to the heightened diplomatic tensions between Russia and the UK in the wake of the Salisbury spy poisoning, along with recent British military involvement in Syria.
The Home Office would not be drawn on the circumstances surrounding Mr Abramovich's investor visa application, stressing: "We don't discuss individual cases."
Downing Street said visa applications from Russia are handled "rigorously and properly".
Amid press speculation, the Kremlin has now waded into the argument claiming that Russian businesses "often encounter unfriendly and unscrupulous actions".
Roman Abramovich is worth an estimated £9.3bn, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, and has spent hundreds of millions at Chelsea since taking charge of the London club in 2003.
It was widely expected that Chelsea’s current manager, who took them to the top of premier league last season, would be sacked regardless of the FA Cup result after a disappointed season. Conte should be alright for the time being, as his boss can’t get back to fire him!
He has close links to Vladimir Putin's government in Moscow and, earlier this year, was included for the first time on a US list of Russian officials and oligarchs close to the Kremlin that could serve as a basis for future sanctions.
Moscow accused Britain of unprecedented "anti-Russian mania", warning such an attitude could backfire and scare off foreign investors.
London Property prices hits new highs
Central London property prices have hit new highs in the last few years, partly due to foreign money, which some claim is dirty, pouring into the UK. A short leasehold flat in Kensington can cost tens of millions of pounds, and you don't even own the freehold!
Although prices have dropped in London, there are still investment opportunities in other parts of the UK, the world's 5th largest economy.
The British government rejected claims it is "turning a blind eye" to "dirty money" from Russia, and said it is determined to drive "dirty money and the money launderers" out of Britain.
Every migrant knows that you need to allow time to renew a visa, and that you can usually remain in the UK once your application has been lodged. The press are whipping up a scandal, but show little interest in the stories of thousands of ordinary migrants who face delays.
If you would like to learn more about property investment and attend a seminar, I have a limited supply of complimentary tickets for a beginner property course with a leading training provider - email me charles@charleskelly.net. Related articles: Leasehold properties are a legal minefield
Prime Minister Theresa May will give free movement rights to
Irish citizens after the UK leaves the European Union, according to the Sunday
Telegraph.
The paper is calling the offer a “Schengen” style deal between
Britain and Ireland, although this would go beyond a border-less travel area.
However, we are still awaiting the Government’s formal proposal to the EU on sensitive
issue of the Northern Irish border, straddling miles of country roads and farmland.
Although it has barely been mentioned, Britain and Ireland,
along with the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, has enjoyed an open border
area since 1923, almost 50 years before they joined the Common Market - the
free trade area which evolved into the European Union we know today. The Common
Travel Area (CTA) allowed Irish citizens to live, work and remain in the UK as
settled residents without filling in Indefinite Leave to Remain forms.
Many of my own Irish relatives came to the UK in the 1960’s
with no passport and never needed one to travel back and forth between Britain
and Ireland. In the 1950's and 1960's, it was the Irish who did the jobs the
British workers did not want to do, such as road construction and care.
I
had many childhood holidays in Ireland long before I eventually applied for my
first British passport.
There is also talk of CCTV cameras and automated number
plate technology to track the movement of goods in vehicles across the Irish
border, as part of a lighter customs regime.
With unelected EU officials playing a game of pre-negotiation
hardball, it looks like the UK will have little option but leave the single
market and customs union in a so-called hard Brexit.
The Brexit negotiations are creating uncertainty in the
markets and with EU migrants, even though Theresa May announced that they are
welcome to remain
in the UK indefinitely.
The number of EU, as well as non-EU nurses applying to work
in the UK has fallen dramatically, and thousands of British nurses are taking
jobs overseas in countries like Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
