Many South Africans are concerned about the current economic and political instability in the country and are looking for options. The Golden Visa can be the gateway to a better future for families, providing access to top education and increased personal security. The good news is that successful applications have been increasing since the programme started. Here’s why the Portugal Golden Visa continues to be the most popular and best of its kind.

EU nationals who want to continue to live and work in the UK after Brexit will need to apply for settlement under the new EU Settlement Scheme. The scheme is currently in its pilot phase and is set to officially open on 30 March 2019 (the day after Brexit). If you’re an EU citizen concerned about your future in the UK, here’s how to ensure you can remain in the UK.

Over his 24 years working with UK nationality, Philip Gamble has seen a fair amount of strange and unusual claims to British citizenship. A recent case involving the adoption of a child in South Africa by a UK-born man may be one of the more unusual.

Philip Gamble, our British nationality expert, has come across a rare situation where a client qualifies for registration as a British citizen on the basis of quadruple descent. What does that mean? Simply put it means some people may be able to claim British citizenship from their great grandfather’s birth in the UK.

It just got more affordable to invest in Europe’s most sought-after residency-by-investment programme: Portugal’s Golden Residence Programme. For as little as €350,000, you can invest in Portugal, earning you a “Golden Visa” which entitles you and your family to EU residency. There has been a lot of interest in the programme from all over the world, especially from South Africans who are looking for dual citizenship.

Since Portugal launched its Golden Residence Permit Programme (GRPP) in 2012, buyers from all over the globe have flocked to the stunning Iberian country to take advantage of the benefits and opportunities the programme has to offer. South Africans, in particular, have quickly realised that an investment in the GRPP offers the chance to secure their family’s future with a hard currency investment that also opens the door to EU residency.

Regardless of the route taken to British citizenship, every applicant will have to satisfy the good character requirement. As the name suggests, it is used by British officials to assess your character and determine whether you could be conducive to the public good in the UK. While there are some obvious reasons for applications being refused, there are also minor breaches that could result in an application being red flagged and possibly denied. It is the latter that you need to be more concerned with.

If you’re an EU passport holder and you’re living in the UK, or even if you’re thinking about moving there, you will be pleased to know that the UK and the EU have reached an agreement about the terms on which EU nationals will be able to stay in the UK after Brexit. A transition period will take place, but there are some key steps you need to take to ensure that you secure your rights to live and work in the UK in a post-Brexit world.

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court in the UK has opened a new route to British citizenship for thousands of previously disqualified South Africans. The ruling remedies some gender discrimination in the UK’s nationality legislation. If you have a mother who is British by descent (i.e. your mother’s father was born in the UK), then you could now have a claim to British citizenship through double descent.

Portugal’s Golden Residence Permit Programme (GRPP) has become one of the most popular residency-by-investment programmes in the world. According to recent figures released by the Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF), over 6,000 applications have already been approved since the programme’s inception. In the last month, we have seen a record number of successful applicants approved, with South African participants on a steady rise.