All Party Parliamentary Group

Relocation Recognition is essential for our Industry’s growth – you can help 

Your Industry needs you, and your MP.  

With the change of Government, the ARP’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) was dissolved along with all the others, and we now need to reform it. To do this we need the support of as many MPs as we can.  I am writing to ask you to help our industry, by requesting your MP join our APPG for Relocation & Immigration.    Any member of your staff can write to their MP, and we urge you to get your staff involved and active by emailing their MP. 

Please email your MP and tell them the following:

Dear MP [Name], 

I live / work in your constituency, and I am writing to you to seek your participation.  My industry association, the Association of Relocation Professionals, is acting as the Secretariat for the APPG for Relocation & Immigration which is being reformed post the election. 

The APPG’s mission statement is: 

• Our mission is to educate government bodies on best practices within the employee relocation industry, ensuring recognition and support for our sector.  
• We aim to clearly differentiate net migration between skilled worker immigration and illegal immigration, promoting policies that promote inward investment and enhance the UK’s economic growth.
• We aim to support initiatives that increase family mobility, thereby alleviating strain on the UK’s infrastructure and contributing to a more sustainable and dynamic workforce.  
• By reducing bureaucratic barriers, we strive to streamline the employee relocation process making transitions smoother for businesses and their employees.  
• Our goal is to distinguish professional relocation companies as experts, separate from estate and property agents, by delivering specialised services that address the unique challenges of workforce mobility.  
• Through our commitment to efficiency and excellence, we aim to set the standards for professionalism within the relocation industry. 

I would really value knowing that our local MP is a member of this vital APPG.  The APPG recognises that being an MP has huge demands on your time, so the APPG meetings will be kept to a minimum and Minutes generated by the ARP.  The APPG will be engaging with Ministers and hosting events at the House. 

Please could you confirm to me that the team can add your name to the list of members and copy in the ARP’s CEO Tad Zurlinden at tad@arp-relocation.com 

Thank you for your participation.  

Kind Regards

[Name, position, contact details]

ARP held another meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Employee Relocation on Tuesday 21st November 2023.

We are committed to working proactively with Parliament, through the APPG, to enhance the sector’s £7bn per annum direct contribution and £21bn per annum consequential contribution to the British economy. The APPG discussed the following areas:

• Inflation in the relocation sector, and the failure of the relocation threshold to have been uprated – ever: it remains at the original level of £8,000 since the early 1990s. Reform of the allowance system might be the way to proceed on this.
• Visa complexity and processing issues act as a barrier to entry to the UK, including those visas for partners and spouses.
• The industry needs to achieve recognition in Parliament to increase its influence.
• The APPG can help create policy change to make useful improvements to the relocation regime in the UK.
• The APPG needs to be bold in stating what matters most, for example relating to issues in the housing and serviced accommodation markets.
• The APPG should present a collective, cross-party front to Minister, with all Officers jointly signing requests on specific areas of concern and focus.
• The ARP Board will talk to members and establish the key focus for APPG.
• If anything needed in terms of relocation issues by MPs, the APPG will provide a comprehensive service to deliver what is required. In other words, the APPG will benefit from the ARP’s commitment to being the central resource to MPs and Peers on these matters, including specific cases.
• We will also introduce a more sensible and proportionate infrastructure regarding anti-money laundering legislation relating to relocation. The UK is the only place in Europe where some of these checks must be done for relocation.

The APPG agreed to use the Parliamentary tools available to deliver outcomes for the sector. These include Parliamentary Questions, interventions in debates, meetings with Ministers, a Westminster Hall debate and cross-party requests for action and support for relocation.