The Role of Certificates of Sponsorship: Home Office to Profit from struggling music industry?

It is no secret that the music and entertainment industries were hit extremely hard by coronavirus. With venues closing, shows being cancelled and travel restrictions being put in place, it is fair to say that many aspects of this lucrative market ground to a halt.

Now that restrictions are slowly being lifted, those who work in this industry are trying to get things back up and running so that events can go ahead in the coming months. However, there is a hurdle they must overcome in relation to immigration: Certificates of Sponsorship.

What is a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?

A CoS can be thought of in relation to most businesses, not only those in the music industry. It is essentially a document which organisations issue to workers to allow them to work here in the UK, within certain requirements. There are different kinds of sponsorships, such as the Worker License and the Temporary Worker License.

A ‘Worker’ licence will let you employ people long-term or permanently. It is split into:

Skilled Worker – the role must meet the job suitability requirements

Intra-company visas – this includes Intra-company Transfer and Intra-company Graduate Trainee, for multinational companies which need to transfer established employees or graduate trainees to the UK

Minister of Religion – for people coming to work for a religious organisation

Sportsperson – for elite sportspeople and coaches who will be based in the UK

A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you employ people on a temporary basis. It is split into:

Creative or Sporting Worker – to work as a high-level sportsperson (up to 1 year), entertainer or artist (up to 2 years)

Charity Worker – for unpaid workers at a charity (up to 1 year)

Religious Worker – for those working in a religious order or organisation (2 years)

Government Authorised Exchange Worker – work experience (1 year), research projects or training, for example practical medical or scientific training (2 years) to enable a short-term exchange of knowledge

International Agreement Worker – where the worker is coming to do a job which is covered by international law, for example employees of overseas governments

Seasonal Worker – for those coming to the UK for up to 6 months to do farm work

How does this affect the music industry?

Most live music and entertainment companies will have a sponsor licence that allows them to issue temporary work visas to artists, allowing them to legally perform in the UK. The amount of sponsorships each company needs is often directly dependant on how many they used the previous year.

Normally, this would be a reasonable method of distribution. However, due to the pandemic most venues did not use any sponsorships as no shows were able to take place. This means that for this year, companies are not being issued as many sponsorships as they need and in some cases they are being issued none at all.

To remedy this issue, companies are having to request they be allocated these sponsorships so that they can arrange events. To make matters more complicated, it may be hard to tell how many sponsorships they are going to need as the coronavirus situation is not completely cleared up yet.

Home Office tried to profit off a situation they created?

The Home Office released guidance saying that if organizers pay them a fee of £200 they will administer the sponsorships in one working week, fixing the issue. This seems unreasonable because the only reason the companies were not allocated sponsorships in the first place was due to the coronavirus, not their own shortcomings, and it was the Home Office that decided to punish them by providing zero contracts the following year. To charge £200 to reinstate the sponsorships is simply profiteering.

Backlash forces Home Office to retract fees

After receiving complaints from industry leaders, and some negative press, the Home Office has now moved away from charging businesses for reinstating these sponsorships, and has said that any who already paid this £200 fee can apply for a refund.

What do we think?

It has always been the Home Office’s statement that immigration should benefit economy, rather than benefiting from it. It is interesting to see the dramatic development of this issue. All areas of the economy have suffered a heavy blow from the pandemic. It is more urgent now than ever that the Home Office should cut down its red tape and streamline the worker sponsoring system so that companies can recruit workers they need to re-ignite the economy.

What we would say to those who may be affected by this, and who have still got zero sponsorships is to try and act as quickly as possible to rectify the situation, as it is unlikely that anyone from the Home Office will reach out to you first. If you need help, our specialist business immigration team is ready to stand by your side and provide any assistance you will need for your business. Alternatively, you can also do this by emailing the Sponsor Change of Circumstances team here.

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Welcome Xinlei!

We are so pleased to announce Xinlei Zhang as the newest member of the Lisa’s Law family, joining us as a Paralegal. She has been so brilliant since joining and we know she will be a great asset to the firm.

