UK Visas and British Citizenship

  The UK Government has been using similar thresholds for different categories because they (deliberately) mix the term “dependants”. The overall “look” now is that it is harder to come to work or join a partner in the UK. Details, however, are different.  Salary £38,700 per year:  Applies to those sponsored on a work visa, called Skilled Worker, from 4 April 2024. Even then there are concessions on a lower salary, such as for health and care workers, or Students switching after completing a degree; or to under 26yo.  Dependants of workers do not need any minimum salary or income (only the main worker doesn’t,a s above). Instead, they need savings of  £1,270, plus about £285 per dependant,  held for 28 days.  Hardly a bank-breaking amount!    Even that can be certified by the Sponsor. Dependants include a spouse, partner of 2 years and children under 18yo.  Salary £29,000 per year:  Applies to those on a Skilled Worker who started in this category before 4 April 2024. They can continue

  Enquire now! We have sooner Schengen appointments as an agency. You can apply now with the travel dates during next 6 months. It covers summer 2024, August bank holiday, October half-term and even Christmas 2024!  The time to apply is now - please contact us  by phone  0871 472 1468 or email:  info@multitravelvisas.co.uk .  Website:   https://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/contact-us If you need a UK visa advice, we have a temporarily discounted fee for an initial consult with a lawyer. You can find our more here:  https://www.1st4immigration.com/  OISC-accredited at the highest Level 3, specialising in immigration law as the only area allowed by this specialist immigration accreditation. Our ref F200800152, in which 2008 stands for the year of accreditation. 

It is a holiday time and the subject of UK immigration law may not be on everyone’s mind. Yet it is a perfect time to benefit from the deal that we currently offer:  Promotion:  Online consultation with a lawyer only £100, over email. A Level 3 adviser (highest OISC rating) would respond to your questions by the next working day. £100 fee counts towards our services if you hire us for a case afterwards. We offer fixed fees, so the final amount is the same, just split into 2 stages.  Our fees are very affordable!  You can purchase here (choose email £100 option):  https://www.1st4immigration.com/book-a-consultation/ If you prefer to talk to a lawyer over Zoom or WhatsApp video, we offer our standard advice sessions at £150, which can be booked on the same link. As above, this counts towards our final fee for a case.    1st  4 Immigration  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

  We have already covered when to use the old and new salaries for a Skilled Worker visa in a  post here . Then we covered how to use a blanker minimum (such as £38,700) and the going rate together  here . Now we consider when a lower salary can be offered.  Firstly, you can use the same logic to determine whether to use the old or new rules, before or after 4 April 2024. Once you know, you can look at the table in  Appendix Skilled Worker  , under Eligibility. Options A to E cover the new rules. The main salary is under Option A and is £38,700 - unless a concession applies.  Options B and C require only £30,960 salary if a migrant has a PhD relevant to the job. Option D allows a salary £30,960 for a migrant sponsored for a job in the Immigration Salary List (formerly Shortage Occupation List), such as care workers.  Option E allows a salary £30,960 for new entrants. That's workers under 26 years of age; those switching from a Student or Graduate visa and some others.   If a migran

In the earlier  post here , we covered how to determine a salary for a Skilled Worker visa, using the blanket minimum (like £38,700) and the going rate. However, you also need to use what blanket minimum applies, £38,700 or £29,000. In other words, should you use the Rules before or after 4 April 2024?  The short answer: those who already had a Skilled Worker visa under the Rules in place before 4 April 2024, can continue under the old rules. They continue for a Skilled Worker extension, change of Sponsor and even for ILR. They don't need to be paid £38,700. Assuming they had this category continuously and apply before 4 April 2030. Where do we find this? In the Rules: in  Appendix Skilled Worker here  , under Eligibility, we have  SW 4.2. (shortened version):  (b) An applicant can only be awarded points from  options   F to J  if: (ii) the date of application is before 4 April 2030, they were granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the rules in place before 4 April 2024, … Fu

From 4 April 2024, the minimum salary is £38,700. It is, still, however, subject to the going rate. What is a going rate and how to use it together with the blanket minimum of £38,700?   The going rates can be found in the Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Occupations  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-skilled-occupations  .    You’ll see each code has a going rate. The figure you need is “per hour”. The annual figure is based on X number of hours, in this case 37.5 per week, but you need to be careful because it used to be based on 39-hour week while your job may be 40 hours per week. However, if you use the hourly rate, you won’t get it wrong. Then the Sponsor needs enough hours to get the minimum £38,700.     Example: £38,700 is higher than the going rate   On the above link, a code 5434 Chefs needs £15.88 per hour, so the Sponsor needs enough hours to achieve £38,700 per year. It would be £38,700 / 52 weeks per year / £15.88 per hour = 46 ho

Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) It is going to be for nationals who usually do not need a Visitor/tourist visa to come to the UK. We call them non-visa nationals, such as Europeans, Americans, Malaysians etc. It will be a similar thing to US ESTA.  ETA is an electronic form with some questions, submitted to the UK authorities prior to travel. It is not the same as a Visitor visa application, there is still no need to provide bank statements, evidence of income or invitation from the receiving party. This process has already started for some nationals and will gradually be introduced for all non-visa nationals.  You can follow here on the official portal:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta#who-can-apply  . Online consultation with a lawyer – book here   WhatsApp, Zoom or email. As always, a consultation fee counts towards our future services! 1st  4 Immigration  is one of the most experienced UK immigration law companies, OISC – accredite

The answer is Yes or No, depending on when the main visa was issued. If the main care worker migrant's visa was issued under the Rules in place before 11 March 2024, they can still bring dependants now.   If the main migrant's work visa was issued under the Rules in place from 11 March 2024 onwards, they cannot bring dependants. The date, before or after 11 March 2024, is not the date when the visa was issued. But the date when the main migrant applied under the Health and Care Worker visa. For example, if one applied as a care worker on 10 March 2024 but was given a visa on 20 March 2024, they can still bring dependants because they applied before 11 March 2024.   These restrictions on dependants only apply to the care workers, who are sponsored under the codes 6135 Carer Workers and Home Carers and 6136 Senior Care Workers under the new 2020 SOC codes. Under the old 2010 table, it would be 6145 and 6146 respectively. Anyone else sponsored under the Health and Care Worker visa

Who is exempt from the £29,000 threshold? If the British/settled partner is receiving some specified disability benefits, then the couple need to meet the lower threshold of Adequate Maintenance. For this purpose, we can use the amount of benefits, employment income and savings. If you are not exempt and cannot meet the threshold:   In either a Partner or a Parent category, there is a 10-year route. It is an alternative to the standard 5-year route. It takes twice longer to Settlement (permanent residency) because it means 10 years instead of 5 years. It means 4 applications x 2.5 years with a full Government fee every time. It is, however, useful if you genuinely cannot meet the threshold, such as due to an illness or a family emergency etc. If a British partner starts receiving disability benefits, you would be exempt, as above. However, the first point is to try and meet the Financial Requirement, even if means applying for a visa later and there is time for that. If you have to sub

All official Government fees for UK visas can be found on the Home Office official gov . uk portal, under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Fees and Forms. From the main page  https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration   go to Visas and immigration operational guidance, then to Fees and Forms, then to   UK Visa Fees and you’ll be here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table   It is a long list for all categories and all extras like fast-track Priority services.   Online consultation with a lawyer – book here  WhatsApp, Zoom or email. As always, a consultation fee counts towards our future services! 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. Website  1st4immigration.com

You may have heard “Applying for a Settlement visa” or “Apply to settle in the UK”, or Priority fast-track service being offered for a “Settlement” category. What does it all mean?  If you are outside the UK, the term “Settlement visa”  does not refer to a permanent visa. It refers to a category that will lead to Settlement (permanent residency) in the UK, eventually, usually after 5 years. Examples: spouse or partner of a UK citizen. Visas like Skilled Worker are considered “temporary”, even the they also lead to Settlement after 5 years. Just how it works. So, if you are applying for an entry visa as a Partner and wish to choose the Priority service, you need to choose "Priority -  Settlement". If you are inside the UK, the term “Settlement” refers to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). It is a permanent residency status, hence the word “Settlement”. In fact, the most recent sections of the UK Immigration Rules do not even refer to ILR anymore, instead they say ‘Settlement”,

With all Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) expiring on 31.12.2024, what’s next? It doesn’t mean your actual status expires on that date. From 2025 all UK visas will be eVisas. It will be an electronic status from the Government system instead of physical cards or stamps.  If your BRP expires on 31.12.2024:  For now, you can share a code as usual, you can travel with the current BRP. The Home Office will contact you during 2024 and ask to create a UKVI account. This is a new-generation account, not what we used during your application. If you have already been contacted by the Home Office, please follow the instructions on it. Otherwise, please keep waiting for now. Understandably, the Home Office is doing this in stages, not everyone at the same time. You also subscribe for HO updates  here. If your current status is already “online”:  This would be under EU Settlement Scheme, for some Skilled Workers, Students, BNO and Graduate visa holders, but not for all. It’s where you had to use

