UK Visas and British Citizenship

We have seen many people recently approaching us, believing (wrongly) that from October 2012 level of English language proficiency for spouses and partners of UK citizens has gone up from the very basic level of A1 to a higher level of B1.  Firstly, it is the 'wrong October' - the new level, B1, is proposed to come in force from next October - October 2013. Until then the rules remain the same as now - A1 level in Speaking and Listening. Proposed change - from October 2013 - is for those spouses/partners who are applying for settlement in the UK.  The problem (and confusion) here is a word 'settlement'. It has 2 different meanings of 'settlement' when applying for UK visas for spouses and partners.  Meaning 1: When applying from outside the UK 'settlement' visa means a visa which allows to come to the UK 'with the view of settlement'. In other words, for good, to settle, to stay here and not expected to leave the UK (unless voluntarily). This ap...

One of the most common questions at the moment! We have created this training course for immigration advisers (and a general information material for everyone to read), you can read extracts below and contents (list of subjects covered) on our website. For the price of our standard advice session you can download and instantly read it here, in your own time from any computer, and then refer anytime you need . Download now. Or visit www.1st4immigration.com www.1st4immigration.com Extract 1: Before 6 April 2012 migrants could study in the UK for a degree and then almost automatically switch from a Tier 4 Student visa to a Tier 1 Post-Study Work visa, which was for 2 years (we will call this visa Post-Study Work or PSW in this course). This category, Post-Study Work, is now closed, so the current students find themselves in a position of needing an advice of what other visa options they have after completion of their degree course in order to stay in the UK. Before...

Our most popular posting - with almost 1,000 views since the beginning of August 2012: There are plenty of Rules governing children who are born in the UK, so we'll try to keep the answer simple. A child born in the UK does NOT automatically become British (unlike in America). Instead, it depends on child's parents status. 1) If child's parent (one or both) is British then the child will be a British citizen too. 2) If child's parent (one or both) is not British but has permanent residency in the UK, ie holds an Indefinite Leave to Remain or Permanent Residency under European law, then the child will be British also (even if both parents aren't British).   3) If the child's parents are both not permanent residents and hold visas, such as Tier 1, Tier 2, Work Permit etc, then the child will NOT be British, even though he/she was born in the UK. In such cases a child can be given a dependant visa on his/her parents. This can be done as a sep...

  More and more clients say “I am working as a contractor for ….” Then usually follows a name of a major bank or an IT company. For example, “I am working as a contractor for Morgan Stanley”. It also often covers teachers and doctors who work as self-employed “through an agency”. These people are self-employed, not employees, even though they use words ‘work for’ and ‘employer’. In other words they are employees in all but name. There is no legal form of ‘contractor’ as such. The legal form is still the same as for other self-employed people: Sole Trader, Partner, Limited Company owner. As professional immigration advisers we have to establish how exactly our client is working ‘as a contractor’’. For example, we have to see beyond the words ‘Do I need a letter from my employer’ because there is no employer. Or beyond the words ‘I am working for..’. So, with contractors, we have to establish whether a client has a limited company or working as a Sole Trader/Partn...

"I want to appreciate you and your team for your excellent services in guiding me through the entire process of packaging my application to meet the requirements drawing my attention to gaps I wouldn't have thought on my own". This came from Mr Oluwole, a Nigerian national, who applied as a Spouse of a UK citizen. Oluwole completed 2 years on a Spouse visa (which was issued under the old Rules before 9 July 2012) and was eligible for an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Despite the new Rules from 9 July 2012 Oluwole could still apply for an ILR under the old Rules. Besides the general guidance we always do, we were particularly working on  the documents to show 2 years of residency in the UK, they are also known as '6 letters', as on SET (M) form. We then submitted application using Same-day Premium service in Croydon and the case was approved on the same day without any complications. To make your application as successful please email info@1st4i...

The New Family Rules cover quite well the subject of how to calculate income for employees to meet the Financial Requirement. Every employee has (or should have) payslips and bank statements. However, it is not clear to many applicants how to calculate income of self-employed people. Let us not forget that the UKBA policies are most likely written by their staff who by definition are employees. Our company has extensive experience with assisting with cases for self-employed people (all cases successful). Plus we understand what it means to have a business as we run a business too! If the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant (if in the UK with permission to work) is in self-employment at the date of application and in the last full financial year received self-employment income it can be used to meet the Financial Requirement. What’s meant by a ‘full financial year’? If a person is self-employed as a Sole Trader or Partner then their financial year would be a UK tax year, ie...

As Family visas is one of our main specialities, we had noticed straight away that the 'New Rules', introduced on 9 July 2012, were not clear on how to calculate the income of £18,600. We had contacted the UK Border Agency and have had a clarification in early November. We were also told these clarifications would be added to the next update of the Rules. Now the UK Border Agency announced on 22 November about some additions (or rather clarification) into the 'new Rules', which come in force on 13 December 2012.  We'd like to think we played a part in it (but in reality the wise people at the UKBA probably spotted it themselves!) Part 1 -  Workers who have worked for the same employer for at least 6 months.  Old rule: have to take last 6 months payslips, find a 'lowest payslip' and then multiply that 'lowest month' by 12, thus getting an assumed annual amount. Result must be minimum £18,600. Same applies to weekly payslips (lowest payslip in 6 month...

