UK Visas and British Citizenship

Online OISC Level 1 course - study in your own time! CPD 16 hours, accredited by CPD Standards office, with an official certificate issued upon successful pass of the mock test. Accepted by The OISC as part of CPD training. We are a Level 3 OISC-accredited immigration firm.  Online self-study course. This is a text-based course, in which we put together our knowledge and 15 years of experience in one PDF file.  All in one place! It contains approximately 130 pages and is updated, depending on the changes in the UK immigration law. You can download this course and study in your own time, in any other location, from any device.Our popular training material explains the Rules and terms in plain language. Buy and download here, £199+VAT, CPD 16 hours: https://www.1st4immigration.com/oisc-training/ If you need a UK immigration advice yourself (advisers also need advice), you can arrange a consultation with our lawyers here:  https://www.1st4immigration.com/book-a-consultation/...

This is for nationals who don’t normally need a visa to come to the U.K. for holidays or short visits. Also known as non-visa nationals.  You could continue to visit “visa-free” but would have to get a pre-authorisation online under the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). It’s the same principle as the USA has had for many years now. If the online system “approves”, you can head to the airport. If not, you would need to apply for a Visitor visa.  From 27 November 2024 ETA will become available to most non-visa nationals: Americans, Australians, Malaysians , Japanese, Brazilians etc.  You can check your nationality here:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-when-you-can-get-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta From 5 March 2025 it will become available to the European tourists.  The above is only re the Visitor visa. All other visas (Student, Work, Spouse) retain the same rules and procedures as now. Meaning a formal application, evidence (financial etc), ...

  We are often asked what happens once a migrant is in the UK, how they could get a National Insurance number or how paying IHS affects using the NHS. Here is some useful info!  1. National Insurance number (NI number or NINO)  is like a social security number, used for taxes and many other things. You could usually apply for it when you have a job offer. If you are on a Skilled Worker visa, it would be issued automatically with the visa.    2. There is tax also called National Insurance.  It’s deducted from wages of workers and passed on to the tax authority. Not connected to any immigration fees paid for visas. It applies to all workers (migrant or not), will be deducted by the employer’s payroll system before they pay your money. It is also used to calculate your entitlement to UK state pension.    3. Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)  is what most migrants pay during the visa application. It’s supposed to be passed on to the Na...

Most UK visas say “No public funds”, but the National Health Service (NHS) is not public funds, and the migrants can use it. It is free at the point of use, such as when you come to a see a doctor. Of course, it is not really “free”, as most visa applicants pay Immigration Health Charge (IHS). Although not all have to pay IHS. Those applying for Indefinite Leave or to EU Settlement Scheme don't have to pay it.  So, most UK visas have the endorsement, what does it mean? There is a list of benefits that are included in the Public Funds list. Examples: Child benefit, Universal Credit, Council tax reduction, Carer’s allowance,  Housing benefit, Personal Independence Benefit (PIP) etc.  There are some contributory benefits that aren’t public funds. Examples: maternity allowance, statutory sick pay, unemployment benefits based on contributions from the previous work, state pension (but not Pension Credit).  Note on Child Benefit:  it is not uncommon for the Register O...

If you have a BRP visa card that expires on 31.12.2024, you can now create a UKVI account and transition to eVisa. From 2025 there will be no physical cards or visa stamps, only online status from Government system.  You can create a UKVI account here:  https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa If you need help, follow this video:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-immigration-status-evisa-help-video/how-to-create-a-ukvi-account-and-access-your-evisa When you have your eVisa ready, you can prove your immigration status for work and renting, by creating and sharing a code from here:  https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status You can book online consultation with a lawyer here.  Over WhatsApp, Zoom or email. We currently have a discounted fee £100 for advice over email. Alternatively, a video call over Zoom or WhatsApp costs £150 if you prefer to talk to a lawyer. The consultation fee counts towards our future services with a visa a...

  Here we cover the rules on combining various income sources when meeting the Financial Requirement for a UK Spouse, Partner and a Fiancee visa. There are rules on everything, so there are rules on that. For example, savings can be combined with the current employment (known as Category A) but not with the past employment (Category B). Self-employment can be combined with everything except savings. Property income can be combined with everything unless self-employment is involved.  Popular example #1: employment and savings. The current Financial Requirement for new applicants is £29,000. If one has a salary of £20,000, they could add savings. But it’s not £9,000 and not even £16,000, as the Government website appears to suggest (it doesn’t, it confusingly says “over £16,000, but not how much exactly). The shortfall of £9,000 can be made up with savings of £9,000x2.5+£16,000=£38,500. In this example, the current employment must have lasted for 6 months for the same employer, ...

Dual nationality for German citizens is now allowed, thanks to the recent changes in the German law. In our case, a German citizen can now apply to become a British citizen while retaining their German passport. Contact us now to make it happen! Apply for British citizenship now.   1st  4 Immigration  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, in which 2008 stands for the year accreditation. Office: Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HN. Website  1st4immigration.com You can book online consultation with a lawyer here.   Over WhatsApp, Zoom or email. We currently have a discounted fee £100 for advice over email. Alternatively, a video call over Zoom or WhatsApp costs £150 if you prefer to talk to a lawyer. The consultation fee counts towards our future services with a visa application, so the final fee i...