I'd love to live in another country, preferably one with palm trees and sunshine, but if I am honest one of the things putting me off is the prospect of negotiating a foreign legal system with pitfalls aplenty for those who are not in the know.
My mum emigrated to Cyprus over a decade ago and listening to the chat among ex-pats there it seems that not only were there multiple ways to live legally there which all involved a mountain of paperwork but the milestones keep moving so instead of soaking up the sun, most of them spend lots of time filling in yet more forms and queuing up to get said forms stamped.
The wheels of any country's immigration service move slowly but it's vital to get every stage of your journey correctly approved otherwise you might find yourself unable to access services or worse, not a legal resident, temporary or permanent.
Factor in language issues and the whole idea begins to look like it's not worth the effort and stress. And don't even start me on the chaos for potential immigrants caused by the whole Brexit thing.
But what if you really need to be in a country for your family, for your safety, to study or in a bid to make a better life for yourself and those you love?
Many people in the UK seem to view all potential immigrants to our country as leeches, unwilling to integrate, feeding off our benefits system and the NHS. Yes those people do exist but there are many wanna-be Brits who have so much to offer.
As one who has been treated by so called "foreign" doctors, nurses and dentists I am grateful for the skills they bring. OK so some of them might have been born here but at some point in their family history, someone was brave or desperate enough to seek a new life in the UK.
One of my friends is an eminent academic at a London University who works with a top notch research team, most of whom are immigrants. One of the projects they have worked on is to help people with memory issues and brain injuries.
At the moment it's all up in the air about how immigration will be dealt with in a potentially post-Brexit state.
Thankfully there are experts who can guide those who want or need to live in the UK like 1st Citizen Immigration Solicitors who make it their business to stay up top date with the ever-changing immigration rules.
They have offices in London and Birmingham but can offer consultations online and over the phone too so they can help everyone regardless of geographical location.
Recently I've learned the hard way that it's advisable to use the services of lawyers who trained and work in the country where the laws apply.
It seems that book knowledge is one thing but a knowledge of the quirky way legal systems actually work, and experience of making the system work to the advantage of the client can make the difference between success and failure.
Permits, visas, residence cards, leave to stay permissions and asylum claims - there are so many permutations of what each person might need to live and work in the UK it's not worth trying to navigate the complex system without expert legal advice.
The consequences of getting applications wrong can literally mean the difference between life and death for some and the loss of potentially valuable members of the British community.
#disclaimer collaborative post.
My mum emigrated to Cyprus over a decade ago and listening to the chat among ex-pats there it seems that not only were there multiple ways to live legally there which all involved a mountain of paperwork but the milestones keep moving so instead of soaking up the sun, most of them spend lots of time filling in yet more forms and queuing up to get said forms stamped.
The wheels of any country's immigration service move slowly but it's vital to get every stage of your journey correctly approved otherwise you might find yourself unable to access services or worse, not a legal resident, temporary or permanent.
Factor in language issues and the whole idea begins to look like it's not worth the effort and stress. And don't even start me on the chaos for potential immigrants caused by the whole Brexit thing.
But what if you really need to be in a country for your family, for your safety, to study or in a bid to make a better life for yourself and those you love?
Many people in the UK seem to view all potential immigrants to our country as leeches, unwilling to integrate, feeding off our benefits system and the NHS. Yes those people do exist but there are many wanna-be Brits who have so much to offer.
As one who has been treated by so called "foreign" doctors, nurses and dentists I am grateful for the skills they bring. OK so some of them might have been born here but at some point in their family history, someone was brave or desperate enough to seek a new life in the UK.
One of my friends is an eminent academic at a London University who works with a top notch research team, most of whom are immigrants. One of the projects they have worked on is to help people with memory issues and brain injuries.
At the moment it's all up in the air about how immigration will be dealt with in a potentially post-Brexit state.
Thankfully there are experts who can guide those who want or need to live in the UK like 1st Citizen Immigration Solicitors who make it their business to stay up top date with the ever-changing immigration rules.
They have offices in London and Birmingham but can offer consultations online and over the phone too so they can help everyone regardless of geographical location.
Recently I've learned the hard way that it's advisable to use the services of lawyers who trained and work in the country where the laws apply.
It seems that book knowledge is one thing but a knowledge of the quirky way legal systems actually work, and experience of making the system work to the advantage of the client can make the difference between success and failure.
Permits, visas, residence cards, leave to stay permissions and asylum claims - there are so many permutations of what each person might need to live and work in the UK it's not worth trying to navigate the complex system without expert legal advice.
The consequences of getting applications wrong can literally mean the difference between life and death for some and the loss of potentially valuable members of the British community.
#disclaimer collaborative post.