UK Visas and British Citizenship

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 limits:

  We are following up on our earlier post, called Indefinite Leave is not “indefinite” . Neither is ILR issued under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), more known as a settled status. It can be lost if you leave the UK for more than 5 years in a row. At least it is more than 2 years, which is the case for non-EUSS ILR. If you have a pre-settled status under EUSS, you won’t lose it if you leave and come back to the UK within 5 years. So, both settled and pre-settled statuses remain valid, as long as you don’t leave the UK for more than 5 years in a row. If you have a pre-settled status and hoping to get a settled status after 5 years, then you can only leave the UK for maximum 6 months per each year. If you leave for longer, you won’t lose the pre-settled status (as above), but you will lose the continuity for settlement. So, in this scenario, you’d need to come back to the UK and start “your” 5 years again. If your pre-settled status expires before that, you can apply to extend it. To ta

      By  Natalia Andrews ,  OISC-accredited Immigration Adviser since 2008. We are often asked about when to apply for settlement, ie Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Can Student visas be combined with a work visa ? Or with a Parter visa? Can a work visa be combined with a Dependant visa?  Can a Partner visa in 10-year route be combined with a visa in 5-year route, and so on. The answer is always in the Rules. It’s not a matter of trying and hoping. The Rules for each category say what can be added. If a category has no “Settlement” section then it doesn’t lead to ILR at all. Examples : Student , Graduate, Youth Mobility. A Spouse/Partner visa, based on relationship with a British citizen , cannot be combined with anything else (not even with a Fiancée visa). It has to be 5 years in the 5-year route. Or 10 years in the 10-year route. But not a combination! Although you can switch from the latter to the former but start “your” 5 years again. A Skilled  Worker visa can be combined with

   Many of you have already noticed that Biometric Residence Permits expire on 31st December 2024. Your BRP may be saying Indefinite Leave, or the approval letter confirming your visa is beyond 2024. Yet the actual visa card always ends on 31.12.2024.  No need to worry!  From 2025 you will not need a BRP - you will be able to prove your immigration status online.   You can already do so and prove the ‘real' expiry date, such as to your employer or landlord:  https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work   European citizens with a settled or pre-settled status can use this link:  https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status   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 12 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:  www.1st4immigration.com   

  Many of you have already noticed that Biometric Residence Permits expire on 31st December 2024. Your BRP may be saying Indefinite Leave, or the approval letter confirming your visa is beyond 2024. Yet the actual visa card always ends on 31.12.2024.  No need to worry! From 2025 you will not need a BRP - you will be able to prove your immigration status online.   You can already do so and prove the ‘real' expiry date, such as to your employer or landlord: https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work   European citizens with a settled or pre-settled status can use this link: https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status   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 12 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:  www.1st4immigration.com   

  We are writing to update on the processing times for UK visas. At the moment, all categories in all locations are taking longer than normal. A full story is here, the Home Office is prioritising Ukraine Visa Scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/visa-decision-waiting-times     Applying outside the UK:  The timing for family visas was recently extended from 3 months to up to 6 months. Unfortunate news for spouses and families of UK citizens. In most countries, you can purchase a Keep My Passport service and travel during that time (but not to the UK).   For work, study and other non-family visas, the processing time remains up to 3 weeks officially. Although we now see applications taking longer.  Priority services: suspended in all locations. Only a limited Priority service remains for visitor visas.      Applying inside the UK:  Applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (Settlement) are taking up to 6 months. Sometimes sooner but often close to that.  Other application

  Visa rules after Brexit European citizens (except Irish) now have to meet the same Immigration Rules as non-EU citizens did before Brexit. European workers need the same work visa as non-Europeans, under the new Points-Based Immigration System, including a job offer from a UK employer, appropriate salary, English language etc. These rules now cover nationals of all countries to come, work and settle in the UK. The new PBIS is faster, more flexible and more skills-orientated than the old over-restrictive Tier 2 visa.  If you are looking to work in the UK or sponsor workers for your business, please book online consultation now ! Plus, there is an expanding range of unsponsored UK visas, such as a Graduate visa for students in UK universities; The High Potential Individual Visa for those who graduated from non-UK universities in the last 5 years; Youth Mobility Scheme, Ancestral visa; Hong Kong BNO visa. More details here .  EU Settlement Scheme The deadline for registering was 30 June

  We thought we would remind how the current application procedure works, and not just because of Covid. The UK authorities moved the casework online in late 2018, well before Covid. In that sense they didn’t have to adapt very much.  The actual visa rules haven’t changed in terms of eligibility. For example, spouses and partners of U.K. citizens still need to meet the strict Financial Requirement £18,600. Skilled Workers can still only work for their Sponsor (employer) on an approved salary , with only some supplementary employment allowed. And so on.  However, the application process , ie how to apply, is now online.  Online application form , electronic versions of documents , which get uploaded on the designated portal and which will be considered electronically by the caseworkers at the Home Office in Sheffield. The good thing is we don’t have to insist on you providing “payslips stamped by employer” or “banks statements stamped by the bank”. Ah, the joy of technology ! Unless you