Xinlei has already qualified as a lawyer in China and is in the last phase of the Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme, which will allow her to become a qualified solicitor in England and Wales.

Xinlei holds a Master of Law degree in International Business and Corporate Law from Lancaster University and also has achieved a dual-degree in Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Business Administration from China University of Geosciences Beijing.

Xinlei previously worked at Dentons LLP as a qualified lawyer, during which she was extensively involved in a broad range of major corporate projects such as insolvency & debt reconstruction and pre- acquisition due diligence. She also has experience working as an in-house legal counsel for ENGIE’s China Business Unit.

In her spare time Xinlei enjoys travelling and being outdoors. She is also passionate about growing her on fruits and vegetables.

Have questions? We are here for you!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

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Welcome Angel!

We are so thrilled to announce that Angel Yeung has joined us as a Paralegal, and has been excellent from the get go!

Angel obtained her LLB degree from East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai and pursued her Master’s studies at University of Bristol in 2018. Also, she is going to graduate from her LPC program at University of Law in the coming weeks.

Before joining Lisa’s Law, she had been dealing with international clients and gained experience in the field of trademark, corporate, conveyancing and immigration law in both China and the UK.

In her spare time, Angel enjoys cooking at home, playing sports with friends during weekends and travelling.

Angel speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English fluently.

Need legal advice? We are here to help!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

Email us on info@lisaslaw.co.uk.

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Obtaining status in the UK via deceptive means? It could come back to haunt you!

Having the right to remain in the UK indefinitely can be a goal for a lot of people who wish to call the country their home. It can be a fairly long process, taking 3, 5 or even 10 years before applicants can be considered eligible. It may seem like a long while, but the eventual benefits can be just reward for putting the time in, as in most cases indefinite leave to remain (ILR) will entitle those who achieve it to stay in the UK permanently, without fear of being questioned in the future regarding their immigration status.

The temptation of this can lead some people to rely on deceptive measures in order to trick the Home Office into granting them ILR. This may come in the form of lying about their age, country of origin or immigration history. It must be held that this behaviour will often land such applicants in some serious trouble if they are caught out, and could affect their future in the UK forever.

In this article we will look at how ILR can be revoked, following this up with a real case study which can give us some clear insight into this issue.

Quick reminder on Indefinite Leave to Remain

Indefinite Leave to Remain is essentially how it sounds. It is where someone has earned the right to stay in the UK permanently, with no concern of a time limit on their ability to remain. There are many benefits to ILR, including the right to work in the UK, access healthcare and benefits, and choose to study here too.

There are various ways to achieve ILR, with the most common being the 5 year residency route, where a person has been in the UK legally under a visa (such as a skilled work visa, spouse visa, investor visa, ancestry visa and many more).

Other ways include the 10 year route, which is where person who has lived in the UK for 10 years continuously can apply for ILR on the ground of ‘long residence’ as long as all time spent in the UK during the 10 years has been lawful, and they have not left the UK for more than 540 calendar days in total (18 months), or more than 180 calendar days (6 months) at one time.

10 year route also happens where a person has lived in the UK continuously with a discretionary leave to remain.

There are other less common routes, which are possible if the circumstances are correct, but these tend to be the usual paths towards ILR.

How can ILR be revoked?

There are a few ways in which ILR can be revoked, but for the purposes of this article we will focus on ILR being revoked due to deception.

Section 76(2) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 gives the Secretary of State the power to revoke a person’s indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK where a person has obtained indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK by deception, meaning they have submitted falsified or misleading information, or omitted certain facts during their application process.

Deception can come in many guises in these circumstances, such as a person lying about any criminal convictions they have had, financial or tax history, what country they are from or other immigration history. The important factor is that the deceit must be deliberately instigated by the applicant and play a role in the final decision to grant them ILR.

Deception can sometimes be overlooked in certain circumstances

Occasionally, the Home Office will overlook cases of deception relating to ILR, but only in very particular situations. Each decision will be made based on the facts of individual cases; there is no single rule or set of guidelines, but rather a judgement based on many factors.

