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Historically, modern immigration began in the 18th century, accelerated by the slave trade and industrialization. At this time, three main types of immigration began to emerge: labor migration, refugee migration and urbanization. Since the USA became independent in 1776, while imperialism still dominated Europe, many people immigrated to the USA in the early 19th century, which was considered the land of unlimited opportunity.

The beginning of the 20th century, with the fall of the great colonial empires and the First World War, also left its mark when people from Europe immigrated, driven by fear of war and violence. The aftermath of World War I was the fall of colonialism and the formation of the League of Nations. At this point, an influx of immigrants from the former colonies began, resulting in large numbers of immigrants from the newly independent countries of Africa, the former colonies of France, Great Britain, Spain and the Netherlands.

The League of Nations failed to prevent World War II. The birth of Nazism in Central Europe in the 1930s played a crucial role in immigration, as many Jews began migrating from Europe before the outbreak of World War II. After the Second World War, the United Nations Organization was founded, which has been a peacekeeper around the world ever since. The roots of the European Union also go back to the late 1940s when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

Since then, the principle of freedom of movement has developed rapidly. The newly created Schengen area in Europe allowed the citizens of its member states to move freely without border controls. The United Nations and many countries have ratified treaties on the free movement and granting of asylum to refugees. However, over the past three decades, governments have become very concerned with the problems of terrorism, human trafficking and drug trafficking. As a result, many countries have had to reduce the simplicity of their immigration policies to improve their internal security.

Sweden is a European country in Northern Europe. According to statistics, the Kingdom of Sweden has over 10 million inhabitants. Swedish is the official language of the country. The territory of Sweden is 449,964 square kilometers.

Sweden's nominal GDP per capita is around US$40,393. The country's official currency is the Swedish Krona (SEK) and Sweden holds the title of the most populous country in the Nordic countries.

If you work, study or make a living, you have an automatic right of residence in Sweden. After five years you can get a permanent residence permit in Sweden. All Nordic countries such as Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland belong to the Nordic group of countries and have an agreement stating that Nordic citizens have the right to live in any Nordic country of their choice and there is no need to apply for a residence permit. The only thing required is registration with the Swedish Tax Agency. Visas are also an issue for foreigners interested in traveling to Sweden.

Danske Bank Latvia branch is a part of Danske Bank Group. Danske Bank Group is the largest financial enterprise in Denmark and one of the largest in the Nordic region.

In total, the Group serves 5 million retail customers and a significant number of public sector and institutional organisations.

A well-qualified and professional staff provide an individual service tailored to the wishes and needs of customers. The Danske Bank Group employs more than 20 000 staff.

The branch for Danske Bank was opened in 2008 in Latvia. Starting from 2019 Danske Bank will reduce its scope of operations, and gradually will stop providing its banking services in Latvia, withdrawing from the market.

Latvia offers a number of tax incentives to encourage business development. These include:

special economic zones
relief through donations
Deferred tax payments
Research and development tax credit
Large investments are tax deductible
special economic zones
There are four special economic zones in Latvia, three of which are ice-free ports in major cities, one of which is in the capital Riga. The special economic zones of Latvia are:

Riga Freeport
Ventspils Freeport
Liepāja Freeport
Rezekne SEZ
The benefits of each of them (ignoring the unrelated benefits such as Rezekne as a major rail hub) are fairly similar, although they may differ somewhat depending on the economic sector and other circumstances:

Up to 100% of the property tax reduction (from an initial 1.5%)
Up to 80% corporate tax reduction (from originally 15%)
Up to 80% reduction in withholding tax on dividends, management fees and IP (intellectual property) usage fees
In the summer of 2016, the Latvian government approved the creation of another SEZ – the Latgale Special Economic Zone. Latgale is the eastern part of Latvia and the new SEZ will be based around the city of Daugavpils – Latvia's second largest city and a major railway hub, best known as the gateway to the Russian market. It is estimated that the new zone will effectively become operational in 2018.

Relief through donations
Donations to certain state-funded institutions allow Latvian companies to reduce their corporate income tax by up to 85% of the amount donated. Apart from state-funded organizations registered in Latvia, this also applies to donations to non-profit organizations within the meaning of the Law on Non-Profit Organizations (Sabiedriskā labuma organizāciju likums). In this case, the tax relief may not exceed 20% of the donation amount. All of these rules also apply to donations to organizations with similar legal status registered in the European Union or European Economic Area.

To prevent fraud and tax evasion, the donating organization must not impose any obligations on the recipient in exchange for the donation. In other words, the recipient cannot be legally required to compensate such a donation or make any other compensation for the donation.

Deferred tax payments
One of the aims of Latvia's economic policy is to modernize industrial production and keep it efficient, which is why Latvian companies have the right to defer tax payments on profits from machine exchanges. If a company buys a new machine in place of an old one (both should be functionally similar for the operation to be considered a replacement) and sells the old one within 12 months before or after the replacement, profit from it will not accrue in the stated taxable period taxed. Tax payment is deferred until that new machine is sold, or alternatively, payment is further deferred when the new asset is also replaced.

Research and development tax credit
There is a possibility of an accelerated amortization of R&D related costs (costs are multiplied by three for tax purposes). This facilitation is intended to promote R&D and applies to employment-related costs and R&D service agreements entered into with certain scientific institutions. These organizations must also be registered in one of the following countries:

European Union
European Economic Area
A county with which Latvia has a double tax treaty
The intellectual property resulting from the R&D activity remains the property of the taxpayer for at least three years. To be eligible for the R&D cost reduction, the taxpayer must have their own project documentation that meets certain rules.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is a constitutional monarchy located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands of the British Isles. Large portion of the United Kingdom's GDP comes from the service sector. United Kingdom also has a large automotive business, millions of tourists every year and well developed air traffic.

Company formation
When you start a business in the UK you must choose a structure for your business. Most businesses in the UK are: sole traders, limited companies, partnerships. When setting up business in the UK you may need to apply for a licence, depending on what your business is.

Please check the expected company name and address with us to learn if such is available.
Details about company Director and Secretary
Share Capital and Shareholder Details
You must register for VAT with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if your business turnover is more than £79,000.

Maintaining a company
Returns must be filed annually, failure to do so is considered a criminal offence and may result in a fine depending on the company type and duration of delay.
Your Corporation Tax rate depends on how much profit your company makes and may change on 1 April each year.
Corporate tax rate
In United Kingdom corporate main tax rate is changed from year to year in 1st April.

Rate From 1 April 2014
Profits £300,000 or less (small profits rate) 20%
Profits above £300,000 (main rate) 21%
Company types
We recommend and offer formation of the following types of companies:

Limited Liability Company
Limited Partnership
Scottish Limited Partnership(SLP)
For more information on benefits of each type please contact us.

Tax system
The corporate tax in the UK is 20-23%, but due to the UK taxation system there are commercial opportunities available to reduce tax payable for those engaged in international business. For more information on taxes in the United Kingdom please contact us.