UK Visas and British Citizenship

The official visa fees will be increased - by a lot! The Government never says from when, to avoid people rushing with applications, but we strongly advise to submit as soon as possible!  Health charge will change from £624 per year to £1,035 per year. Per person. For children and students - £776 per year, up from the current £470 per year.  Visa application and Citizenship fees will be up by at least 20%. Current Spouse/Partner visa costs £1,548 from outside the UK or £1,048 inside the UK, so 20% will be significant. Although ‘at least’ could mean even more. Settlement (Indefinite Leave) is currently £2,404. All per person, including per child. Work and visit visas will be up by 15%.  If you are eligible - apply now!  If you are planning to apply for entry visa outside the UK, you can apply anytime, as long you can meet the requirements. If you are changing a category (switching) inside the UK, you can also do so anytime, you don't have to wait for the current visa...

While updating our training courses (we offer them to our colleagues in immigration law), we decided to summarise the main changes over the last 12 months: 1. Youth Mobility Scheme visa (working holiday) for New Zealand nationals is available to people aged 18-35 and is issued for 3 years. If you already have a visa for 2 years, you can extend it. For other eligible citizens (Australia etc) the rules remain the same: age 18-30 and duration for 2 years.  2. UK Ancestry visa is available not just to Commonwealth citizens but also to British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories Citizens, British Nationals Overseas (BNO) and citizens of Zimbabwe. The main rule (for all) remains having a grandparent who was born in the UK.  3. Hong Kong BNO visa : adult children of BNO status holders, who were born after 1 July 1997, can come or remain in the UK in their own right, meaning the BNO status holders don't have to accompany them.   4. Work visa salaries went up to ...

As an accredited agency, we have slots (appointments) separate from the public system, we get them sooner but they are still limited, so ACT NOW!   Also, you can apply within 6 months before travel dates, so can apply now for travelling later in the year.  Please contact us now: - Phone: 0871 472 1468 - Email: info@multitravelvisas.co.uk - Website: https://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/contact-us Multi Travel Visas team

We are often asked: after I submit my visa application, can I travel while waiting for the decision?  Applying inside the UK:  The current process allows you to keep your passport but you cannot travel abroad. If you do, the law says your application will be cancelled.  The actual rule is you cannot travel outside the Common Travel Area, which is the UK, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. If you travel to any other country, your case will be cancelled (withdrawn).  The only exception is application for British Citizenship - you can travel.  Applying outside the UK:  You can usually purchase a Keep My Passport service and keep your passport while waiting for the decision. You can travel but not to the UK.  To discuss your options, please book an online or in-person consultation with a lawyer here . We offer advice over WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype, phone or email. 1st 4Immigration  is one of the most experienced UK immigration law ...

  A very common question, especially from spouses of U.K. citizens. Especially from nationals who don’t need a visa for 6 months, called the non-visa nationals in the Rules, such as Australians, Americans, Malaysians etc. Seems logical on the face of it: come for 6 months, then switch to a Spouse/Partner visa, financial requirements being met, what’s the problem? The ‘problem’ is the law simply doesn’t allow that, it’s what we call "Just a rule". The term ‘visa’ can be confusing. In UK law it means a Visitor visa, basically a tourist visa. Any other permission, like work or family, isn’t a ‘visa’. It’s a leave to remain or entry clearance, or permission of stay, but not a ‘visa’ in the legal terms. So, when you see "no visa is required for 6 months", it means no visa for tourist purposes or business visits. Visitors cannot work, cannot use the NHS or attend state schools. When you come here as a visitor, you can stay for 6 months. That’s 6 months from each entry, no...

