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28 October 2011 / Laura Devine
Issue: 7487 / Categories: Features , Immigration & asylum
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New frontiers

Laura Devine navigates UK business immigration

Immigration plays a vitally important and positive role in the UK’s economy, culture and identity. Entrepreneurs and investors bring capital and fresh ideas to our shores, businesses benefit substantially from skilled workers’ needed talents and education providers see value added in the breadth and depth of cultural diversity in their student populations. Indeed, we all benefit from immigration in many ways, and in this increasingly global society and economy it is imperative that our immigration system remains porous enough to permit the individuals, employees and students we need to enter and live in the UK in order to work, train, teach and learn.

Fickle boundaries

Immigration policy, however, is inherently fickle, and its own boundaries are continually expanded and contracted in reflection of the political climate, public perception and economic environment. As the reader is surely aware, our immigration system is in the process of retraction at present. In a business context, particularly in a global market, finding solid footing among these ebbs and flows can be frustrating,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Commercial and technology team in Cambridge strengthened by partner hire

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Hampshire firm appoints head of new family department

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Firm strengthens securities practice with partner return

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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