UK Visas and British Citizenship

Whilst we are pre-occupied with Coronavirus, there are other changes happening in the UK immigration field. Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is expected to soar from the £400 to £624 per year from October 2020! The Government is known for confirming such changes at a short notice, sometimes earlier than expected - to prevent the rush of applications before the change. If you are eligible - apply now to save money!  For a typical 2.5-year Spouse visa, IHS would increase from £1,000 (£400 x 2.5) to £1,560! For a 3-year Tier 2 work visa, from £1,200 to £1,872! That’s in addition to the 'application fee' and it is per person, i.e. the same for a spouse and each child.  If you are planning your UK entry visa,  such as a Spouse/Partner visa or Tier 2 work visa, you can apply ’now’, pay the current IHS amount, and wait for the next steps. When visa centres re-open in your country, you will be able to submit biometrics (fingerprints) and provide supporting doc

UK visas and your immigration status:  If your current visa expires before 31 July 2020 , and you are not planning to remain in the UK, you can request the above extension until 31 July 2020 (but you have to ask for it, ie it's not automatic).  If your current visa expires before 31 July 2020 , and you are planning to stay in the UK long-term , you can make an online application for that - by 31 July 2020. Even if you couldn't switch under the normal circumstances, you will be able to do so now. Examples: from a visitor status to a Spouse visa; from a visitor status to a Tier 4 student or Tier 2 work visa.  The latest extension, up to 31 July 2020, will be applied automatically to those who had already extended their stay until 31 May 2020 under the previous provision (in which case you don't have to ask for it, it will be done automatically).   Tier 2 migrants working for the NHS as a doctor, nurse and other eligible occupations:   if your visa expires b

We are asked what the UK Government is doing to help small businesses and workers. As many of our customers are business owners or employed by such, here is a summary as it stands at the moment. Please remember it can change at anytime.  The main point is that the Government is taking measures, and we believe there is no need to worry whether the current extraordinary situation will affect your immigration status in terms of meeting the visa rules. These circumstances will be taken into account when your visa application is considered in the future.  If you run your own business:    A migrant-run business will be eligible for support. This is not ‘public funds' and won’t breach an endorsement on your visa (if applicable to your situation).  There will be exemption from business rates for 12 months and grants for those who don’t pay business rates. Broadly, it will be applicable to businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure. You can read more on th

#1 Return of post-study work visa. #2 Can I work if my UK visa is in the expired passport? #3 Savings for a Spouse visa #4 Does the British spouse have to be in the UK all the time? Dear customers of 1st 4 Immigration and Multi T ravel Visas ,  As we are approaching 2020, here are 4 most common questions we faced in 2019. #1 Return of post-study work visa. This visa category was very popular until its closure in 2012. There are now plans to revive it for foreign students (EU and non-EU) who begin a degree course during 2020/21 intake at UK universities (but not to those who are already studying here now). There are no further details yet, but if it is based on the past, graduates would be able to stay in the UK for 2 years with the right to work. It won’t lead to Settlement but 2 years could be enough to find sponsorship for a work visa. Or to set up a business. Or qualify as a parter of a UK citizen under Unmarried Partner category that requi

NHS doctor is threatened with deportation over basic visa mistake. How a basic, non-common-sense rule can stop from securing a UK visa. And why you shouldn’t worry if your refusal letter says “You must now leave the UK”.   Was it correct under the law to deny a visa? Bizarrely, yes, it was.   In this article, a Taiwanese junior doctor was refused a work visa because of a small mistake, a technicality. She applied under the sponsorship of the NHS (no less), to work as a much-needed junior doctor.   The problem:   It was Maintenance requirement. She must have had £945 held continuously for 90 days. She had it but the balance fell below £945 for a few days. A small mistake, a technicality, yet the outcome was a visa refusal and what newspapers called a ‘deportation letter’.   The rule of “held for X days” means the balance must not have fallen below the minimum amount even for 1 day even by £1. Although this situation is about a Tier 2 sponsored work vis

School sends home a teacher because she has no right to work – her Indefinite Leave is in the old passport. If your passport expired, do you need to transfer your UK visa? Yes and No, there is no short answer.   Was the school correct in applying the law? Bizarrely, yes, they were.   If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP), a visa card that looks like a bank card, you don’t have to do anything until this visa expires. If, however, you have an old Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) sticker in your passport, then the answer becomes more complex.   In this article, a Trinidadian deputy headteacher (no less) has had her ILR since 1989, is married to a UK citizen and has British children. The immigration law does not require her to transfer ILR to a new passport, she can travel with both passports. It is employment law that was ‘the problem’ here.   Some relatively recent changes in employment law made it compulsory for non-EU citizens to have either:   Val

#1 How long can I be out of the UK?  #2 Difference between 5 and 10-year route?  #3 Does having a British child exempt from the Financial Requirement £18,600?  #4 English language: A1, A2 or B1?  #5 When to apply for British Citizenship: 3 or 5 years?  #1 How long can I be out of the UK? By far, most common question ever! You might have heard 6 month or 90 days or 6 months per year.  The ruth is: there is no rule. Each case is considered individually. The only rule is “you live permanently with your partner in the UK”.  In practice, with the new online application forms, you will be asked about your trips abroad and reasons, such as holiday or work.  It will attract attention if you spend more than 50% of your '‘visa time” outside the UK.  We recommend to go by the same rule as for work visas: 6 months per year and your main home has to remain in the UK.  If this affects you - please contact us for an individual assessment.  #2 Difference be

#1 Most common - submitting “everything I have’.  Some payslips, a tax return, some savings plus a property deed for good measure. Surely, should work? It may sound logical to provide as much as possible, this is often a nightmare scenario for immigration lawyers and often a direct path to a visa refusal. Financial Requirement is strictly based on the ‘rules’: what income can be used, how various sources can be combined and what documents are needed. We often say there is 75-page office guidance just on the finances: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/636618/Appendix_FM_1_7_Financial_Requirement_Final.pdf  #2 Savings - it’s not £18,600 and not £16,000.  The real amount (for this purpose) is calculated using this formula: threshold you need to meet (such as £18,600) x 2.5 plus £16,000. If you are using savings alone, it would be £18,600 x 2.5 + £16,000 = £62,500!  #3 Employment -  the minimum is 6 months for the sa