UK Visas and British Citizenship

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

"On Monday 28th July 2014, I discovered that my daughter's passport had expired. It was obviously a shock and stressful as we have a holiday booked and fly on 8th August. We contacted you and I brought everything in on Monday (same day). You recommended new photos, which I then brought in on Tuesday, 29th. It's now Thursday 31st and I have received my daughter's replacement passport. I would like to thank you for providing an outstanding service." Rhiannon As you can see, it is possible to renew a passport within just 2-3 working days! It is actually same-day service at the UK Passport Office, so with an appointment available as soon as on the next working day the whole process is very fast. And if we have your documents by 12pm, and they are in order (or if you quickly arrange them to be in order, such as to bring new photos), then we can submit on the same working day! Contact us: www.multitravelvisas.co.uk Phone 0871 472 1468 or 07795471483 Email:

"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 do not make any assumptions!

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 Entrepreneur visa holders”. 2)    

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 ‘pa

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 +£16,000 = £25