apply

There is one very strict rule for would-be homebuyers applying to take part in the long-running Channel 4 show, producer Siobhan O’Gorman has revealed

Siobhan O’Gorman, the TV producer who leads the A Place In The Sun team, has lifted the lid on how the hit Channel 4 show picks would-be house buyers to appear on the series.

She points out that some things have changed a lot since A Place In The Sun first aired 25 years ago: “The first-ever episode 25 years ago featured a couple looking for a holiday home in the French Pyrenees with a budget of £40,000,’ she told the Daily Mail. “That wasn’t a bad budget then, but today you wouldn’t get much for that.”

But other aspects are still very much the same, Siobhan adds: “We need to be sure every applicant is in a position to put in a genuine offer,” she says. “We have great relationships with estate agents all over Europe and beyond, so it’s important to maintain that.”

While something like two-thirds of applicants are hoping for a new home in Spain, many others get in touch with dreams of finding properties in Cyprus, Portugal and Greece.

“But we’re also seeing increased interest in countries such as Croatia, Turkey and Dubai,” Siobhan says.

Wherever they want to end up, applicants start by filling in a 12-page application form. Then Siobhan and the team go through every one, to identify house-hunters who are looking for properties in the areas that align with countries that the show is planning to visit in the coming season.

The next stage is an on-camera interview to assess whether the applicants will make for good TV, and whether their aspirations are realistic.

Competition is intense, Siobhan says: “‘It’s fair to say we have at least ten applications for every show and it’s 20 for some of the more popular resorts.”

Siobhan adds: “We like to reflect a variety of budgets and areas in each country, though, so we wouldn’t do six shows with the same budget and the same wish list in Mijas Costa in Spain, but we may do two shows there with differing budgets.”

All of this behind-the-scenes work helps A Place In The Sun look smooth and well-organised on screen. However, presenter Laura Hamilton, who has been with the show since 2012, describes one incident that she playfully christened “Mudgate” where anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

As the team were trying to help a would-be expat find a retirement home in Abruzzo, Italy, a massive downpour caused mayhem.

The team were in multiple vehicles for social distancing reasons, and one by one, each one of them become mired down in slippery mud.

“We were there for three hours and had to have tractors pull us out,” Laura recalled. “I’m known for wearing high heels on the show because I’m quite short. I remember having these ridiculously high heels on and they got caked in mud.

“House hunter Sue was “mortified,” Laura recalled, blaming herself for choosing a remote rural location that didn’t even have proper tarmac roads. house. Laura tried to reassure Sue, telling her “It’s not your fault – and I always say you’ve got to love a house come rain or shine,” to which the embarrassed homebuyer replied: “Well, I definitely don’t love this one!”

THOUSANDS of pensioners will be able to apply for a winter cash boost worth up to £300 in just days.

More than nine million people are set to get the Winter Fuel Payment to help with their energy bills over the colder months.

1

Most people who are eligible will get the payment automatically, and will receive letters in the post from the DWP in October and November telling them how much cash they will receive.

However, certain pensioners will need to apply to get the benefit.

You can apply either by post or over the phone, and the DWP phone lines to make a claim open on October 13.

Postal applications opened earlier on September 15.

Pensioners have until March 31 2026 to make a claim.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has said that anyone claiming the following benefits does not need to make a claim:

• State Pension
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Carer’s Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Income Support
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• awards from the War Pensions Scheme
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Incapacity Benefit
• Industrial Death Benefit

If you don’t receive any of these benefits, you’ll need to claim manually if you’ve not got the Winter Fuel Payment before, or if you’ve deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment.

While the highest amount of free support is £300, the total will depend on when you were born and your circumstances on the qualifying week, which is between September 15 and 21 of this year.

Pensioners born before September 22, 1959, with an income of £35,000 or below will be eligible for between £100 and £300 to help towards heating bills.

Those hoping to receive the cash must be 66 by the end of the qualifying week.

You won’t be eligible for the payment if you earn more than £35,000 a year, and HMRC will claw back the automatic payment made to you through your tax code or tax return.

Your income can come from a range of factors including, your private pension and state benefits.

