UK Visas and British Citizenship

"1 st 4 Immigration helped us from start to finish. We requested the premium (same-day) service because we were under some time pressure and all our needs were met quickly and efficiently. When we went for an initial information session, Russell made us feel relaxed about the process and did not at any point push us towards using their services further. We were so impressed at this initial stage that we decided to use 1 st 4 Immigration to complete our Spousal visa application. There was constant communication throughout the process and nothing was too much trouble. We received a stress free application and a successful outcome and I cannot rate them highly enough. Thank you so much! " This came from Alex, whose a Canadian civil partner applied to switch from a Tier 5 YMS visa to a spouse/partner visa inside the UK. For an individual advice or to make an application please contact us: info@1st4immigration.com or visit www.1st4immigration.com If you are an Immi...

From 1 July 2014 these 2 popular English language tests have been struck off the list of approved tests. The list is used by the UK Home Office to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules for visa categories like Spouse/Partner/Fiancée visas as well as Tiers under the Points-Based System (PBS). It is also used to meet the new English language requirement when applying for permanent residency (Indefinite Leave to Remain) and later for British Citizenship.   There are some problems with the way the tests were administered by the provider, Educational Testing Services (ETS), one of the biggest English language testing companies in the world. Some of those were featured in BBC Panorama .       If you need to apply for a UK visa, which requires to demonstrate English language ability then you have a choice of providing a degree which was taught in English, being a national of a majority English-speaking country (there is an exhaustive list, so...

There are 3 types in this posting: general, for those who are switching from Post-Study Work visas and some clarifications which are   not new but tend to be confusing. Please note: this is a simplified summary. For a detailed advice please book our advice session, which can be either over email or at our office in the City: info@1st4immigration.com GENERAL (applicable to all): 1)      No more contract work for Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa holders.   Until 11 July 2014 the Immigration Rules were not preventing the migrants from working as contractors. For example, getting an Entrepreneur visa, setting up a ‘business’ while in reality working for a company (‘employer’)   in all but name. This has been changed in the current Rules. The Tier 1 Entrepreneur category was designed for those who want to be a ‘real entrepreneur’ and to run a genuine business. For more on this please read our earlier posting “No more contract work for Tier 1 Entr...

Until 11 July 2014 the Immigration Rules were not preventing the migrants from working as contractors. For example, getting an Entrepreneur visa, setting up a ‘business’ while in reality working for a company (‘employer’)   in all but name, so the migrant and the company consider it as employment in reality: going to ‘employer’s premises to work, usually Monday to Friday as if it was employment, having a desk, being paid monthly and most importantly, following the orders of the ‘employer’ with the company deciding on what the contractor is doing from day to day. Imagine a ‘real’ entrepreneur being told what to do? Besides agreeing with the customer on what has to be achieved, a ‘real’ entrepreneur decides him/herself how to work, when to work, which desk to use or work in a café etc. Furthermore, a ‘real’ entrepreneur from the HMRC point of view has more than one ‘customer’ and is certainly not paid every month in what looks like a salary but not called so (it would be called...

After almost a year, on 11 July 2014 the Court of Appeal has ruled that the income threshold for a Spouse/Partner visa was lawful and remained as it was from 9 July 2012. It was and now remains at £18,600 for a partner, going up to £22,400 if one child is added and more if more children are also in need of a visa. Bad news for some, unfortunately, especially for those whose cases were on hold for almost a year and those who were hoping they could apply with a lower income if the Court ruled otherwise. Those whose cases were put on hold will now be refused. So, at the moment the £18,600 minimum remains in place. If you are thinking of using savings it remains at £62,500 and must be held for 6 months. Plus the permitted combinations, such as income from employment and savings. For example, if one earns £15,000 he/she is short of £3,600 (£18,600 - £15,000). So, it means the couple needs the following amount in savings and it is not just £3,600: £3,600 x 2.5 ...

1st 4Immigration is an accredited CPD distance learning provider, our online training courses are accepted by the OISC and SRA, CPD provider ref number EJE/14IM. We are offering up to £100 off on all current online courses : British Citizenship - a Dream for Many! CPD 7 core hours. British Citizenship for European/EEA nationals and their Family Members. CPD 5 core hours.   Online OISC LEVEL 1 course. CPD 16 core hours. Self-employment Income in Visa Applications (by a Self-employed Immigration Adviser). CPD 6 core hours Spouse/Partner Visas - Case Studies and FAQs. CPD 6 core hours. What's next after Post-Study Work and Tier 4 visas? CPD 4.5 core hours. Download from our website, study in your own time on any computer, iPad or iPhone, complete the test and we will award your CPD hours and send you a certificate. Or visit website our training and CPD website: http://www.1st4immigration.com/training The courses are offered by our company, 1 st 4Immigr...

This is a 2-day weekend course at our office in the City of London. Multi Travel Visas Ltd and a sister company, 1st 4Immigration Ltd, are both accredited by The OISC, ref F201100418 and F200800152 respectively. After many years of experience – and hundreds of successful cases – we are offering to share our experience with you to help you prepare for your OISC Level 1 assessment and accreditation. You can read Testimonials on our immigration cases here. Our tutors are our very own OISC-accredited practicing immigration advisers who handle the real cases during the week and teach on weekends. You can read about them on the Tutors page. Unlike most traditional courses, ours is conducted using plain language and does not simply contain quotes from the Immigration Rules. We include cases studies from our practice, answers to most common questions, a Questions&Answers session and a mock Level 1 assessment, which is given to the candidates at the end to complete in their own ...