For example, if the deception is found out a long time after it initially occurred, and the applicant has been in the UK for many years since, the deception may be overlooked. In terms of real life cases, there seems to be a timescale of around the 5 year mark, but deceptions that occurred over 5 years ago do sometimes lead to ILR being revoked.

Extreme circumstances, such as being a victim or human trafficking, severe trauma, or suffering mental health issues may lead to certain deceptions being overlooked – but this is not always the case.

Finally, in cases where honest mistakes have been made on the part of the applicant, allowances are sometimes taken into consideration. For example, getting a date slightly wrong, misspelling a name or place, or other such things may be overlooked as long as the Home Office is happy to accept that it is not part of a wider deception. Making a genuine mistake does not equate to acting in a deceitful manner.

Again, it is essential to remember that each case is judged individually, and using deception should be avoided at all costs, because as we will learn from a recent case, revocation of ILR does happen and it is not a small matter.

Let’s look at a recent case: R (on the application of Matusha) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (revocation of ILR policy)

The case R (on the application of Matusha) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (revocation of ILR policy) concerns an applicant, having been granted ILR via the Legacy Programme, who faced having his ILR revoked by the Secretary of State due to deception.

The issue started when the applicant was found to actually be a citizen on Albania, yet he claimed to be from Kosovo on his ILR application, and had entered the UK illegally in 1999. He had also claimed to be 2 years younger than he actually was.

The applicant maintained this falsified identity when applying for naturalisation in the UK in 2013, despite the Secretary of State finding that he was likely an Albanian citizen after conducting checks on the applicant while assessing his request for naturalisation. This dynamic continued, with the Secretary of State requesting proof of his identity, which was never given.

As a result of this, the Secretary refused the applicant’s application for naturalisation with reference to the good character requirement, finding that his behaviour was to the contrary of good character. Then, on 15 August 2019, the Secretary of State revoked the ILR granted to the applicant on 12 August 2010, on the basis that it had been obtained through deception.

We can look at this from various angles. On the one hand, the deception took place a long time ago, whereby some would see it reasonable for it to be overlooked as the applicant had been in the UK for many years after it occurred. Some people may consider the revocation unfair when looking at it from this perspective.

However, from another angle, the applicant’s deception as to nationality and age would have been directly material to the grant of ILR in the first place. The deception was thought through, intentional and completely instigated by the applicant. While recognising that the deception had occurred more than five years ago, the Secretary of State concluded that the deception had been sufficiently serious to waive this factor. Plus, with the applicant refusing to come clean after significant evidence had been found against him concerning his country of origin, this only served to dig himself a deeper hole.

What do we think?

From this case, we can see that using deceptive means is never the correct way to go about gaining entrance and leave to remain in the UK. If a link is found between deception and a decision made on behalf of an applicant, it can quite easily be found out down the line. Plus, as we learn in this recent case, the guidance can be bended by the Home Office. It is not as though the 5 year mark is a magical goal where, if reached, there is a protective shield around the deceiver. They can quite easily still revoke your leave to remain and leave you stranded outside of the UK.

Have questions? We are here for you!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

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Better late than never! How can those who missed the deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme still apply, and what are the requirements?

The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), many of you will know, was set up in response to Brexit to allow EU, non-EU EEA and Swiss citizens and their eligible family members to apply to enter or continue to stay in the UK before the end of the Brexit transition period the opportunity to protect their residence in the UK after this period had ended. The official deadline to get on the scheme was 30 June 2021.

However, the purpose of this article is not to repeat information relating to the EUSS, as we have covered this topic well in such previous as A Clearance of the Past? – How Can You Benefit From the EU Settlement Scheme? and EU Settlement Scheme – Coronavirus related absences to be overlooked by Home Office? This article concerns those who missed the deadline of the EUSS and what options there are available in terms of late or alternative applications.

