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Showing posts from November, 2014

OISC Level 1 course, Sat-Sun 6-7 December, City of London (Monument), from a practicing immigration company. Plus date for the next 6 months - we have training every month.

2-day weekend courses, every month, at our office in the City of London. Multi Travel Visas Ltd and a sister company, 1st 4Immigration Ltd, are both accredited by The OISC, ref F201100418 and F200800152 respectively. After many years of experience – and hundreds of successful cases – we are offering to share our experience with you to help you prepare for your OISC Level 1 assessment and accreditation. You can read Testimonials on our immigration cases here. TRAINING DATES (we have a class every month): Weekend 6 - 7 December 2014 – book now! Weekend 31 January - 1 February 2015 Weekend 28 February - 1 March 2015 Weekend 21 - 22 March 2015 Weekend 11 - 12 April 2015 Weekend 16 - 17 May 2015 Weekend 27 - 28 June 2015 Our tutors are our very own OISC-accredited practicing immigration advisers who handle the real cases during the week and teach on weekends. You can read about them on the Tutors page. Unlike most traditional courses, ours is conducted using plain language and does

Can I switch from Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) to a Tier 2 (General) visa inside the UK?

Why would you do that? Because a Tier 2 General visa leads to permanent residency (Indefinite Leave) after 5 years in the UK while most ICT visas don’t lead to an ILR at all. The answer to our questions is Yes if you meet both requirements below: 1)      You had a Tier 2 ICT Established Staff visa under the Rules in place before 6 April 2011 and after that you extended it inside the UK. A word ‘extended’   is crucial here because those who had an Entry Clearance (outside the UK) at any time from 6 April 2011 can’t switch. 2)      You are applying to change a Sponsor. You can’t switch from ICT to General for the same Sponsor. What is you can’t switch? Options include: leaving the UK, waiting for 12 months and applying for a Tier 2 General visa, to work for any Sponsor, including the one who sponsored you for an ICT visa at first place. Or to consider switching to a category other than Tier 2, such as a tier 1 Entrepreneur or a Dependant visa if your partner has his/her own T

New Tier 1 (General) restrictions after April 2015 - hurry to benefit from the last extensions!

It is with the tears in our eyes that we are seeing off the Tier 1 (General) category, also known as HSMP. Farewell! This category was already closed to the new applicants in April 2011, so until now only extensions were allowed. And until the announcement earlier this year there was no limit on how many extensions a Tier 1 (General) migrant can have. So, it was OK to go and work abroad then come back and extend this visa and then do it again and again – until the time comes to stay for a few years within the limits on absences and get an ILR one day. Unfortunately, it has been announced earlier this year than last Tier 1 (General) extensions will be accepted on 5 April 2015. So, those who do need an extension should apply before that. And preferably not at the last moment! (OK, OK, we all know it will happen exactly like that). There will be another inevitable rush for same-day service appointments. Our advice is to plan in advance: we offer advice sessions now, over email or at o

OISC Level 1 course, Sat-Sun 6-7 December, City of London (Monument), from a practicing immigration company. Plus date for the next 6 months - we have training every month.

2-day weekend courses, every month, at our office in the City of London. Multi Travel Visas Ltd and a sister company, 1st 4Immigration Ltd, are both accredited by The OISC, ref F201100418 and F200800152 respectively. After many years of experience – and hundreds of successful cases – we are offering to share our experience with you to help you prepare for your OISC Level 1 assessment and accreditation. You can read Testimonials on our immigration cases here. TRAINING DATES (we have a class every month): Weekend 6 - 7 December 2014 – book now! Weekend 31 January - 1 February 2015 Weekend 28 February - 1 March 2015 Weekend 21 - 22 March 2015 Weekend 11 - 12 April 2015 Weekend 16 - 17 May 2015 Weekend 27 - 28 June 2015 Our tutors are our very own OISC-accredited practicing immigration advisers who handle the real cases during the week and teach on weekends. You can read about them on the Tutors page. Unlike most traditional courses, ours is condu

New testimonial on our UK Passport renewal 1 week service.

“Thank you for your very helpful and efficient service, it was very much appreciated and it was nice to get a personal service for a change.  Would have no hesitation in recommending your company.  Once again many thanks.” This came from Karen who used our 1 week British passport renewal service. Yes, Karen, we agree, it is always nice to get a personal service these days, when it is becoming more of a rarity. And we like offering it! When same-day service is not available, a one week service is a good alternative. For example, if your passport was lost or stolen or if it is a child’s first passport. 1 week service is also available to everyone renewing their passports as a cheaper alternative to same-day service, yet still with the processing time which can be accurately estimated.    Contact us: www.multitravelvisas.co.uk Phone 0871 472 1468 or 07795471483 Email: info@multitravelvisas.co.uk   We reply on the same working day! Or come to our office from 9am to 6pm

New testimonial on our Saudi Arabian visa service.

“Thanks, I have received my passport on time, Appreciate your excellent Service and Advice.” This came from Noufal , a British national.   It is possible to obtain a Saudi business visa within 3-4 working days.    Contact us: www.multitravelvisas.co.uk Phone 0871 472 1468 or 07795471483 Email: info@multitravelvisas.co.uk   We reply on the same working day! Or come to our office from 9am to 6pm (you don’t need an appointment): 68 King William Street, City of London, London, EC4N 7DZ. We’re near Monument tube station, close to Bank and Liverpool Street, over the bridge from London Bridge station and within easy reach by DLR from Canary Wharf.    