Whether your next visa is coming soon or next year, it is never too soon to start planning! Coming to the UK, extending your stay, applying for Settlement or British Citizenship, sponsoring foreigner workers - we cover it all!  You can book a consultation with our lawyers now, over WhatsApp, Zoom or email:  https://www.1st4immigration.com/book-a-consultation/  As always, our advice fee £150 will be counted towards our professional fees for your case in the future.  1st 4Immigration  is one of the most experienced UK immigration law companies, OISC - accredited at the highest Level 3. We have been in business for over 15 years, our OISC reference is 200800152, in which 2008 stands for the year accreditation. Office: Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HN.  www.1st4immigration.com  

This is one of our most popular posts of all times:  child born in the UK, does he get British Citizenship?   A child born in the UK is not automatically British since the law was changed in 1983. Instead, their status is based on the parents' status: - If a parent is British, a child is British by birth.  - If a parent has settled status (Indefinite Leave), a child is British by birth.  - If a parent is not settled but settles later, after the child’s birth, then a child can be registered as British. - A child born in the UK can also be registered as British after living for the first 10 years if his/her life here.  To discuss your situation with an Immigration Lawyer,  book an online consultation here .   We offer advice over WhatsApp, Zoom or email. 1st 4Immigration  is one of the most experienced UK immigration law companies, OISC - accredited at the highest Level 3. We have been in business for over 15 years, our OISC reference is 200800152, ...

  It’s the ultimate goal – the British passport! The journey takes time and money but isn’t worth it!  You may be just at the beginning of your ‘journey’ or you may be already on your way to Indefinite Leave.  It is never too early to find out your rights and make a plan.  Our short 5-point summary to get you started. #1 Spouses of British citizens. The process includes initial Spouse visa (30 or 33 months), then extension for further 30 months, then permanent residency after 5 years. You can apply for British Citizenship straight after that. Most common mistake: applying after 3 years of residency in the UK. #2 European citizens and family members. Firstly, you need to acquire a settled status - after 5 years in the UK. In most cases, you can apply for Citizenship 1 year after you have qualified for the settled status. Even if your settlement document was issued later, you can still apply for Citizenship 1 year after you ‘qualified’ for it. Most common mistake: not ...

  Yes, that’s right, we are already talking Summer! We are already scheduling visa appointments for early July onwards.   You can apply within 6 months before travel dates. We need to act fast to secure your appointment now. As an accredited agency, we have slots (appointments) separate from the public system, we get them sooner but they are still limited, so ACT NOW! Please contact us now: - Phone: 0871 472 1468 - Email: info@multitravelvisas.co.uk - Website: https://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/contact-us Multi Travel Visas team

We are often asked about getting Indefinite Leave (permanent residency) on the basis of living in the U.K. for 10 years. Often used by students who came here as children , continued to education and eventually to a Work visa or Partner visa. Main points: 1. Most visa categories can be counted (“combined”) , but from 12 April 2023 some were made ineligible for this purpose. Most notably, Visitor visas, so time spent here as a visitor no longer counts. 2. Can only be legal residency, either on a valid visa or waiting for a visa. Waiting can be inside or outside the U.K., subject to applying on time (in U.K.) or within specified time limits (outside). Also, while waiting for in-country appeal. 3.  The visas don’t need to be one after another without breaks. You can leave on one Student visa and return on a new Student visa. Or return in a Work/Partner visa. The break between visas would be OK, as long as you return within 6 months. But! 4. Absences during 10 years have very strict lim...

We help customers to join family, come to work, settle in the UK. Well-respected by clients and colleagues for our in-depth technical knowledge of UK Immigration Rules and “details”, which can make or break your case.  Katrina: We had a reasonably straight forward case but had some nuances that led us to finding a lawyer to help with the application for my spousal visa. The lawyer seemed quite like he did not understand the case fully and suggested we find a higher tier lawyer which led me to Natalia and her team. As it turns out our daughter didn’t need a visa at all as she is entitled to a British passport and I was still eligible for the EUSS visa so even by paying a little bit more for the lawyer fees (compared to the first lawyer) we ended up saving approximately 9k and applying for the wrong visa! Natalia worked with us side by side providing a, as I called it “holding hand through the process” service. Everything was explained in detail, help was provided every step of the w...