Later deadlines apply to some people

For some people, the deadline of 30 June 2021 did not apply. This is true if you are one of the following:

the family member of someone from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein who was living here by 31 December 2020, and you joined them in the UK on or after 1 April 2021

applying for your child, who was born or adopted in the UK on or after 1 April 2021

the family member of an eligible person of Northern Ireland, but they could not move back to the UK by 31 December 2020 without you – you must be from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

exempt from immigration control, or you stopped being exempt from immigration control after 30 June 2021

here with limited leave to enter or remain in the UK (for example, if you are here on a work or study visa) which expired after 30 June 2021

a family member of a British citizen who you lived with in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein – you must have lived with them in that country by 30 December 2020, and returned to the UK with them

When do such people need to apply?

If you are applying as a family member to join someone in the UK, you have 90 days to apply from when you arrive in the UK. This only applies if you join them in the UK on or after 1 April 2021. If you joined them before that date, your deadline to apply was 30 June 2021.

If you are applying for your child who was born or adopted in the UK on or after 1 April 2021, you have 90 days from when they were born or adopted. If they were born or adopted in the UK before that date, your deadline to apply was 30 June 2021.

If you are the family member of an eligible person of Northern Ireland, and they could not move back to the UK without you by 31 December 2020, you have 90 days to apply from when you arrive in the UK.
If you are exempt from immigration control, you do not have to apply to the scheme. If you choose to do so, you can apply at any time. If you stop being exempt, you will have 90 days to apply.

If you have limited leave to enter or remain in the UK which expires after 30 June 2021, you must apply before your leave expires.

If you are applying as a family member of a British citizen who you lived with in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you must apply by 29 March 2022.

It is important that potential applicants find out the deadline that applies to their precise situation, as it is not a one size fits all matter. We are here to answer any questions you may have regarding this issue.

Reasonable grounds for late applications

If the original deadline would have applied to you in regular circumstances, there are some circumstances that will be considered reasonable and allow you to continue to apply even after the relevant deadline if you have missed it.

For example:

where a parent, guardian or Local Authority has failed to apply on behalf of a child

where a person has or had a serious medical condition, which meant they were unable to apply by the relevant deadline (this may include both mental and physical health issues).

where someone is a victim of modern slavery or is in an abusive relationship

where someone is isolated, vulnerable or did not have the digital skills to access the application process. For more information regarding vulnerable people and the EU Settlement Scheme, see our article EU Settlement Scheme – Do not fall through the cracks!

where a person was unable to apply by the relevant deadline for compelling practical or compassionate reasons – including in light of the coronavirus pandemic

Once again, this list is not extensive and it is likely that other scenarios may render late applications reasonable. It is always worth talking through your situation with a legal advisor. In any case, the sooner an application is made the better.

What do we think?

We are pleased to see that these allowances are being made for alternative and late applicants. The EUSS was notoriously confusing and many people were vague on its details and requirements. It is understandable that many people missed the deadline, and to punish them for it would be immoral. Where vulnerable people are concerned, we are of the opinion that more support should have been offered by the Home Office in the first place. While there were some advertisements regarding the scheme, over the radio and occasionally the television, these were few and far between and did not cater towards vulnerable individuals. For something so important, you would think more advice and support would have been readily available.

Have questions? We are here for you!

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Welcome Alex!

We have been growing steadily over the past couple of years, and with an ever expanding client list comes the need for more excellent lawyers to deliver the quality legal service that we are known for!

So, without further ado let us introduce Alex Yang, the latest member of the Lisa’s Law family!

Alex qualified as a solicitor in 2020 after successfully passing his Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme exams. He is also a qualified attorney in the State of California after completing his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Alex practised commercial and civil litigation in California and US federal courts before joining Lisa’s Law. He is looking forward to using his vast prior experience to deliver a fantastic service to our clients, while also building on his own legal knowledge here in the UK.

Alex speaks fluent English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. In his spare time, Alex enjoys cooking, swimming, and playing keyboard with The Usual Suspects, an all-lawyer cover band at his church.

