Successful entrepreneur settlement amid significant business changes

This case study explains how Latitude Law expertly handled a challenging entrepreneur settlement application for a client whose primary business operations had to shift due to the pandemic.

The Challenges Faced

Our client, a business owner primarily involved in exporting and shipping products to Iraq, faced significant issues when the COVID-19 pandemic severely curtailed his operations. As a consequence, he established a new business that, by the settlement application date, had started generating income, but did not employ the required number of UK resident workers.

The key issues when he applied for a UK settlement visa involved UK Visas and Immigration needing to determine whether the client had genuinely continued operating the original business (which he would need to prove in order to satisfy all settlement requirements) and whether the newly-established company could be considered to prove the client’s continued satisfaction of the ‘genuineness’ business requirement of the immigration rules.

How Latitude Law Helped

The client sought our assistance due to our reputation for successfully resolving complex immigration issues. Our approach involved thoroughly reviewing and organising a large number of documents using our bespoke Halcyon document management system related to both businesses, in collaboration with the client’s accountants.

We drafted director loan agreements and took detailed witness statements to provide concrete evidence. Additionally, we prepared a comprehensive submission that encapsulated the entirety of the client’s situation and the justification for the settlement application.

The Outcome

Through our diligent efforts, we managed to secure a successful outcome - the client and his family were granted settlement without the need for an interview or further Home Office enquiry. This outcome demonstrates Latitude Law’s unwavering commitment to ensuring our client’s immigration matters are handled with meticulous attention to detail, despite challenging circumstances.

The client said: “I cannot express how relieved and grateful I am for Latitude Law’s support. Their expert guidance through this complex process was instrumental in securing mine and my family’s future in the UK.”