For more than a decade, the firm's renowned international Residence and Citizenship Practice Group has been advising private clients, their close advisors such as lawyers and private bankers, as well as governments, on citizenship law, immigration law, and visa policy issues. Indeed, Henley & Partners are widely recognized as the world's leading specialists in this special area.
Besides advising on the possibilities of acquiring resident status and citizenship by investment, members of the Group advise on the (re-)acquisition of citizenship based on ancestry as well as on residence planning for private clients with a view to tax optimization and/or post-immigration citizenship acquisition. Furthermore, the Group advises Governments on strategy, design and implementation of investor immigration programs, generally on immigration and citizenship policies, laws and regulations, and on visa policy issues and the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral treaties in these areas.
Key Members of the Residence and Citizenship Practice Group
The International Residence and Citizenship Practice Group of Henley & Partners is made up of several specialists who are located at the firm's various offices, among others the following professionals. Most of them are available for individual consultations.
The Practice Group is led by Andrew Walmsley, who is a Senior Consultant at Henley & Partners focusing solely on citizenship and complex immigration work. Before joining Henley & Partners, he was Head of Nationality at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the United Kingdom's Home Office. As one of the leading authorities on citizenship matters in Europe, he also advises the Council of Europe and several European governments on citizenship issues and serves as an expert on various international committees.
Christian H. Kälin, a Partner at the firm in Zurich, Switzerland, is an international tax planning, immigration and citizenship law specialist. He is a frequent writer and speaker on these issues and is regularly quoted in the international media. He is the editor and one of the co-authors of the Switzerland Business & Investment Handbook and the International Real Estate Handbook as well as one of the co-editors of Anti-Money-Laundering: International Law and Practice.
Leon van der Heiden, a Partner and Head of the firm’s Belgian office in Antwerp, has wide-ranging experience in corporate and financial affairs and in particular real estate. As a member of the firm’s Residence and Citizenship Practice Group he advises on relocation to and residence in Belgium for Non-EU nationals and handles all aspects of clients interested in moving to Belgium.
Wendell E. Lawrence, a Partner at Henley & Partners’ main Caribbean office in St. Kitts, deals specifically with the citizenship-by-investment programs in St. Kitts & Nevis and in the Commonwealth of Dominica. He is an experienced and regionally respected consultant who has held senior positions in the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis for many years before joining Henley & Partners. He continues to be a member of the board of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
Dr. Nenad Saljic, an international real estate, residence and citizenship specialist, is a Partner and Head of Henley & Partners’ Croatian office. He is the author of the most important book on international tax planning in Croatia and specifically handles citizenship matters under the ancestry provisions in Croatia and other countries in the region.
Dr. Hynek Zikovsky is an experienced Canadian and Czech lawyer and a Partner at Henley & Partners’ Canada office in Montreal. After completing Prague and McGill Universities Law Schools, he has frequently represented foreign entrepreneurs and investors as well as their families before Canadian Federal and Provincial tribunals, and takes care of efficiently obtaining Canadian visas, work permits as well as permanent residence. He furthermore assists foreign entrepreneurs with the acquisition or equity participation in Canadian companies or with commercial real estate transactions, and advises clients on international residence and citizenship planning.
Denny Ko, an Associate with Henley & Partners in Hong Kong, is an international residence and citizenship planning specialist and has been a member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants for many years. Prior to joining the firm, he had been a director and client advisor at a Hong-Kongbased immigration consultancy, where he acquired substantial experience in immigration and citizenship law of several countries. At Henley & Partners he specializes in advising Asian clients on international residence and citizenship solutions as well as pre and post immigration wealth planning.
Dr. Peter Krummenacher is a Partner at Henley & Partners in Zurich and an expert in Swiss immigration and tax law. He advises international clients in all matters relating to tax, residence permits and real-estate acquisition in view of their relocation to Switzerland. Furthermore, he is an author of books and other publications on Swiss business law, lump-sum taxation and related topics, and he is a frequent speaker at conferences and regularly quoted in the Swiss and international press.
Sirous Motevassel is a lawyer and Partner at Henley & Partners' Dubai/UAE office. He has a wide range of experience as an attorney and legal advisor to several industrial and trading companies in Dubai and in the Middle East. He gained further know-how as an associate with several well-known private client firms. The holder of a Master's Degree in International Law, he is pursuing a PhD in Law to further enhance his knowledge base. His main area of practice is international residence and citizenship planning for private clients and he fluently speaks English, Farsi and Arabic.
Hakan Cortelek is an immigration and citizenship planning specialist and a director at Henley & Partners Canada. Following his extensive experience in private banking in the UK and Canada, he has also excelled in developing a thriving, globally connected investor immigration practice. He participated in various consultancy sessions with the UK Home Office as well as the Canadian Immigration authorities. He splits his time between the UK and Canada, while pursuing a Master of Law (LLM) degree in London. Travelling extensively, he also frequently advises clients in Russia, Turkey, the Middle East, and China.
Residence-by-Investment and Citizenship-by-Investment
The Group has extensive expertise and experience in Residence-by-Investment and Citizenship-by-Investment programs. It is in direct contact with the government authorities of the relevant countries and constantly monitors the worldwide situation. It is also constantly aware of the frequent illegal offers available in many countries and gives advice to private clients and lawyers, as well as government agencies, and often assists in avoiding immigration, citizenship and passport fraud.
Citizenship based on Ancestry
The Group's expertise regarding citizenship based on ancestry extends to numerous countries, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and several other European countries.
Post-immigration Acquisition of Citizenship
With regard to post-immigration acquisition of citizenship, the Group is active in practically all countries that are of interest, including the most relevant ones such as Austria, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.
Residence and Tax Planning
Private client residence planning and related tax planning, the third important aspect of the Group's work, entails finding solutions for clients who move on an international scale, own property in different countries and have complex international situations and needs. In this regard, the Group works closely together with the firm's international Trust and Tax Planning Group, and their combined services cover not only tax, immigration and citizenship law, but also international private law, real-estate structuring, and many more aspects relevant to private clients.
Today, a person of talent and means need not limit his or her life and business to only one country. Making an active decision with regard to your residence and citizenship gives you more personal freedom, privacy and security. Henley & Partners' International Residence and Citizenship Practice Group has the expertise and experience necessary to advise and assist clients with regard to this decision.
