And We’re Off

So, we now know when the UK will go to the polls and vote on whether the country should remain part of the European Union. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has completed a whirlwind tour of Europe and returned with an agreement to a range of new policies from his continental counterparts.

He hopes that one policy change, in particular, reducing access to benefits, will stem the flow of Europeans looking for work in the UK.

It is too early to say which way a referendum will go. Some polls tell us the public want to stay in the EU, others that they want to leave. What is clear is that, if the public does vote to leave, there will be significant implications in almost every area of UK law, including immigration.

The referendum will take place on 23 June. In the run-up, my colleagues and I will publish a series of blogs discussing what a British exit from Europe, Brexit in shorthand, could mean for immigration policy.

Charlotte Wills began to set the scene in her blog earlier this month. What would Brexit mean for European people already here, what would it mean for immigration from outside of the EU? The consequences for specific sectors will also need to be thought about, as will the particular shape of any new immigration system. Moreover, how would British citizens abroad feel the effects?

There could also be a significant impact on individuals bringing money to the UK. In the event of a no vote what rights will HNWIs settled in the UK have around the EU? What rights would HNWIs who may have chosen Maltese or Cypriot citizenship programmes have to reside or settle in the UK and how will this impact investor migrant choices in the future?

Our Worldwide Private Client Practice team will look at developments around these questions and bring you the view from other HNW industries impacted such as property, education, and banking.

These are only a few of the questions that need to be asked and for the time being, nothing is certain. An awful lot could happen in the next four months, even before we get to the referendum.