Welcome aboard, Alex!

Need legal advice? We are here to help!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

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Wrongful vs Unfair Dismissal: What is the difference and what role does ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance play?

Wrongful or unfair dismissal is a reality of employment, one that the majority of people do not have to go through, but for those that do face it will know well enough how stressful it can be. While the two may sound similar, they are in fact very different.

In this article we will explore the difference between wrongful and unfair dismissal and the compensation claimants can receive from being dismissed. We will also look at a real case which can inform us on the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, which is very important when talking about these issues.

Wrongful Dismissal vs Unfair Dismissal

Wrongful dismissal is rooted in the breaching of employment contracts, specifically the contractual obligations of the employer. There is no particular length of service that an employee must have had completed to be able to bring up a claim of wrongful dismissal.

On the other hand, unfair dismissal revolves around the employer’s reason for dismissing their employee and how the employer conducted themselves during the process of such a dismissal. The employee must have served for two years under the employment to have the right to apply for unfair dismissal.

The ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures

The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures is the minimum an employer should follow for handling these kinds of issues in the workplace – it acts as the base guidelines. A failure to follow the Code does not automatically make a person or organisation liable to proceedings, however, employment tribunals will take the Code into account when considering relevant cases.

For example, tribunals are liable to award claimants with financial awards when employers are found to be in breach of the Code.

Full details of the code can be found here, but to give an idea of what it involves, see the below points:

Employers and employees should raise and deal with issues promptly and should not unreasonably delay meetings, decisions or confirmation of those decisions.

Employers and employees should act consistently.

Employers should carry out any necessary investigations, to establish the facts of the case.

Employers should inform employees of the basis of the problem and give them an opportunity to put their case in response before any decisions are made.

Employers should allow employees to be accompanied at any formal disciplinary or grievance meeting.

Employers should allow an employee to appeal against any formal decision made.

In a recent case the Employment Appeals Tribunal concluded that breaches of ACAS’s Code of conduct on Disciplinary and Grievance process exists independently of any findings an employment tribunal may have found and can lead to an uplift or reduction in any award to be made.

Let’s look at the case

In Brown v Veolia ES (UK) Ltd, the claimant was employed as a Business Development Manager. She was suspended and then dismissed for gross misconduct related to bullying. In response to this, the claimant pursued a case of both unfair and wrongful dismissal.

As the case progressed, the employment tribunal dismissed the notion of unfair dismissal, but upheld that of wrongful dismissal. The fact that the unfair dismissal aspect of the situation was seen to be just was that the reason came down to conduct issues on the part of the claimant. It was found that the dismissing party had enough grounds to successfully follow through in this regard.

However, the claimant’s plea for wrongful dismissal was agreed to by the tribunal for a few reasons. Firstly, it was found that while the claimant had been guilty of misconduct, she had not committed gross misconduct within the meaning of the respondent’s relevant policy, thus leaving potential room for debate in terms of the misconduct itself in the context of this particular organisation. Furthermore, the respondent was found to be in breach of the ACAS Code of conduct on Disciplinary and Grievance. This was because they had not allowed the claimant enough time to prepare a rebuttal nor had she been allowed to call witnesses to bolster her argument.

Unfortunately, as the breach of ACAS code is relevant to the issue of fairness and the Employment Tribunal had ruled that the Claimant was not dismissed unfairly, the Employment Tribunal concluded that the breach of ACAS code did not entitle the Claimant an uplift. The Claimant appealed against two of the Employment Tribunal’s rulings: there was no unfair dismissal and that there should be no uplift for breach of the ACAS code.

At the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT), it was held that breaches of ACAS codes on disciplinary and Grievance is capable of existing independently of the Tribunal’s other findings. The fact that there may not be any procedural unfairness in the employer’s investigation process does not necessarily mean that the Claimant is not entitled to an uplift, as soon as the Tribunal has found that the ACAS codes are breached.

Further, the EAT also held that breach of ACAS codes carries penal consequences. It held that the Claimant’s dismissal was unfair as well in this particular case.

