The Chancellor is set to announce a fast-track visa for highly skilled migrants in the Budget next week, as the UK tries to attract staff for rapidly growing new companies. Rishi Sunak hopes that the new scheme will allow companies to take applications from the best potential employees around the world, a move the Treasury
First-time buyers are re-emerging in the housing market this year, after the impact of the coronavirus pandemic meant their plans were put on hold in 2020 says Zoopla. The increase could add to the upward pressure on property prices climbing higher as demand for homes outweighs supply. Zoopla said the share of first-time buyers purchasing
People from Poland and Romania have made more applications to the EU settlement scheme than any other nationality it has been revealed. A total of 5,060,600 applications have been received since the scheme opened in March 2019, according to provisional Home Office figures to the end of January reports PA. More than 2.4 million of
The government has confirmed that legislation paving the way for whiplash reforms will come into force from 31 May reports the Law Society. Newly-published draft statutory instruments have also finally indicated the tariff levels at which damages will be set for soft tissue injuries suffered in road traffic accidents. The total damages for pain, suffering
Urgent action is needed to prevent tens of thousands of property market transactions collapsing at the cliff-edge end of the stamp duty holiday. The Law Society of England and Wales is urging people to write to their MP calling for swift action to protect consumers ahead of the budget on 3 March and the stamp
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill concluded its passage through the House of Commons. It will return to the House of Lords to consider an amendment before receiving Royal assent. However, lord chancellor Robert Buckland told MPs that the bill’s reforms will not come into force on Royal assent ‘because time needs to be allowed
Paisley in central Scotland has been identified as Britain’s top property hotspot, with asking prices there surging by 15% over the past year. Lancaster and Wigan in northern England rounded off the top three places in the list, compiled by Rightmove, reports PA. London was excluded from the main research. The strongest asking price growth
Around one in five home buyers who agreed a deal last July when a stamp duty holiday was announced have still not completed their purchase, analysis suggests. The stamp duty holiday is due to end on March 31 2021. Rightmove has estimated that around 100,000 buyers who agreed a purchase before Christmas will fail to
A businessman embroiled in a fight over money with his estranged wife has failed to convince a judge that he has lost a £30 million fortune and is in “negative territory”. He told Mr Justice Cohen he had been worth about £30 million in 2007, the year he married his wife, but had lost “all
An increasing number of concerned individuals are contacting offices across the Royal Courts of Justice following emails or phone calls by scammers. The scammers allege that payment is owed to HMRC and that warrants for arrest have been issued. Scammers tell individuals to look up contact details for the Royals Courts of Justice to verify