Other people who won’t be eligible include those who:

• live outside England and Wales
• were in hospital getting free treatment for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025 and the year before that
• need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says that you cannot claim public funds
• were in prison for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025

The Winter Fuel Payment was axed for 10million pensioners last year, with only those on certain benefits qualifying.

But the government was forced to perform a U-turn after a huge public outcry, with the funding now being reinstated for millions.

The gov.uk website provides further guidance on the scheme and how to make a claim.

Pensioners are also being warned to be wary of text messages from scammers posing as the DWP, who try to get you to click on a fake link to make a claim.

These are not official DWP messages and should be deleted, the government has said.

The Winter Fuel Payment is separate from the Warm Home Discount, which offers struggling households £150 off their electricity bill.

The money is not paid to you, and households that are eligible will have the discount applied to their bill by their energy provider.

What energy bill help is available?

There’s a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you’re struggling to get by.

If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.

This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.

If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.

Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.

But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.

For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.

British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.

You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.

EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.

Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).

The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill.

Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.

Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

As Trump’s order stirs anxiety, White House clarifies that the fee only applies to new applicants and will be levied per petition.

The United States has issued a clarification to its new H-1B visa policy, saying that the new $100,000 fee for skilled workers will be levied per petition and will not apply to current visa holders.

The announcement on Saturday came a day after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said it would be paid annually, and would apply to people seeking a new visa as well as renewals.

Lutnick’s comment prompted major tech firms, including Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Alphabet, which is Google’s parent company, to warn employees with H1-B visas to stay in the country or return quickly.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, clarified that the fee will only apply to new visas and that the rule “does not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to/from the US”.

“This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition,” she wrote.

“Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter… This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders,” she added.

The executive order imposing the new fee was signed by President Donald Trump on Friday night and is scheduled to take effect at 12:01am on (04:01 GMT) Sunday.

It is scheduled to expire after a year. But it could be extended if the Trump administration determines that is in the interest of the US to keep it.

H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialised skills – such as scientists, engineers and computer programmers – to work in the US, initially for three years, but extendable to six.

The visas are widely used by the tech industry and are doled out through a lottery system. Indian nationals account for nearly three-quarters of the permits.

Critics say the programme undercuts American workers, luring people from overseas who are often willing to work for as little as $60,000 annually. That is well below the $100,000-plus salaries typically paid to US technology workers.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday that Trump’s latest plan “was being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry″. The ministry warned that “this measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities”.

The US Chamber of Commerce also expressed worry.

“We’re concerned about the impact on employees, their families and American employers,” it said in a statement. “We’re working with the Administration and our members to understand the full implications and the best path forward.”

On the popular Chinese social media app Rednote, meanwhile, many H-1B holders shared stories of rushing back to the US — some just hours after landing abroad – fearing they would be subject to the new fee.

Some people who were already on planes preparing to leave the country on Friday de-boarded over fears they may not be allowed to re-enter the US, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Allen Orr, an immigration lawyer and immigration chair of the National Bar Association, told Al Jazeera that the latest order has caused “mass confusion”.

Workers who held new or renewed H-1B visas and who were outside the US were told not to come, delaying start dates and costing money due to the “cancellation of flights and housing”, Orr said.

The lawyer added that Trump’s order was sending the wrong message to talented workers living abroad.

“If it applies to next year, $100,000 for an H-1B worker just basically puts it out of the market, and many of these jobs will then just remain overseas,” he said.

“The American secret is that we’ve basically taken talent from around the world and colonised it and made of the United States a sort of stamp. When we stop letting that talent into the United States, we’re hurting our brand,” he added.

Open justice 

WHEN an incident unfolds as shocking and horrific as the car ramming at Liverpool FC’s trophy parade, the public has a right to know as much information as possible, as quickly as possible. 

Following Axel Rudakubana’s murderous rampage in Southport last July, silence from the authorities allowed conspiracy theory, rumour and deliberate disinformation to fester online. 

1

This, in turn, fuelled terrible scenes of violence and destructive riots. 

By revealing the ethnicity and age of the arrested suspect in the Liverpool incident within two hours – and swiftly ruling out terrorism – the police stopped malicious or kneejerk attempts to spread false narratives. 