What do we think?

This case highlights the importance of the relevant ACAS codes, as they provide guidance for parties to act reasonably and fairly. Each party is requested to adhere to the provision of the codes; otherwise, there will be sanction, irrespective of whether the wrongdoing party is the employer or employee.

Need some legal advice? We are here to help!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

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Multiple Dwellings Relief denied in recent case! When is it an option for buyers?

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to purchase a second property of their own, or even those who know someone else who has done so, are likely to have heard of Stamp Duty Land Tax. Usually, this tax will have been spoken about in negative terms, as an additional cost that is sometimes left unbudgeted for and can add some extra strain to an already stressful process. First time buyers are usually spared having to pay SDLT for the first £300,000 of their purchase, as long as their purchase is under £500,000, but for everyone else this tax is fairly inescapable.

One way in which SDLT can be reduced, in certain situations, is the Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR), whereby the amount of tax paid is essentially divided by the number of properties involved in the single purchase. However, there are of course some requirements that come with MDR. We will examine a recent case in this blog to further explore this topic.

How does Multiple Dwellings Relief work?

MDR was brought in to encourage investment in residential property by reducing the SDLT payable on multiple or bulk purchases, therefore making buying multiple properties more appealing.

It is possible to claim this relief when you purchase more than one dwelling where a transaction or a number of linked transactions include freehold or leasehold interests in more than one dwelling.

If you claim relief, to work out the rate of tax HMRC charge you must:

divide the total amount paid for the properties by the number of dwellings

work out the tax due on this figure

multiply this amount of tax by the number of dwellings

The minimum rate of tax under the relief is 1% of the amount paid for the dwellings.

It sounds daunting, but when you are purchasing a property your solicitor will be able to walk you through it step by step.

An example may help to explain it, let’s say:

You buy 5 houses for £1 million.

£1 million divided by 5 is £200,000.

The amount of SDLT you pay on £200,000 is £1,500 (0% of £125,000 + 2% of £75,000).

£1,500 multiplied by 5 is £7,500.

As this is less than 1% of £1 million (which is £10,000), the amount of tax you pay is £10,000.

So in the end, the rate of SDLT is based on that average price instead of on the total consideration (subject to a minimum rate of 1%) and the SDLT payable is multiplied by the number of dwellings acquired. In most cases, it will lead to substantial reduction of the SDLT bill.

It should be noted that when relying on the MDR relief, the applicant will have to prove that each relevant property is capable of being a single dwelling. It is the definition of a single dwelling that has been a heavily litigated area between purchasers and HMRC.

Let’s take a look at a recent case

The case of Fiander and Brower v HMRC deals with issues of property purchase and Multiple Dwellings Relief. Essentially, the appellants purchased a house which had an annex attached to it. Both the house and the annex had living areas, sleeping areas, kitchens and bathrooms. The properties were connected by an internal corridor, so where there was no door but a door could easily be installed.

In the opinions of the appellants, the purchase of the property and adjoining annex should have constituted their right to MDR. They saw the two dwellings as separate entities. However, their opinion did not match that of the First Tier Tax Tribunal, and nor were they able to convince the Upper Tribunal when they continued their appeal.

The decision of the tribunals was rooted in the current state of the property, rather than its historic use or its intended use in the future. The fact that a property is capable of being a single dwelling after some alteration is irrelevant. In the meantime, the Upper Tribunal re-affirmed the position that on the issue of MDR, the relevant legislation shall be interpreted purposely.

When assessing whether a property qualifies as a single dwelling, the Court should take into consideration all the relevant facts objectively. The key issues are whether the property has adequate security, self-sufficiency and privacy, so that an ordinary person is willing to call it a single dwelling.

In conclusion, the Upper Tribunal held that the First Tier Tribunal’s initial ruling was correct and that the annex did not qualify as its own single dwelling. Therefore, Multiple Dwellings Relief did was not an option for the appellants.

What can we learn from this?

