A small business owner informed that she is considering relocating her business from the United Kingdom due to prolonged HMRC delays.
Aparna immigrated to the United Kingdom on a skilled work visa and established herself in the field of artificial intelligence before conceiving the notion for a networking enterprise.
Visa Restrictions and Business Launch
Although she enrolled the company for VAT in June, she did not receive a VAT number until October.
Aparna disclosed to This Is Money that she has forsaken business opportunities and, concurrently, is neglecting MBA course resources.
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HMRC informed Aparna on 29 June that her VAT registration was being processed, with an estimated completion time of forty days.
After three and a half months of pursuing Aparna via email without receiving a response, HMRC issued her a VAT registration number (VRN) on October 13.
Contemplating Relocation
However, visa restrictions prevent Aparna from launching her business in a timely manner, resulting in additional setbacks.
“A VAT certificate is required to obtain a business licence.” “I require a business licence to advance, and the VRN is of no assistance to me,” she told This Is Money.
“I did not anticipate such a lengthy delay; this is not acceptable from the government.” The business was quickly registered, but I am unable to apply for a business licence, which is necessary to change my visa, because it does not include VAT.
Efforts to Resolve the Issues
Aparna, a skilled worker in the UK, must change visas to start her firm.
“I cannot begin formally accepting business or promoting it in a significant way until these fundamental, fundamental issues are resolved.” It is causing a significant bottleneck.
“I am eager to begin this.” Customers are ready to pay, but I can’t start making money until all legal forms are signed.
Aparna’s income has remained unaffected by the delays, as she is employed as a marketing manager. However, she laments that she should have changed visas months earlier.
Contemplating Relocation
She said HMRC delays are delaying her part-time MBA, which costs her time and money.
“I will receive my diploma at the conclusion of the academic year.” I have access to all of these resources and assistance from the startup incubator, as well as my instructors, as a student… The delay is impeding my ability to maximise the available resources.
“My college and its resources are being underutilised, and my time is being wasted.”
As a result, Aparna is now contemplating the complete relocation of her start-up from the United Kingdom.
Exploring Options in Dubai
“I have researched options in Dubai due to the fact that it is considerably quicker and tax-free.” Sincerely, I am contemplating relocating the company to Dubai as a result of these complications. “I’m eager to begin doing things.”
Mid-October, when Aparna obtained her VRN number, she was informed that she could retrieve her VAT certificate online. However, she encountered an inability to do so.
Fortunately, she was able to access her account and discovered that she had already accumulated a £5,000 VAT liability, notwithstanding the fact that she was presently unable to conduct business as a result of delays.
Aparna received a phone call from HMRC on October 16th, subsequent to This Is Money notifying HMRC of the delays; following this, Aparna successfully downloaded her VAT certificate.
A contact email and phone number were provided to her in regards to the outstanding charge. However, she has yet to receive a response concerning the fraudulent $5,000.
This Is Money was informed by a spokesperson, “We regret that this has taken longer to process than we would normally anticipate.” However, we have since established communication with the client and assisted her in downloading her VAT certificate.
