2nd UIA GMF: successful immigration encompasses more than legal immigration status

The second UIA Global Mobility Forum (GMF) in Lisbon brought together lawyers from across the globe to discuss the legal toolbox for the successful mobility of persons and companies.

For persons, the start is a ticket to the new country, the legal immigration status allowing a legally secure entry and residence. The GMF looked beyond the new realities across the globe to significantly reduce immigration. Instead, the GMF pointed to access to labour, entrepreneurship, legally secure family life, access to financial services, and property rights as crucial factors to settling successfully.

Panels focused on our role as lawyers in these intertwined processes. Technology, including AI, is facilitating and speeding up every step significantly, but at the same time, giving rise to new ethical and compliance issues, unknown or less important before for the legal profession.

Specific tax regimes may (or may not) facilitate this and also give rise to questions of fairness, especially in relation to the general tax regimes that apply to domestic persons and companies.

Banks play a crucial role in foreign investments. At the same time, they must oversee the AML aspects of money flows.

From a corporate perspective, general counsels are in need of legal advisors who are aware of the complexities of international business and foreign investments. Also, niche law firms have a role to play if they strike the right chords.

The GMF attracted delegates and members from various fields of expertise and from different sizes of firms, allowing not only learning but also vivid networking across continents. A great thank you to the organising committee consisting of Clayton Cartwright, Riccardo Cajola, Matthew Wills, Pedro Pais de Almeida, and Pedro Raposo. A special thank you to all the Portuguese friends who welcomed the GMF so warmly.

Ferenc Ballegeer
FB-Tax bv