This case can provide us with some useful lessons. Firstly, it is always best to properly assess property before purchasing it, especially when attempting to apply for MDR as there are eligibility requirements that must be met in order to have it granted. Even if a property has a reputation of being two spate dwellings, this may not be the case presently.

Similarly, if the buyers’ intention is to use the property as multiple dwellings, but the building itself does not meet the requirements, the intention becomes meaningless in the eyes of the law.

Also, the condition of the property and its level of self-sufficiency, privacy and security is of vital importance – especially when being assessed objectively when pursuing Multiple Dwellings Relief for Stamp Duty Land Tax.

Need some legal advice? We are here to help!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

Email us on info@lisaslaw.co.uk.

Use the Ask Lisa function on our website. Simply enter your details and leave a message, we will get right back to you: https://lisaslaw.co.uk/ask-question/

Or, download our free app! You can launch an enquiry, scan over documents, check progress on your case and much more!

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Termination of parental responsibility – when can it occur and what can we learn from a recent case?

As a law firm we understand that families can go through hard times as well as good times. Often, when issues arise they can be sorted out. Alternatively, the issues cannot be completely fixed but a reasonable compromise can be made, and people can come to an arrangement that works for everyone. However, when things are irresolvable and the relationship has completely broken down, people will sometimes want to put as much distance as they can between themselves and someone they once considered family, particularly when children are involved or when safety becomes an issue.

A case we will be looking at today involves a woman who wanted to halt her ex partner’s relationship with herself and her two daughters by terminating the father’s parental responsibility. We will explore what parental responsibility is, when it can be removed, and take a look at the case itself to explore this topic further.

What is parental responsibility?

Essentially, parental responsibility is exactly what it sounds like. All mothers and most fathers have legal rights and responsibilities as a parent – known as ‘parental responsibility’.

If you have parental responsibility, your key roles are to:

provide a home for the child

protect and maintain the child

You are also responsible for:

disciplining the child

choosing and providing for the child’s education

agreeing to the child’s medical treatment

naming the child and agreeing to any change of name

looking after the child’s property

If the parents are separated, the parent who lives with the children must still include the other parent when making important decisions in the child’s life, for example moving abroad.

When can parental responsibility be terminated?

Obviously, terminating parental responsibility is a huge decision. It is a matter that will be decided by the courts and the law around this issue is suitably complex; each case is assessed individually on its own terms. It is worth noting that it is usually in very extreme circumstances that a termination of parental responsibility will be considered, for example if the parent has become a danger to the children or the other parent.

Unless the child is adopted, parental responsibility cannot be officially removed from the mother, although of course if the mother has become a danger to the children her contact with them can be limited and controlled. Similarly, if the parents are married parental responsibility cannot be officially removed from the father, but contact between him and the children can be controlled.

When it comes to a father who is not married to the mother, parental responsibility is very unlikely to be officially removed for things such as not paying child maintenance, not showing interest in the child or refusing to see the child. It is more common for responsibility to be removed in cases of abuse or putting the child’s life in danger intentionally.

Let’s look at a real case

In a recent case, Child X and another A mother v A father the mother wanted to terminate the father’s responsibility and also change the children’s surname (to remove their fathers surname).

The father is currently in prison and will not be eligible for release until 2033. He is in prison for the attempted murder of the mother, have stabbed her a staggering 15 times. He was also convicted of stalking, making troubling calls regarding the mother and possessing a deadly weapon. The mother therefore brought the two applications to the court in response to this behaviour.

What did the courts decide?

The courts accepted the mother’s request, which is not surprising considering the extreme nature of the situation. Key factors were that the father was a clear danger to the mother and children, and they were unmarried so there was no barrier there. Also, the fact that the father will be in prison for a long time means that he will not be able to exercise his responsibility as a father in a significant way, which he had not been doing while out of prison either.

It was also decided that the emotional welfare of the children would benefit from his responsibility to them being as a father being removed, and that he could potentially use his responsibility to coerce the mother.

