Spear’s Review

For Sacha Wooldridge, a partner and head of immigration at Birketts, her practice has become increasingly complicated since the UK government got rid of the investor visa route in 2022.

‘It has really changed the way we deal with clients,’ she tells Spear’s, explaining that her work involves carefully assessing clients’ personal circumstances, including family background, travel patterns, business interests and long-term objectives, to determine the best way forward. 

These clients are HNWs from a range of different industries, and include film producers, actors and high-profile sportspeople, as well as finance professionals and business leaders. ‘It makes the practice really interesting for us,’ Wooldridge says.

As geopolitical tension has been on the rise across different parts of the world, many HNWs are coming to the UK for its rule of law, Wooldridge notes, and in some cases it’s a last-minute decision.

‘I have had clients phone me just before they get on the plane to the UK,’ she says.