Albany Solicitors were approached by a High Net Worth (‘HNW’) individual from China who wished to relocate herself and her family to the UK. In particular, this was motivated by the wish to invest in property and for the children to be able to access British education.

On an initial meeting with the client via Skype, it became apparent her and her husband had sufficient finances to meet the criteria for a Tier 1 (Investor) application. Following lengthy discussions, and taking into account all of the client’s wishes, it became apparent that the Tier 1 (Investor) route would be most appropriate as this would meet all of her, and her families, needs.

As such, prior to the application we therefore assisted our client in opening UK bank accounts, and once done, facilitating the transfer of funds to the UK prior to the application. This was essential given the strict currency controls in place for China and to ensure the Home Office rules on availability of funds were met. Fortunately, we have contacts whom are able to assist in large scale currency transfers at a very reasonable rate. Once the funds were cleared, we prepared and submitted the applications for her and her family, and all were successful within a matter of days.

In addition to assisting in the immigration application, we also assisted our client in finding suitable schools for her children, and organising their enrolment. We further assisted with accommodation and a house purchase, and all with the aim of making the relocation to the UK as smooth as possible. On arrival, the family had a confirmed start date for their children in the schools of their choice, a new home to move into and all finances were already in the UK. Once settled, we then organised our client to meet with an accountant and a financial adviser, who then swiftly assisted the clients with their investment to meet the rules of their visas. This therefore mitigated the risks of the investment and ensured appropriate and qualified professionals were at hand to help.

We continue to work with the client and the other professionals to ensure continued compliance with the Immigration Rules and therefore foresee no issues with their extension applications, and eventually, settlement. The children are thriving in private schools, and the investments are paying a good rate of return.