UK Visas and British Citizenship

  The New 2021 Year is almost here. 2020 has been unusual but rather than indulge in cliché, we’d like to highlight the positive things. #1 As always, you, our customers, kept us busy.  And for that, we are saying a Big Thank You! The immigration work doesn't stop in the pandemic, visas still expire and need to be renewed or changed from one to another. We have adapted by offering more online consultations and appointments (face-to-face meetings are still available, subject to the London restrictions); using Dropbox for the documents and generally, working in the "new normal”.   #2 UK Visas & Immigration was still processing applications and issuing visas.  Yes, the process wasn't anywhere near as fast as normal, and Priority services were paused (still mostly the case now), but the Government officials did adapt, in their own ‘Government’ way. When visa centres shut their doors in the spring (when we all thought it would be over by the summer), we were aske...

If you have been furloughed, how does it affect your UK immigration status? Here at 1st 4Immigration it has been a common question during 2020.   Spouses/Partners of British citizens - Financial Requirement £18,600. The time you spent on furlough can be considered as ‘normal' employment on a full pay. For example, if you normally earn a salary of £18,600 pa, and were paid 80% of that while on furlough, your salary will be treated as being £18,600 for the purpose of the visa application. Tier 2 (General) workers - appropriate salary. The short answer is Yes, it's OK to be furloughed under the Government scheme, ie Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, with the salary reduced accordingly. It wouldn't be a problem in the next visa application (extension or Indefinite Leave). The migrant workers are eligible for these schemes in the same way as resident workers. However, such reductions in salary must be temporary and a part of a company-wide policy to avoid redundancies and in whi...

    New five-star Google review of our immigration services! Syed: I would like to thank everyone at 1st4immigration for their excellent work, professionalism, kindness and understanding, especially on those occasions when I must have asked what could have been construed as pretty 'silly' questions. At a time when things were very stressful and anxious, I always felt that however busy Joules  was, I was always lent a sympathetic ear which was very much appreciated. I hoped for total support from 1st4immigration when I instructed them, I got so much more. I would highly recommend 1st4immigration (Joules )would definitely use them again in the future. Many many thanks again for Joules, you were brilliant” Review link: https://goo.gl/maps/efG2d1PHJwqtK8WQ6    1st 4Immigration team    We are here to help if you wish to talk to an Immigration Lawyer or to start the process of preparing your visa application. We work with customers worldwide via What's App, ...

  Study - Work - Settle     Student visa (formerly called Tier 4) is to come and study in the UK. If you study at a degree level at a UK university, you can work part-time 20 hours a week during the term, full-time on vacation and full-time for 4 months after completion of the course.    You can switch to the new Skilled Worker visa after completion of a degree course, or even within 3 months before that! There are benefits for employers to hire Student graduates – they can offer a New Entrant salary, which makes it more affordable for the employers and makes sponsorship more likely for the migrants. After 5 years on this visa you can qualify for settlement.   If you are a business, looking to hire and sponsor migrant workers, including graduates, please visit  our page for UK Employers here     Study – Post Study Work – Work – Settlement      There is an exciting development coming soon – a revival of a Post-Study Work visa! ...

Our OISC Level 1 training is a bestseller! With the online version, you can download it on your computer and study in your own time. The course is great for you if: - you are preparing to take a Level 1 OISC exam and become an immigration adviser. - you are a practicing adviser or solicitor and wish to broaden your knowledge about other visa categories, such as to learn in detail about the Points-Based System. You will earn 16 CPD hours! - you work in HR; you are a business owner or a landlord and need to learn about how your employees or tenants can stay legally in the UK so that you don't face penalties. With over 10 years of experience, we designed this course to be of practical help! It's full of useful advice, explanation of how to understand Immigration Rules, where to find the information during a case and many case studies. Unlike most training other there, this is not boring coverage of the Immigration Rules, we tried to keep it as entertaining as possible!   Read det...

Dear customers of 1st 4Immigration and Multi Travel Visas,     Normally, we explain the UK rules for foreign citizens. Today, however, we explain the opposite - rules for British citizens to travel to Europe after Brexit. At the moment, the new rules are still expected to start from 1 January 2021 unless something changes.  If you happen to have a residency document in an EU country, your rights remain the same as before Brexit. You may need to register online under the national scheme in your country, similar to our EU Settlement Scheme. For all other British citizens, the same rules will apply as, say, for Americans visiting Europe for holidays and short business trips: maximum 90 days stay in every 6 months. You won’t need a visa (a visa stamp or online authorisation) prior to travel, unless this arrangement changes, and if it does, it is likely to change for many non-EU citizens, not just for the Brits.  You also need to have a passport that is 1) valid for 6 mon...