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is supposed to represent permanent residency in the UK. However, it is not as permanent as it sounds. If you have ILR in the form of a settled status under EU Settlement Scheme, you can leave the UK for maximum 5 years without losing it. For Swiss citizens it is 4 years. For everyone else, ILR can be lost if you leave the UK for more than 2 years. The only truly permanent solution is British Citizenship! Then you can leave for as long as you wish.  Dual nationality: If you are concerned about dual nationality, the UK allows multiple  nationalities, so you need to check with the other country in question. You will lose your ILR status when you become British. What happens when all BRPs expire in 31.12.2024?  UK visas will be moving online from 2025, without physical cards or stamps. The process is being done gradually during 2024, it does not mean your status, limited or indefinite, expires on that date. You can read more here and can also subscribe for

  The term of “continuous residence” mainly applies to applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK. The last hurdle before qualifying doe British Citizenship. The qualifying period for ILR is 5 years in most cases. Can also be 10 years, such as for partners in the 10-year route or for ILR based on 10 years of Long Residence on various visas. In all cases, the residence must be “continuous”.  It usually means having one visa after another. If there is a gap, it has to be an acceptable gap! Such as you applied for a visa on time (before the old visa expired) and waited for your new visa while on Section 3C leave in the UK. This would maintain the continuity.    Consider a different example: applying on time, being refused a visa and re-applying within 14 days, as allowed by the Rules. This wouldn’t be counted as part of 5 or 10 years, but it would not break the continuous residence. Instead, you could count around it, such as needing 5 years and 14 days .   However, havin

O ne of our most popular posts of all times:  child born in the UK, does he/she get British Citizenship?  Do they need Indefinite Leave?  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. Can apply for ILR after 7 years of living in the UK, even without a legal status.  If your child is British by birth, or can be registered as British,  they don’t need Indefinite Leave to Remain, so you don’t have to pay an expensive Government fee.  Even if you (the parent) have to apply for ILR yourself. Instead, you can apply for the child’s U

This post is about a popular category of applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after living in the UK for 10 years. It is a settlement category, called Long Residence. It is often used by people who come to the UK as students (especially child students), then remain for work and eventually, qualify for ILR sooner in 10 years than waiting for 5 years as a worker or partner.    Main points:   1. Most visa categories can be counted (“combined”), but there is a limited number of exclusions, such as Visitor visas.    2. Can only be legal residency, either on a valid visa or waiting for a visa after applying on-time. Waiting can be inside or outside the UK, subject to applying on time (in U.K.) or coming back to the UK within 180 days. Also, while waiting for in-country appeal of a refused application that had been submitted on time.    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 W

  Applying for your 1st UK visa or planning the next step? Initial visa, extension, settlement (Indefinite Leave) or maybe the time is coming for British Citizenship. Whether your next visa is coming soon or next year, it is never too soon to start planning! 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

From 4 April 2024 the minimum salary for new applicants under the Skilled Worker visa is £38,700 per year. There are some exceptions where the min salary is £30,960, such as for health and care workers, teachers, new entrants (mainly aged under 26 years), those with a PhD relevant to the job. If you already have a Skilled Worker visa, will it apply to you? No, you can continue under the old rules, if you had this visa issued under the Rules before 4 April 2024. However, even for the existing workers, the new minimum salary is £29,000. Your Sponsor (employer) doesn't need to increase your pay immediately, but offer on the new COS during extension or during the change of employment application. Some concessions remain at a lower salary, such as for care workers.  Salary for ILR:  If you are applying for ILR as an existing worker (with a Skilled Worker visa issued before the change on 4 April 2024), your salary must be minimum £29,000 at the ILR application. Unless a concession applie

  Apply now for summer 2024 and bank holidays!  We have agency appointments every week.   You can apply within 6 months before travel dates, so if you apply now your visa could cover the whole summer 2024 and beyond! The visa often starts from the date of travel, which can be as far as 6 months from now. Upcoming bank holidays: 27 May and 26 August 2024. We need to act fast to secure your appointment now.  Please contact us now: – Phone:  0871 472 1468 – Email:  info@multitravelvisas.co.uk  or reply to this email – Website:  https://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/contact-us For UK visa and British Citizenship, please contact info@1st4immigration.com or  book a consultation with an Immigration Lawyer here. 

  Income threshold of £18,600 has been increased to £29,000 from 11 April 2024. It will be further increased to £34,500 later in 2024, and eventually to £38,700 in early 2025.  Which category is it? The visa in this post is for a spouse or partner of a British citizen, of someone with a permanent status in the UK, of an EEA citizen with a per-settled status. Children of the above also come under this category.   If you already have a Spouse / Partner visa, will it affect you? If your 1st Spouse/Partner or Fiancee visa was issued under the Rules before 11 April 2024, you can continue under the old £18,600 threshold. The figure is higher if you include children, ie £22,400 with 1 child and so on. But, the point is, the new rules won’t affect you. You will be able to continue under the “old” rules for extension and also for settlement (Indefinite Leave) after 5 years, assuming your visas remain continuous.  For example, your 1st Partner visa was issued in 2023, now you need an extension i