What's after Post-Study Work visa? One of the most common questions at the moment! We have created this information material (and a training course for other advisers). For the price of our standard advice session you can download and instantly read it here, in your own time from any computer, and then refer anytime you need. Download now. Or visit www.1st4immigration.com www.1st4immigration.com

We are asked this question all the time, especially by Australian citizens. Perhaps it has something to do with the state of economy but more and more people take an opportunity to work abroad, such as in Australia, Singapore, USA, the Middle East, Russia, Brazil, China and many other countries. Most people know not to leave the UK for too long during their 5 years qualifying period on visas like Tier 1 General, HSMP, Tier 2, Work Permit, Ancestral. However, what happens once you have an ILR? Can you go and work abroad, do you have to come back and when? Can you go and work, say, in Australia for a year, then come back and apply for British Citizenship? Firstly, an ILR is supposed to be a permanent visa but in fact it's not that 'permanent'. You can lose an ILR if you leave the UK for more than 2 years in a row. Such as leave for 2 years without coming back. An ILR will be lost and you'd have to start residency from the beginning. So, as long as you don't lea...

Multi Travel Visas Ltd has been accredited for years with various Embassies in London. FRENCH SCHENGEN VISA takes 4 working days from the date of the biometric appointment for most nationals (personal attendance required for the biometrics). We use separate appointments for agencies and can provide one much sooner. PORTUGUESE SCHENGEN VISA takes 1 week from a Tuesday. No biometrics, no personal attendance needed. FAST CHINESE VISAS: we can submit applications any day without appointments. processing time 3 or 4 working days. RUSSIAN VISAS and INVITATIONS: work, business and tourism on next-day service or 1-week service. SAUDI ARABIAN visas in 3-4 working days. INDIAN VISAS: Same-day business visas are available without appointments. 1 week service is also available as standard for both business and tourist visas. SAME-DAY UK PASSPORT RENEWAL: We can assist with renewing a UK passport using same-day or 1 week service at the Passport Office in London. We submit applications ...

Such visas are issued to spouses and partners of British citizens and of permanent residents who have been married or together for 4 years or more. Before 9 July 2012: spouses/partners in such cases (who have been together to 4 years or more) were given a permanent visa straight away when they applied outside the UK. It was called Indefinite Leave to Enter. It is permanent visa, which does not need to be extended.  However, if such spouse/partner did not pass Life In The UK Test (also known as Knowledge of Life) then he/she was given a 2 year visa to enter the UK with wording "Spouse/Partner: KOL required". If you happened to have such a visa it means you can apply for permanent residency as soon as you have passed a Life In The UK Test. You do NOT have to wait for 2 years on a Spouse visa.  From 9 July 2012: all spouses and partners get the visa for the same duration, however long they have been married. There is no longer provision to get a permanent visa, even if have bee...

Multi Travel Visas Ltd has been accredited for years with various Embassies in London. We can submit Chinese visa applications every day WITHOUT APPOINTMENTS and it takes 3 wo ... rking days to process a visa application. RUSSIAN VISAS and INVITATIONS: work, business and tourism on next-day service or 1-week service. SAUDI ARABIAN visas in 3 working days. Contact us now: info@multitravelvisas.co.uk, we reply on the same day! Phone: 0871 472 1468. Calls to 0871 number cost £0.10 per minute, emails are free. Our office is based at an iconic building of The Royal Mint in Central London, conveniently located near Tower Hill tube station, Tower Gateway DLR station. Close to the City and Canary Wharf. Office address: 4 Royal Mint Court, London, EC3N 4JH. Near Tower Hill tube station and DLR Tower Gateway. Web-site: www.multitravelvisas.co.uk with the visa requirements and clients' feedbacks.

For the price of our advice session you can download this detailed brochure (more detailed than advice session) and refer to it anytime as you need. Download from our website: www.1st4immigration.com/immigration-training-courses.php 1st 4Immigration Ltd are a company of OISC-registered Immigration Advisers based at an iconic building of The Royal Mint in Central London. We specialise in Settlement, Work (Tier 1 General, Tier 2), Spouse/Partner/Fiancee Visas, applications for family members of European citizens. We regularly submit applications using fast same-day Premium service at Home Office.  After years of our practical experience - and many successful cases! - we offer to share our extensive knowledge with other immigration advisers and solicitors. Our materials can also be used by the applicants (who are applying for a visa) as they are written in a plain language and are aimed to explain the Immigration Rules. 1st 4Immigration website: www.1st4immigration.com

If you can't find any Guidance - it's because it has not been properly written .  For example, EEA4 form still says 'This info does not apply to Bulgarian/Romanian nationals' but why not? Like nationals of all other EU countries, Bulgarian and Romanian nationals can apply for Permanent Residency after 5 years of 'exercising Treaty rights' in the UK, such as after 5 years of working, studying or being self-employed. The EEA4 guidance has simply not been updated yet. This is because 2012 is the 1st year when such applications are possible, since joining the EU in 2007. Did you know there is no obligation to apply for Permanent Residency? On one hand, this status comes automatically, after exercising European Treaty rights in the UK for 5 years. There is no 'visa stamp' which comes automatically but status gets achieved without having to apply for a 'visa stamp'. On the other hand, 1 more year later it is possible to apply straight for British...