UK Visas and British Citizenship

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 ...

  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 2008...

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 realisi...

  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. Someti...

  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 registeri...

  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 tech...