UK Visas and British Citizenship

Normally, in order to qualify for permanent residency under the EEA Regulations, an EEA national must have exercised Treaty rights in the UK for 5 years, such as working, being self-employed or being self-sufficient (which includes students) – or a combination of those. Yet there is one exception, based on an EEA national worker who ceased activity. If an EEA national worked in the UK (for less than 5 years) but then ceased activity, then he/she qualifies for permanent residency immediately.   The above also applies to a non-EEA family member of the above and it applies if a family member became such after the EEA worker has ceased activity. For example, an EEA national ceased activity in 2012 and obtained permanent residency, then married a non-EEA national in 2014. In this example, a non-EEA national will gain the right of permanent residency upon marriage! That’s without even 1 year in the UK! There is of course a ‘catch’. There is a definition of a ‘worker who has ...

This post would be of interest to Romanian, Polish and other A8 and EU2 nationals, considering an application for permanent residency in the UK (or for British Citizenship if they are applying straight for Citizenship without applying for permanent residency first, which is allowed for the EEA nationals). In the past, when assessing eligibility for permanent residence under the European Regulations, we could only count the time spent in the UK under the Regulations before a country in question joined the EU. For example, Romania joined on 1 January 2007, so we would only count from then. Some migrants did reside in the UK before that but on the visas under the Immigration Rules, such as a Work Permit or the old Highly Skilled (HSMP) visa or a student visa. The point is that residence under the EEA Regulations derives from the European law while residence under the UK Immigration Rules derives from the UK law. Normally, we can’t combine them! We could not use such a combination...

“Oh my God!! I had to read your email a few times (when we told the application had been successful), to make sure I wasn't reading it wrong!! That is the best news I've had in a while! First of all, I just want to say thank you so much to everyone (please pass on a big thank you to Natalia), it's been such a relief to have someone advise me on the documents to be submitted and to know I'm doing the right thing. Thank you ever so much and I will surely be back in touch for a (British) passport application.” This came from Adina, a Romanian citizen whom we helped to secure permanent residency under the European law, EEA(PR) application, following at least 5 years of exercising treaty rights in the UK, in this case working. This application took only approx 5 weeks, which is very soon bearing in mind the official processing time is ‘up to 6 months’. The next step will be to apply for British Citizenship and British passport (but it is voluntary). For an individu...

"Natalia, I would like to say a huge thank you to you for all your help over the past months in preparing the visa pack and also for your patience, advice and kindness.  You gave me reassurance when I was worrying and were always on hand to answer my many questions.  The process took exactly 2 months (there was no fast-track service  in Argentina).   The service I received from you personally was very efficient, and we are so grateful you were there to guide us through the process. We are looking at flights now and hopefully Fernando will be here within the next few weeks." This came from Nicole, a British citizen who asked us for help to secure a Spouse visa for her husband in Argentina. The next step will be to renew a visa after 2.5 years and then to apply for permanent residency after 5 years. Both steps can be done using same-day service, such as the one we use in Croydon. For an individual advice or to make your application as successful please co...

We offer an intensive Saturday course this weekend at our office in the City of London. 1st 4Immigration Ltd is a practicing OISC-accredited immigration company, OISC, ref   F200800152. We are also a recognised CPD provider and can be found on the OISC list of the training providers. This course has a particular emphasis on Tier 2 General and Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa categories, applying for a Sponsor Licence and using Tier 2 Code of Practice as well as qualifying for an Indefinite Leave in these routes. It also covers (often forgotten in training) rules for family members of PBS migrants. You can earn 7 core CPD hours credit, subject to the successful completion of the test after the course. As a practicing company, we are offering to share our experience to help you deal with the applications of Points-Based System migrants, their family members and ILR applications based on PBS categories. You can read   Testimonials on our immigration cases here. Our tutors are our very...

A very informative and practical 2-day weekend course at our office in the City of London!  1st 4Immigration Ltd is a practicing OISC-accredited immigration company, OISC ref F200800152. After many years of experience – and hundreds of successful cases – we are sharing our experience to help you to prepare for your OISC Level 1 assessment and accreditation or, if you are already practicing, to increase your knowledge. You can read Testimonials on our immigration cases here. TRAINING DATES: Weekend 16 - 17 May 2015, OISC Level 1, just in time for an OISC exam on 28 May. Saturday 23 May 2015, Points-Based System, just in time for an OISC exam on 28 May. Weekend 20 - 21 June 2015, OISC Level 1, just in time for an OISC exam on 23 June. After that we have training dates every month from September to December 2015 on both OISC Level 1 and Points-Based System. Our tutors are our very own OISC-accredited practicing immigration ad...

Both are used to apply for visas for family members of a settled person, such as for spouses or children of a British citizen. FLR (M) stands for a Further Leave to Remain, in the ‘M’ category, ie based on the Marriage to a settled person, under the Appendix FM. It is used for spouses and partners of British citizens and settled persons but it has to be an application within the Rules. All the requirements must be met, including the Financial Requirement, status in the UK etc. The outcome is a visa for 2.5 years in the so called “5 year Partner route”, meaning it would take 5 years to qualify for Indefinite Leave (permanent residency). FLR (FP) stands for a Further Leave to Remain, in the ‘F and P’ categories, ie based on the Family Life under the Appendix FM or Private Life under the Part 7. Family Life: can be used to apply for a visa as a parent of a British or a settled child when the applicant is not eligible to apply as a partner. For example, if the pare...

Multi Travel Visas Ltd is an accredited agency with the official French visa centre in London, we have many years of experience of working with French Consulate. We use a separate system of appointments and for a business Schengen visa we are allowed to submit visa application any working day without an appointment.   FRENCH SCHENGEN VISA: It is possible to obtain a visa within 4 working days from the date of the biometric appointment for most nationals, such as Filipino, South African, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Turkish and most others. It takes longer for some nationals, up to 3 weeks, a list is available on our website: http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/schengen-visa-france.php   In case of a business visa, we can arrange submission any working day without an appointment! GERMAN SCHENGEN VISA: German Schengen visa takes 5 working days from the date of appointment. No biometrics, no personal attendance needed! Furthermore, spouses and family ...

We are often asked about such situations, the main question being whether the spouse has to switch to a Spouse visa of a settled person (Spouse of an ILR holder, also some call it ‘ILR Dependant’ which is not the right name, basically an FLR M application). For example, if the main Tier 2 General migrant has almost spent 5 years in the UK and is soon planning to apply for ILR. The spouse, however, only arrived 1 year ago (or they only got married a year ago). If the main Tier 2 migrant is applying for ILR on the basis of spending 5 years on the Tier 2 General visa (but not 10 years Long Residence) then the spouse needs to have spent either 2 years in the UK (if his/her PBS Dependant visa was issued under the Rules in place before 9 July 2012) or 5 years in the UK (if the Dependant visa was issued under the Rules in place on or after 9 July 2012). So, the main Tier 2 migrant can go ahead and apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). The spouse, however, won’t be included ...