In terms of the name change, the courts saw no reason as to why this should not happen. One of the children had no memory of the father, while the other attributed past traumas to experiences involving the father. Therefore, it was decided that to permit the mother to change their names would be consistent with their welfare and allow her to act protectively of her children. Further, the children had no close relationships with any extended paternal family members.

What do we think?

When it comes to the case above, we are in full agreement with the court’s decision. The case clearly met the threshold of extremity needed for such drastic measures, and the safety of the children and the mother was greatly improved with the father parental responsibility being terminated. The changing of the name will also allow the children to detach themselves from the father with greater ease, and hopefully lead them to live happier and fuller lives.

Need some legal advice? We are here to help!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

Email us on info@lisaslaw.co.uk.

Use the Ask Lisa function on our website. Simply enter your details and leave a message, we will get right back to you: https://lisaslaw.co.uk/ask-question/

Or, download our free app! You can launch an enquiry, scan over documents, check progress on your case and much more!

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Celebrating Our Staff at Lisa’s Law!

It is no secret that the past year and a half has been challenging in a unique way. The Coronavirus pandemic was unprecedented and took a huge toll on everyday life, including how businesses could operate.

One thing we have learned during the pandemic here at Lisa’s Law is that our staff are extremely resilient, hard-working and refuse to give up in adversity! That is why we have been focussing on celebrating them this week, to say thank you for being so brilliant during this challenging time!

Elin Lee and the Conveyancing team

We want to give our conveyancing team a big shout out. They have been particularly busy during the pandemic, especially over the course of the Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday. This holiday caused a huge spike in people purchasing property, which meant Elin and her superb team have been working extra hard to deliver a great service to an ever expanding list of clients.

They have been so successful, you only have to look at all of our recent 5 star Google reviews to see how happy our clients have been! We already knew how knowledgeable and dedicated they were, but they have really gone above and beyond, exceeding their targets and working brilliantly as a team to achieve success! They deserve so much credit (and a good rest!)

Here is our Managing Director Ding handing some well-earned flowers and a gift card to Elin Lee, who is the Head of our Conveyancing department. Elin has stayed late at the office after often being the first one to arrive, always handles her cases perfectly while supervising and advising her team, never once complaining and always doing it with a smile on her face. We are so lucky to have her and appreciate everything she does!

The all-star Conveyancing team! They have achieved so much together and proven that they can work together to get the job done no matter what! We are truly proud of them!

To find out more about our conveyancing services, click here!

Not forgetting everyone else!

We had to say thank you, not only to the conveyancing team, but every single members of staff – from our brilliant receptionists, amazing accounts team, marketing department and of course all of our case workers. They have done so well, keeping up our high standards and definitely deserve a treat!

Every member of staff received a delicious Well Box! It is filled with goodies and is just a way for us to say a huge thank you to everyone for their hard work and dedication. Everyone working from home had a box delivered to their door, nobody missed out!

The boxes contain a great range of treats, such as chocolate popcorn, spiced almonds, gummy sweets, biscuits, tea and more!

Salina, one of our fantastic lawyers here at the firm, with her Well Box in one of our meeting rooms at our London based office.

Ruyun is part of our marketing team here at Lisa’s Law – we wonder what snack she will try first!

Yvonne has been working hard and definitely deserves her box of treats!

There you have it!

We have continued to grow and thrive over the past year and a half, and that is all down to our brilliant staff. We know how lucky we are to have each and every one of them, as they each bring their own individual spark to our firm!

Need some legal advice? We are here to help!

Call us on 020 7928 0276, phone calls are operating as usual and will be taking calls from 9:30am to 6:00pm.

Email us on info@lisaslaw.co.uk.

Use the Ask Lisa function on our website. Simply enter your details and leave a message, we will get right back to you: https://lisaslaw.co.uk/ask-question/

Or, download our free app! You can launch an enquiry, scan over documents, check progress on your case and much more!

Links to download below:

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lisas-law/id1503174541?ls=1

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lisaslaw

lisaslaw@web

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