Tier 2 Sponsor Licence process

Sponsor Licence is the 1 st step in the process of employing the non-EU workers. Sponsor, such as an Employer, must have a Tier 2 or Tier 5 Sponsor Licence from the UK Home Office. If employer does not have such a Licence then the company can apply for it and our company can help with the application. Very often a company is happy to hire a worker who comes to us for an advice and are willing to apply for a Sponsor Licence and comply with the rest of the Sponsor’s duties, especially if the job is very skilled or on Shortage Occupation List. Once the company has a Sponsor licence, it will be placed on the Register of Sponsors (Employers) on the UKVI website and will have access to the Sponsor Management System, known as SMS. A licence can be just for one category, for example, Tier 2 General or can be for more than one type, such as Tier 2 General and Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer. Sponsor Licence is issued for the company, it is not connected to a migrant (not connected to a

Interesting case study: Spouse visa for a New Zealand spouse of a dual British/Irish citizen who tried to apply under EEA law but was refused because of the changes in the EEA Regulations on dual nationals.

This was a very interesting case! This couple came to us for a advice, following a refusal of an application for an EEA Residence Card. The applicant is from New Zealand and the Sponsor is a dual British/Irish national. The application was made in early 2014, ie after the changes in the EEA Regulations for dual UK/EU nationals (which happened on 16 July 2012). Before 16 July 2012 dual UK/EU nationals could simply choose whether to use their British nationality to bring their non-EU spouses to the UK and apply under the Immigration Rules. Or to use EEA nationality (non-UK) and apply under the EEA Regulations. Before 9 July 2012, when Appendix FM came in force, it did make sense to use the Immigration Rules because a foreign spouse could have an ILR just after 2 years. From 9 July 2012 there is a strict Financial Requirement as well as a qualifying period for an ILR now being 5 years. So, the Immigration Rules were changed on 9 July 2012 while EEA Regulations were changed shortly

New successful case and testimonial on a Tier 2 (General) work visa for an Indian national switching from Tier 4 Student visa after securing sponsorship from employer who had a Sponsor Licence.

“I would like to say a big thank you to Ms Lucy for all your help and assistance with my Tier-2 visa application. You helped and guided me very well through the whole process and assured me even when there were delays. You were very prompt with your replies. Thank you once again for all your help and assistance. I will definitely recommend my friends and family who will be needing this kind of service to hire you.​”   This came from Jasmeet, an Indian national who completed a degree at a UK university and   secured a certificate of sponsorship from a company with a Tier 2 Sponsor licence. Jasmeet made her initial application earlier but it was refused because of the salary requirements. So when Jasmeet asked us to help with the subsequent application, we made sure the appropriate salary requirement was met. Namely, that a salary as on the chosen SOC code on Tier 2 Code of Practice was corresponding to the salary offered to the applicant (or pro-rated, as the case was and as the ca

What’s the minimum salary for Tier 2 General visa? £20,500 or as on the Code of Practice?

We are asked this question a lot as requirements seem to be confusing. Firstly, there is currently a minimum salary of £20,500 from 6 April 2014. This is just a minimum, so all Tier 2 General applicants must be offered at least that but it does not end there! Secondly – and very importantly as it’s a common reason for refusals – at the same time the minimum salary must be as on the Tier 2 Code of Practice or on a Shortage Occupation List. For example, if your occupation requires a minimum salary of £19,000 then you must be still offered at least £20,500 to qualify, otherwise your application will be refused. However, if your occupation requires a minimum of, say, £25,000 then you must be offered minimum £25,000 (and not £20,500). If you are offered less than £25,000 in this example then your application will be refused because your salary is not as on the Code of Practice, even if it is £20,500. If your employer cannot afford to pay £25,000 (in this example) then they

Do I need English in Speaking and Listening only when the test covers all 4 components including Reading and Writing?

For a Spouse/Partner/Fiancée visas, the Immigration Rules say only Speaking and Listening need to be demonstrated at the required level, however, many approved tests cover all 4 components including Reading and Writing. What to do? Until approx August 2014 the approach was, as was confirmed to us by the UKVI policy department, to look at the overall score at the required level, such as A1 for spouses/partners/fiancées and B1 for and ILR. IELTS would be a good example. Now, however, the Rules have been clarified, once again, and it is OK just to look at the Speaking and Listening components, even if the applicant has not passed Reading or Writing. If a test provides Speaking and Listening testing only, without the rest, then you can use it. ESOL would be a good example as most other acceptable tests. F or an individual advice or to make an application please contact us: info@1st4immigration.com  or visit  www.1st4immigration.com   If you are an Immigration Adviser or

OISC Level 1 course, Sat-Sun 6-7 December, City of London (Monument), from a practicing immigration company

This is a 2-day weekend course at our office in the City of London. Multi Travel Visas Ltd and a sister company, 1st 4Immigration Ltd, are both accredited by The OISC, ref F201100418 and F200800152 respectively. After many years of experience – and hundreds of successful cases – we are offering to share our experience with you to help you prepare for your OISC Level 1 assessment and accreditation. You can read Testimonials on our immigration cases here. Our tutors are our very own OISC-accredited practicing immigration advisers who handle the real cases during the week and teach on weekends. You can read about them on the Tutors page.   Unlike most traditional courses, ours is conducted using plain language and does not simply contain quotes from the Immigration Rules. We include cases studies from our practice, answers to most common questions, a Questions&Answers session and a mock Level 1 assessment, which is given to the candidates at the end to complete in thei