Gary McIndoe
Gary has practised UK-inbound immigration, nationality and refugee law for more than 25 years. His first taste of work in his field was at the Home Office, where his role included policy work on the return of Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997.
He qualified as a solicitor in 2000 and founded Latitude Law in 2007; the firm has grown steadily since then and currently has a 15-strong legal team undertaking a full range of immigration work.
Latitude has recognised expertise in guiding businesses, from start-ups to mulitnationals, through sponsor licensing and related regulatory processes. It is also noted for its work with high-net-worth individuals, with particular focus on the sole representative of overseas business, innovator and start-up visa categories.
Gary and his team have developed strong links with exceptionally talented individuals in a burgeoning regional tech sector. Latitude also continues to take on complex asylum and deportation work. The firm has a satellite office in London and a subsidiary business in Brussels. Gary is registered as a foreign lawyer with the Brussels Bar.
Gary is an AILA international associate and has contributed to panels at the organisation’s global and European conferences in recent years. He is chair of trustees of Electronic Immigration Network, a charity providing information services in the sector, and a patron of Middle Eastern human rights charity Salam DHR. In 2021 he co-authored, with Gemma Tracey, a practical guide to deportation (Law Brief Publishing).
Practice Area
Panels
- Contributing Author
- Q&A Panel
Qualified Year
- 2000
Membership
- Law Society
- ILPA
Education
- University of Westminster
- College of Law, Store Street
2 Contributions by Gary McIndoe
PRACTICE NOTES
Settlement (ILR) in UK work, business and investment routes: qualifying periods, absences, continuous residence, dependants, English and Life in the UK, criminality, and forthcoming Earned Settlement reforms
Forthcoming development:
The Home Office has released a policy paper and consultation on its ‘Earned Settlement’ plans, set to overhaul who can qualify for settlement across all routes, including lengthening residence periods for many applicants. First trailed in the Immigration White Paper in May 2025, a 12-week consultation opened on 28 November 2025. See: Government announces consultation for earned settlement reforms.
This Practice Note outlines the principal shared criteria for settlement applications within the work, business and investment (collectively, ‘economic’) routes under the Immigration Rules. All routes that have been ‘simplified’ for the post-Brexit system now describe indefinite leave to remain (ILR) simply as settlement. Note that some economic routes do not confer settlement, notably Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate and High Potential Individual routes, as well as the Temporary Worker routes. In summary, the general requirements are:
absences and maintenance of continuous lawful residence
knowledge of the English language
knowledge of life in the UK
For guidance on how previous criminal conduct or convictions may affect settlement applications, see Practice Note: Suitability and previous conduct...
Immigration
PRACTICE NOTES
VFS Global and TLScontact in UK immigration applications: procedures, document submission, biometrics, premium services, tracking and common issues
Procedure for applications when using VFS or TLS
This Practice Note outlines the process for applications made through Visa Facilitation Services Global (VFS) or TLScontact (TLS), the Home Office’s designated commercial partners for submitting entry clearance from overseas and for in-country applications to extend leave or settle in the UK. VFS handles applications lodged abroad, whereas TLS is responsible for those submitted within the UK. Where the ‘UK immigration: ID check’ or ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ apps are used, no commercial partner takes part. For more detail on applying from abroad, see Practice Note: Procedure for applying from overseas. For applications made in the UK, see Practice Note: Procedure for applying online in the UK. The ID check app is being expanded to additional visa routes and its availability will grow over time. Important note: although this Practice Note provides a broad synopsis of the procedure when using VFS or TLS, advisers should always consult the commercial partner’s respective country-specific website at the time of application, to confirm current procedural steps and applicable requirements. It is not unusual for processes, and even the locations and addresses of visa application centres (also referred to as VACs) to change without prior...
Immigration
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