£4 million Government Funding Pledged to Tackle Rogue Landlords
More than 100 councils in England are to receive new funding from the Government to take on criminal landlords and letting agents and improve standards in the private rental sector. More than £4 million is being made available to fund enforcement initiatives against a minority of private landlords and agents who are breaking the law […]
UK Home Office Criticised for Refusal to Reveal ‘High Risk’ Countries
The Home Office has faced stark criticism from campaign groups for its decision not to reveal details of the algorithm used to filter UK visa applications. In response to a legal challenge brought by immigrants’ rights campaigners over use of its artificial intelligence programme, the Home Office provided a redacted list of countries in different […]
2020 Planned Closures of USCIS Field Offices
USCIS is continuing with the planned closure of 13 US international field offices and 3 district offices by August 2020. USCIS operated 23 international offices in 20 countries around the globe. While it had previously advised of plans to close all of its international offices by March 2020, USCIS confirmed in a statement last summer […]
New H-1B Electronic Visa Registration Process
A new registration process takes effect for the forthcoming H-1B cap selection process which, according to USCIS, will deliver overall cost savings to petitioning employers. Following completion of a pilot testing phase in 2019, USCIS has confirmed it will be implementing the new electronic registration process in the next H-1B visa lottery for the fiscal […]
Overhaul of US Immigration Regulations Ahead of Election
2020 is set to bring wide-ranging reforms in US immigration regulations as the Trump Administration moves ahead with planned changes against a deadline of this year’s Presidential election. The proposed rules, as outlined in the Government’s Unified Agenda for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will, if enacted, profoundly affect employers, H-1B and L-1 visa […]
RICS’ New Commercial Property Service Charge Rules Take Effect
New rules governing commercial property service charges come into force today. In its ‘service charges in commercial property’ professional statement, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) introduces new mandatory requirements on all of its members and relevant RICS-regulated firms. The new standards have the aim of ensuring charges are both fair on tenants and […]
First 12 Months a Mixed Bag for GDPR Impact
The first 12 months of the GDPR have seen mixed results, according to European watchdogs. While the new regulations have been a success in providing a unified framework for data breach notification, this impact has not been matched in imposing fines on companies that mishandle or fail to adequately protect their customers’ personal data. At […]
UK Court Rules Brexit Does Not Invalidate Long-Term Commercial Lease
The High Court has ruled that the UK’s exit from the European Union does not have the effect of invalidating a long-term commercial lease. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) had attempted to end the £500 million office lease on its Canary Wharf headquarters on the basis that it had “no choice” but to leave London […]
Data Protection Survey Shows Companies Failing in GDPR Accountability
UK businesses are falling short in meeting internal auditing and incident response obligations under GDPR, according to a new report from the Global Privacy Enforcement Network. The Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) is an informal network comprising over 60 privacy enforcement authorities in 39 jurisdictions around the world, including the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) […]
Employers told to do more to ensure workers receive full holiday pay entitlement
A new government campaign has been launched urging employers to do more to ensure correct payment for annual leave and to improve awareness among employees of their holiday pay entitlement. The responsibility to ensure the correct calculation and payment of workers’ holiday pay lies with employers, but recent figures show an alarming number of employees […]
Business Groups Warn Against Post-Brexit UK Immigration System
The CBI has warned the introduction of an arbitrary £30,000 salary threshold for all migrant workers would not be workable for the UK economy. The warning comes in response to the Government’s white paper on UK immigration, published in December 2018. White paper on immigration In the document, the Government proposes a fundamental overhaul of […]
Updated guidance published on age discrimination in the workplace
New age discrimination guidance for employers has been published to help businesses tackle the root causes of discriminatory acts in the workplace. In the 27-page document, ACAS provides best practice guidelines for the prevention of age discrimination in the workplace and highlights potential pitfalls in recruiting, training, performance management and dismissal in terms of the […]
Changes to UK Immigration Rules January 2019
In its Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, the Government has laid down the latest changes affecting UK immigration policy. New Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme for Non-EU workers 2019 will see the introduction of a new two-year pilot scheme for seasonal employment in the horticultural sector. The scheme will initially be trialled with selected operators, […]
Immigration Health Surcharge has Doubled
From today, the UK’s immigration health surcharge has been doubled from £200 to £400 per visa applicant per year. The increase also applies to those eligible for the discounted rate, which has risen from £150 to £300. This affects students and those on youth mobility schemes. The new rates apply to all relevant applications made […]
Low risk gaming operators exempted from new AML rules
Money laundering is a centuries-old problem and one which has become a major concern in an age which is both global and digital. The nature of the gambling sector is such that it can be an attractive target for criminals, which is why reputable gambling operators have long seen the implementation of anti-money-laundering strategies as […]
Gambling operators to see new changes to fee structure in 2017
A new fee structure is coming into force for UK-licensed online gambling operators during 2017. The majority of operators will see a discount while a number will see an increase in their fees. The UK Gambling Commission along with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been working together on a consultation, with the […]