  We would like to let you know that you can apply for a Schengen visa as early as 6 months before your trip to Europe. That means you can apply now for Easter and summer trip to avoid the queues and rush in the spring. Multi Travel Visas , a prominent UK visa company in the City of London, can assist you with Schengen visas to Europe through France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Netherlands that allow travel to all of the Schengen area. French visas take only 4 working days for most nationals and as an accredited agency, Multi Travel Visas can provide appointments much earlier than public appointments. Biometrics are often not required. Our team at Multi Travel Visas      Phone:  0871 472 1468 or 07795471483 or text. Email:   info@multitravelvisas. co.uk , we reply on the same business day! Submit an enquiry  on our website:   https://www. multitravelvisas.co.uk/ Visit our office   in the City of London , 9am – 6pm Monday t...

  We have moved all our training online!  We now offer OISC Level 1 course livestream on Zoom and Skype 05 – 06 December 2020. It is a 2-day course, 10.00 - 16.00 with breaks. CPD 10 hours. Price £250+VAT. It is live training (livestream), where you can interact with the tutor and ask your questions.  You can check the date and book here. You can  read the Description here. We also continue to run our best-selling Self-study OISC Level 1 course, based on an electronic textbook. You can study in your own time, at your own pace, from any device at any place. CPD 16 hours. Price £199+VAT. You can  find it here .     Our courses are CPD-accredited by The CPD Standards Office, reference 80001. Extracts from How To Use the Immigration Rules: The ‘Other way around principle’: when trying to find out whether a migrant can switch from one visa category to another, most people would go to the section of the Rules that covers their current visa. Then looking...

  Tori: Jules was brilliant. Can't speak highly enough of his work and responsiveness. Review link ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Julia: We had two consultations with Jules before the go ahead with our unmarried partner visa. COVID-19 was a set back in our process, but Jules has always been extremely responsive and helpful with all our questions and requests, always telling us the best way to proceed. We got our visa approved extremely quickly, in the 5 year route, couldn't have had a better experience. Review link ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hemraj and June: Sorry for the delay in this review,we would like to reccomend 1st 4immigration on their most very professional work and dedication,especially Jules Motcho that dealt with our case and to the best of his ability he was always availble whenever we called or mailed him and got back to us as soon possible with in the same day. I would recommend 1st 4immigration for any new enquiries and issues that you might have as they have the experties to deal with your queri...

Dear customers of 1st 4Immigration and Multi Travel Visas,     The new Points-Based Immigration System is about to come in force in just 1 week’s time - 1st December 2020. It mainly affects the work migrants, such as those sponsored by their UK employers. As we mentioned earlier, it is being made easier and faster to sponsor foreign workers with the same rules applying to workers from all over the world, i.e. both Europeans and non-Europeans. Yes, the EU citizens will now need visas to work and live in the UK (as well as to study, join family etc).  However, the new system will make it easier for all workers - including non-EU citizens - to come and work in the UK. Or to remain in the UK by switching from another visa category, such as Tier 5 YMS, Tier 2 ICT and even from a family visa, none of these was possible until now.     A quick reminder of what’s being made easier: no annual limit on the number of work visas, no need to advertise jobs to settled workers ...

  Known as a ‘Hong Kong visa’, it is actually a UK visa category that starts on 31 January 2021. It allows to live and work in the UK, eventually offering settlement and full British Citizenship. There is no minimum income requirements, no cap on number of applicants, no minimum qualification level etc. You do not need a job offer before coming to the UK - you can look for a job once here.  Who is eligible?   Hong Kong residents who have (or had) a British National (Overseas) passport, often called BNO or BN(O). This status was given when Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China on 1 July 1997. It is not possible to obtain this status now, although no status is not the same as no valid BNO passport. Note: it is only for the BNOs who are still residing in Hong Kong or for those who are already residing in the UK. We are often approached by BNO passport holders who since emigrated from Hong Kong to, say, Australia, so they won't be eligible.  If you are in Hong ...