Spear’s Review

Charles Avens, head of immigration at Collyer Bristow, specialises in advising and assisting high-net-worth individuals wishing to relocate to the UK, as well as families and family offices, overseas investors and businesses. 

He splits his time between private and corporate work – two aspects of the role that often overlap when working with UHNW entrepreneurs wishing to move their businesses to the UK.

Avens notes that identifying the most effective route for each client’s circumstances requires navigating an increasingly complex immigration system while balancing clients’ commercial and personal objectives.

‘We have definitely seen a big thrust or interest from Americans coming to the UK,’ he says, as well as a number of UHNWs from Gulf nations, many of whom do not wish to move to the UK permanently. However, Avens notes one exception: ‘The only time they do that is normally because they’ve fallen foul of one of the regimes over there and then they decide to leave to make the UK their permanent home.’