UK Visas and British Citizenship

We are asked this question a lot as requirements seem to be confusing. Firstly, there is currently a minimum salary of £20,500 from 6 April 2014. This is just a minimum, so all Tier 2 General applicants must be offered at least that but it does not end there! Secondly – and very importantly as it’s a common reason for refusals – at the same time the minimum salary must be as on the Tier 2 Code of Practice or on a Shortage Occupation List. For example, if your occupation requires a minimum salary of £19,000 then you must be still offered at least £20,500 to qualify, otherwise your application will be refused. However, if your occupation requires a minimum of, say, £25,000 then you must be offered minimum £25,000 (and not £20,500). If you are offered less than £25,000 in this example then your application will be refused because your salary is not as on the Code of Practice, even if it is £20,500. If your employer cannot afford to pay £25,000 (in this example) then they

A fresh wave of ‘scary’ changes was announced on the 16 th October 2014. We are going to outline a few, which in our opinion affect the applicants in our immigration practice. From 20 October 2014: Tier 4 Student category: applicants inside the UK will be able to request an Administrative Review if their application is refused – but not an appeal anymore – which is in- line with the rights of those applying outside the UK. This change was implemented almost immediately – to avoid the rush of applications before the changes come in force. Under the Administrative Review process, a different UKVI caseworker will re-consider the case. Additional documents won’t be allowed unless justified to show why it was a mistake to refuse a visa at first place. An appeal would have taken several months (approx 12 weeks) while an Administrative Review is expected to be taking 28 days. Less time for a maneuver for those with visa refusals, thus making it harder to stay in the country. We

It is useful if you need to travel abroad and cannot be without your passport. But the main benefit in our opinion is, although more expensive, it allows the applicant to know result right on the day, including if there are any problems, rather than waiting for 3-4 months postal service (can be 6 months for an Indefinite Leave to Remain, ILR) and then possibly being told there is a problem or even that application has been refused. We at 1st 4Immigration are authorised by the UK Visas & Immigration (former Border Agency) to submit clients' visa applications using this service in Croydon, south London.    Same-day service is available for the following applications: ·          Indefinite Leave to Remain for those holding Tier 1 General, Tier 2 General, Work Permit, Ancestral visas - SET (O) form. ·          Indefinite Leave to Remain for those holding a Spouse/Partner visa - SET (M) form. ·          Switching to a Spouse/Partner visa from another category (

Our service fees will be changing from 1 September 2014. We do try to keep them as affordable as possible but many of the current fees remained at this level for almost 4 years. You can, however, start the application process now, in August, and avoid the increase! You don’t have to be eligible to apply now, we understand your application may not be due for some time. However, as long as we have a signed letter of engagement and a deposit in August 2014, we can keep your case until you are ready to make an application. This not only lets you save the money, it also allows to ask as many questions as you have from the point of paying a deposit in August and until your application is ready to be submitted to the Home Office. It means you may have several months, a year or even more of an unlimited advice regarding your case. If you paid an advice fee to us earlier (£70 or £100) and didn’t make an application yet - we would count it towards our service fees, as usual.   Here

Our service fees will be changing from 1 September 2014. We do try to keep them as affordable as possible but many of the current fees remained at this level for almost 4 years. You can, however, start the application process now, in August, and avoid the increase! You don’t have to be eligible to apply now, we understand your application may not be due for some time. However, as long as we have a signed letter of engagement and a deposit in August 2014, we can keep your case until you are ready to make an application. This not only lets you save the money, it also allows to ask as many questions as you have from the point of paying a deposit in August and until your application is ready to be submitted to the Home Office. It means you may have several months, a year or even more of an unlimited advice regarding your case. If you paid an advice fee to us earlier (£70 or £100) and didn’t make an application yet - we would count it towards our service fees, as usual.   Here

Sounds ‘other way around’, doesn’t it? We are more used to switching from a student visa to a Post-Study Work in the past. However, since PSW category was closed in April 2012, and Tier 1 General category was closed a year before that, the options for student and PSW migrants are very limited. One of the remaining options is switching back to a Tier 4 Student visa and going back to study. You also have to be careful to observe the 5-year limit of studying at a degree level as well as academic progress. In this case we used same-day service in Croydon and here is a testimonial from our client, Georgy , a Russian national: “I am very grateful to Lucy Crompton and Natalia Andrews for their help with my application for Tier 4 Student Visa. From the outset my application received all the attention it needed and overall I was very pleased with the quality of service and professionalism that both Lucy and Natalia had provided me with. It was the second time  I used  1 st 4Imm