They were right to do so, and local politicians have expressed their support for the decision. 

It’s a welcome step back from recent sinister attempts by police and Government to muzzle our free press. 

But the real test of our authorities’ new-found spirit of sensible openness will come the next time there is a tragic incident or terrorist attack. 

As Jonathan Hall, the Government’s terror law reviewer, points out: “The lesson has been learnt, don’t give any fuel to the conspiracy merchants. 

“You’ve got to roll with it. 

“If it had been a Muslim, an Asian, a black man or woman, they would have to say that. 

“You’ve got to be fully consistent.” 

Having now embraced transparency, the public will not understand why they shouldn’t always be given the full picture by the cops. 

Whatever that may be. 

E-bike blitz

CRACKING down on lower-level crime is known to help prevent more serious offences later on. 

So Government moves to crush mopeds, bikes and e-scooters used by criminal yobs within 48 hours rather than weeks to curb re-offending should be applauded. 

Just one problem: how does this get-tough approach sit with Labour’s prison reforms. 

After all, they will mean thugs convicted of crimes which should attract a 12 months sentence are now a lot less likely to go to jail? 

Reform rebirth 

BRITAIN isn’t having enough kids. 

Instead, we have come to rely on importing more and more young workers from overseas in a faltering bid to get the economy growing, and pay the bills for our ageing society. 

Nigel Farage’s proposed tax breaks for married couples could help to reverse that damaging long-term trend. 

Making it more affordable for young parents to have children is key. 

May 24 (UPI) — A record number of Americans applied to become British citizens during the first three months of this year after Donald Trump re-took office as president, according to official data.

The last time American applications for British citizenship spiked was in 2020 during Trump’s first presidential term early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes as the British government is toughening requirements for legal migrants and extending the wait for newcomers to claim citizenship.

Britain’s Home Office on Thursday reported 6,618 U.S. citizens applied for British citizenship over the past 12 months through March, the highest annual figure since records began in 2004. That includes 1,931 applications between January and March — the highest number for any quarter on record.

There also is a record number of Americans seeking to live and work indefinitely in the country as a necessary precursor to citizenship. Of the 5,521 settlement applications granted last year, most were for people eligible because of their spouses, parents and other family links. And a substantial portion had originally arrived in Britain on temporary visas for “skilled workers” and want to remain.

For the year through March, there were 238,690 applications worldwide, an increase of 238,690 for the same period last year.

Some people might qualify “more swiftly” for permanent settlement in Britain depending on the “contribution” they made, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said in Parliament on May 12.

Since Trump was elected president again, immigration lawyers told The New York Times they had received an increased number of inquiries from people in the United States about possibly relocating to Britain.

“People who were already here may have been thinking, ‘I want the option of dual citizenship in the event that I don’t want to go back to the U.S,'” Muhunthan Paramesvaran, a senior immigration lawyer at Wilsons Solicitors in London, said.

There also have been increased applications from non-U.S. citizens living there seeking to go to Britain.

“We’ve seen increases in inquiries and applications not just for U.S. nationals, but for U.S. residents of other nationalities who are currently in the U.S. but looking at plans to settle in the U.K.,” Zeena Luchowa, a partner at Laura Devine Immigration, a law firm that specializes in American migration to Britain, said. “The queries we’re seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship – it’s more about seeking to relocate.”

This comes as British authorities under a Labor government are trying to reduce immigration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain has to take “back control of our borders” and warned uncontrolled immigration could result in “becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”

British figures show net migration dropped by almost half in 2024 to 431,000 compared with 2023.

The British government had extended the qualification period from five years to 10 before they could apply for settlement.

Also, the government wants to raise English language requirements across every immigration route. In 2021, nine out of 10 migrants reported speaking English well, according to analysis by the Oxford University Migration Observatory.

On May 5, European Union nations announced they would spend $566 million from 2025 to 2027 to attract foreign researchers after the Trump administration cut funding to universities in the United States. Britain left EU in 2020.

Under Trump’s direction, there will be a “gold card” at a cost of $5 million, as an extension of the EB-5 program that extends green cards to foreign investors and their families.

