UK Visas and British Citizenship

"Thank you, 1st 4Immigration, for helping make our spouse visa application so smooth and pain-free. I doubt we would have been able to decipher the Home Office's cryptic application instructions without you there to hold our hands along the way. We would happily recommend your services to friends and family, and look forward to having you help us again with our extension 2 years down the line."                                                              This came from Alan who asked for our help with his spouse’s application for a 2.5 year visa, following her spending 6 months on a Fiancée visa in the UK. Those “ Home Office's cryptic   instructions” can be indeed a minefield but so far, we ha...

“ 1 st 4Immigration were helping me to apply for Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa after working under Tier 2. They have provided excellent advice concerning all aspects of the application, documents, business plan and the phone interview (official interview by the visa officers). I was applying from outside of the UK and their knowledge about particular documents made the process smooth and they were always available when I needed their help. I was never asked to provide any additional documents (other than requested in the beginning) and got a visa within the standard processing time. Therefore, I highly recommend 1 st 4Immigration if you want to get it all right from the first time.”  This came from Assem, a national of Kazakhstan, who was working on a Tier 2 visa in the UK (was sponsored by employer) but decided to go her own way and start her own business in the UK. It is possible to switch from a Tier 2 visa to a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa in such case but Assem decided she wou...

As it happens every year, the Home Office increases the immigration fees from 6 April, as the new tax year starts. If you are eligible for a visa or British Citizenship - apply before April to save the money! The current ILR fee is £1,500 postal or £1,900 same-day service. From 6 th April it will be £1,875 and £2,375 respectively (and the difference is being increased to £500) and that is per person, ie per each dependant! Spouse/Partner visa now costs £956 entry clearance (outside the UK) or £649/£1,049 in-country postal/same-day. From April it will be £1,195 entry clearance and in-country switching/extension postal but same-day service in this category will be the whopping £1,695, that’s higher than the current postal ILR fee! And let’s not forget the NHS surcharge... Naturalisation fee goes up by £231 to £1,236.   The new fees usually come in force on 6 April, however, there is a long Easter Holiday just a week before that on 25 – 28 March, meaning there will be ...

If you have a Tier 2 (General) visa at the moment and are planning to apply for permanent residence after 5 April 2016, you would need to be paid a salary of least £35,000 per annum. If you are eligible to make an application for settlement before April 2016, we would advise to do so, particularly if you think the new level of salary may be a problem. You can apply within 28 days before ‘your’ 5 years and in some cases you may be able to count the period between the date of visa issue and date of your entry in the UK. You may be eligible earlier than you think, so why not to book an advice session now! For an individual advice or to make an application please contact us:   info@1st4immigration.com or visit www.1st4immigration.com If you are an Immigration Adviser or a Solicitor please visit our immigration Training and CPD website: www.1st4immigration.com/training    

We are looking for an experienced Immigration Consultant / Lawyer with valid OISC accreditation. Level 1 would be sufficient but a higher level is welcome. We have an office-based vacancy at our office in the City of London (Monument area). We have a Tier 2 Sponsor Licence and will consider sponsoring an adviser for a Tier 2 visa. Main categories we deal with: spouse/partner visas and related family visas, Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and Tier 2, ILR, EEA law, British Citizenship. We regularly submit applications using same-day service in Croydon. We would also welcome expanding our work to more complicated cases and appeals. Valid OISC accreditation is mandatory. Please respond by email to training@1st4immigration.com   with your CV, current/expected salary, details of your OISC accreditation and when you can start working. Website: www.1st4immigration.com

“It could not have been any better! I will always recommend your firm. I received excellent advice throughout the application process and I was particularly impressed with your thorough knowledge of immigration issues, efficiency, continuous monitoring, genuine caring, total compliance, and very good value for money, particularly when compared with law firms. (And in regards to the advisor Joanne) all I can say is I wish other people were as helpful, professional and caring, as you are!! Thank you very much for all you have done, and continue to do. I am sure your company must be very proud of you.”    We are, Ahmed, thank you for the kind words!    This is an interesting category, open to those born before 1983 to a British mother. Why only mother? Because before 1983 only fathers could pass their nationality to their children while mothers could not. What now seems like an unfair ‘irregularity’ in the law was ‘corrected’ in 1983 when anyone could cla...

“I would like to thank the 1st 4Immigration team for the great job in preparation of my (successful) ILR application! In particular, I would like to thank Joanne for her being very meticulous with the related paperwork and accompanying documentation and for giving non-trivial advice in several cases where I did not know how to answer a particular question in application form. I would also like to thank Neil for staying with me in Croydon during the time my application was being processed, that was a great psychological support. I recommend their service to everybody looking for an immigration advisor. The process of applying for long-term residence visas is not only complex but also emotionally demanding because you understand that you whole career and family life depend on the outcome of this application. In this case, you need somebody on your side to be both professional and emotionally supportive. 1st 4Immigration is exactly that kind of a team! They are very far from that...