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Showing posts from December, 2013

Free access to work in the UK for Bulgarian and Romanian (EU2) nationals.

From the 1st day of 2014 all the current restrictions on work rights for Bulgarian/Romanian nationals will be lifted. This means there is no more need for a Blue or Purple card in order to seek employment in the UK. These rules don't affect those who are working as self-employed. Students will be able to work as much as they wish without having to apply for a Yellow card first (until now  students had to have a Yellow Card to work while studying and could only work part-time).  There is one small matter to remember: when a Bulgarian or Romanian citizen applies for permanent residency (or straight for British Citizenship) he/she has to show compliance with the restrictions applicable at the time. So, it means for the next 6 years we will be checking availability of Blue and Purple registration certificates during 2007-2013 even if they no longer apply now from 2014 onwards.  So far we have dealt with many immigration applications on behalf of Bulgarian and Romanian (an

New testimonial on same-day UK passport renewal from a client residing in Saudi Arabia

"I would like to thank all the Multi Travel Visas team for the support and help. You were responding to my enquiries promptly. In the future, for any other service,  for myself, my family or friends, I will definitely recommend your good Office. Many thanks Chloe and Russell and Merry Christmas in advance!!!!!!!!". This came from Cherif, a British citizen residing in Saudi Arabia. The client was able to renew his British passport promptly by couriering his documents to us from Saudi Arabia just before Christmas, we submitted to the Passport Office in London, without waiting for an appointment, and when the new passport was ready, we couriered it back to the customer. To make a Schengen or another travel visa application through us please contact us: info @multitravelvisas.co.uk   or visit our website www.multitravelvisas.co.uk Besides UK passport renewal services, we also help with travel visas, such as visas to Russia (including invitations), China, India, Sau

In-country switching to a ‘Tier’ Dependant visa is indeed allowed now, it’s true!

One of our most popular postings in the last couple of months, both here and on Facebook, was about the change in the Immigration Rules regarding switching to a Dependant visa inside the UK when the   main applicant holds or applying for a main visa under the Points-Based System (PBS). For example, when one of the partners holds a Tier 2 visa and the other holds a Post-Study Work Visa. In the past the 2 nd partner would have to apply from abroad for a Tier 2 Dependant visa, however, now it is possible to switch from a PSW visa (in this example) to a Tier 2 Dependant visa inside the UK. And it gets better – it can be done on same-day service at the UKBA. We usually work with their Croydon facility. Same rules apply to those switching to a Tier 1 Dependant visa. However, Dependants of Tier 4 (Student) migrants have a bit more restrictions, although those restrictions affect generally all Tier 4 Dependants, whether applying inside or outside the UK, such as that the course of t

New testimonial on Schengen visa

"Over the past three years I have used several registered visa companies. Apparently  many seem to employ staff that are either incompetent or uninterested. One company in particular have a legal department that gave me such bad advice that my wife was almost deported. Fortunately I discovered ' multitravelvisas.co.uk' who have proven to be not only competent but act in a professional manner providing an excellent service from start to finish. Previous experience with other companies taught me to question events every step of the way; but ' multitravelvisas.co.uk' replied to my many questions promptly  (often by a return email within the hour) and gave me the confidence to trust them completely. I would not hesitate in recommending them."   This came from John, who we helped to secure a Schengen visa for his wife who is an Ethiopian national.   To make a Schengen or another travel visa application through us please contact us: info @multitravelvi

Online OISC Level 1 course special offer £299+VAT

Give your career a boost with our Online OISC Level 1 course! It includes  a mock Level 1 Assessment and real case studies from our practicing OISC-accredited immigration company.   You can download our OISC Level 1 training course to your computer and study in your own time - to prepare for your OISC accreditation and Level 1 Assessment. No need to travel to a classroom, no need to wait for the next date. You can start your immigration training right now! This course is also accredited to award 16 hours of Continued Professional Development  (CPD) for the accredited advisers and solicitors. Our CPD is accepted by both The OISC and SRA. As we are a practicing OISC-accredited immigration company, we have designed this basic level course to be of practical help for those who are preparing for OISC accreditation at Level 1 (Initial Advice) and for compulsory Level 1 Assessment. Or perhaps to those who are planning to open a UK immigration consultancy based overseas. It would also

We have moved to the City!

From Monday 16th December 2013 we are located in the new office: 68 King William Street, City of London (Monument), London, EC4N 7DZ. It is near Monument tube station and 2 minutes walk from Bank tube/DLR station.   Our phone numbers, email addresses and website addresses remain the same, only office location has changed.   Email address: info @1st4immigration.com   for 1st 4Immigration (UK visas and British Citizenship). info @multitravel visas.co.uk for Multi Travel Visas (non-UK visas and same-day UK passport renewal).   Phone numbers: 0871 472 1468 and 07795471483. Calls to 0871 number cost £0.10 per minute, calls to the mobile number has no extra charges.   Website: www.1st4immigration.com and www.multitravelvisas.co.uk   For Immigration training and Continued Professional Development for OISC-accredited advisers and SRA-regulated solicitors as well as for online OISC Level 1 course: www.1st4immigration.com/training or email training @1st4immigra

Online CPD course 5 hours, British Citizenship for EU/EEA Nationals and their Family Members

For our colleagues Immigration Advisers and Solicitors: Our online training course is accepted by The OISC and SRA, CPD ref number EJE/14IM. Download from our website, study in your own time on any computer, iPad or iPhone, complete the test and we will send your CDP award certificate. British Citizenship for EU/EEA Nationals and their Family Members. 5 hours CPD credit. This course is focused on applications for British Citizenship for European/EEA nationals and their family members. This courses recognises the fact that European law works differently from the UK Immigration Rules, such as on qualifying for residency in the UK and especially for permanent residency. It is particularly important to remember that family members often have 'visa stamps' while they did not have to apply for them, so dates when they are eligible are often different from the dates of expiry of such voluntary visas. We extensively cover the restrictions applied to Eastern European A8 n

Another successful case and testimonial on British Citizenship application for a Bulgarian citizen, married to a British citizen

"A massive thank you to Natalia, Lucy and Russell for the great support on my way to British Citizenship. Always very responsive, I didn't have a single question unanswered. My requests were dealt with precision and professionalism, and very often outside normal working hours. Time was crucial for me and the team managed to organize everything within the time limits. So, thank you team 1st 4 Immigration! It was a pleasure working with you!" Elena, Bulgarian national . Elena happened to study and work in the UK for about 6 years. She secured a Yellow Card as a student which meant she qualified under the Transitional Arrangements and did not need medical insurance. Elena then secured a Blue Card and has been working as an employee and self-employed. Elena was also married to a UK citizen which meant we had to only examine 5 years of exercising Treaty rights in the UK (and not 6 years). For an individual advice or to make an application please contact us:  info

Switching from Post-Study Work to Entrepreneur visa: do I really need a contract? Update: a contract can be substituted with another document

We had written earlier about contracts for an Entrepreneur visa, for those switching from a PSW visa. Here is an updated post following some changes in the Rules in the October policy guidance which we had confirmed by the UKBA policy department. Such a switch (application inside the UK) has many strings attached. There had to be some, since 'only' £50,000 in funds is required, as opposed to the main amount of £200,000.  So, if you are thinking of switching from a PSW to an Entrepreneur visa then you need to have a business already (or register one before you apply). Registration has to be in place together with things like appointed accountant, a business bank account, business insurance and if applicable, VAT certificate.  Also, the services your business provides to the clients must be at min NQF level 4 from the Tier 2 Code of Practice (available in the UKBA website). This is the services your business provides rather than what you personally do in your busines