“We’re going to be selling a gold card,” Trump told reporters on Feb. 5 in the Oval Office, which is adorned by items in gold.

The current program grants green cards to immigrants who make a minimum investment of at least $1.050 million or $800,000 in economically distressed areas.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday: “I expect there will be a website up called ‘Trump card dot gov’ in about a week. The details of that will come soon after, but people can start to register.”

STRUGGLING households in parts of the UK could get up to £500 in cost of living help – but you’ll need to meet strict rules.

The cash boost is part of the Household Support Fund (HSF), a £421million pot, which helps low-income families with food, energy bills, and essentials.

1

But it’s only available if you live in Worcestershire – that includes the districts of Malvern, Worcester, Wychavon, Bromsgrove, Redditch or Wyre Forest.

To check if you qualify, go to gov.uk/find-local-council – Worcestershire County Council must be listed.

You’ll also need to meet income and vulnerability rules.

Who is eligible?

To qualify, your gross annual income must be:

• £24,570 or less (for a single adult with no children)
• £31,000 or less (for all other households)

You must also have no savings, unless you’re of state pension age – in which case you can have up to £5,000.

And at least one person in your household must meet ONE of the following:

• Be of state pension age
• Have a long-term diagnosed health condition or be registered disabled
• Have a child under four
• Be in receipt of DWP benefits like Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, PIP or Disability Living Allowance
• Be receiving support from services such as food banks, Citizens Advice, Age UK, mental health or housing support, or your GP’s social prescribing team

How much can I get?

The amount depends on your household:

• Up to £500 for homes with children under 18 or full-time students under 21
• Up to £300 for adult-only households aged 18–66
• Up to £300 for pensioner households

Payments can go straight to your energy provider, be credited via an online portal or come in the form of Post Office vouchers for prepayment meters.

You’ll need to supply:

• A recent energy or water bill (dated within 3 months) showing your name, address and account number
• Evidence of your vulnerability
• Extra documents if applying for help with energy debts or heating repairs

What else is covered?

Help is also available for:

• Repairing or replacing broken boilers
• Installing first-time heating systems
• Servicing and upgrading smart heating controls

You’ll need to complete a separate application if applying for these – but forms will be sent to you once your initial claim is made.

Where to send your evidence:

• Email digital copies to: [email protected]
• Post paper documents to:
  Act on Energy
  Unit 2, Lauriston Business Park
  Salford Priors
  Warwickshire WR11 8SN

Applications will be closed if evidence isn’t sent within 28 days – so act fast.

In other related benefit news, pension savers have been pocketing thousands in tax refunds after being overcharged — and now fresh HMRC changes could stop millions more being stung.

Over 15,000 people got an average refund of £2,881 between January and March this year after being overtaxed when they dipped into their pension pots.

In total, £44million was handed back in just three months, according to new figures — with hopes the amount overpaid will fall thanks to recent rule tweaks.

HMRC rolled out a new system this month, aimed at stopping retirees from being wrongly whacked with a sky-high emergency tax bill when making a withdrawal.

Other help you can claim

If you’re not eligible for the Household Support Fund, you might qualify for other forms of help to cover energy bills or food.

Support may vary depending on your local council – so even if you don’t live in Worcestershire, it’s worth checking what’s on offer in your area.

Several energy firms offer grants to households who are struggling to pay their energy bills worth up to £2,000.

This includes British Gas, Octopus Energy and EDF.

New parents might also be eligible for free food worth up to £442 a year to cover the cost of healthy food and milk via the Healthy Start scheme.

Or, you can get an emergency food parcel from a Trussell Trust food bank.

You can find your nearest via www.trussell.org.uk/emergency-food/find-a-foodbank.

To get a food parcel, you need a voucher from a community organisation like Citizens Advice or your GP. You can then exchange this voucher for a food parcel at the food bank.

It’s also worth checking if you’re eligible for benefits if you haven’t already – billions of pounds’ worth is going unclaimed, according to Policy in Practice.

There are three free calculators you can use to see what you might be entitled to:

• Policy in Practice better off calculator
• entitledto benefits calculator
• Turn2us benefits calculator