UK Visas and British Citizenship

“I would like to say a big thank you to Ms Lucy for all your help and assistance with my Tier-2 visa application. You helped and guided me very well through the whole process and assured me even when there were delays. You were very prompt with your replies. Thank you once again for all your help and assistance. I will definitely recommend my friends and family who will be needing this kind of service to hire you.​”   This came from Jasmeet, an Indian national who completed a degree at a UK university and   secured a certificate of sponsorship from a company with a Tier 2 Sponsor licence. Jasmeet made her initial application earlier but it was refused because of the salary requirements. So when Jasmeet asked us to help with the subsequent application, we made sure the appropriate salary requirement was met. Namely, that a salary as on the chosen SOC code on Tier 2 Code of Practice was corresponding to the salary offered to the applicant (or pro-rated, as the case was and as the ca

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

For a Spouse/Partner/Fiancée visas, the Immigration Rules say only Speaking and Listening need to be demonstrated at the required level, however, many approved tests cover all 4 components including Reading and Writing. What to do? Until approx August 2014 the approach was, as was confirmed to us by the UKVI policy department, to look at the overall score at the required level, such as A1 for spouses/partners/fiancées and B1 for and ILR. IELTS would be a good example. Now, however, the Rules have been clarified, once again, and it is OK just to look at the Speaking and Listening components, even if the applicant has not passed Reading or Writing. If a test provides Speaking and Listening testing only, without the rest, then you can use it. ESOL would be a good example as most other acceptable tests. F or 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

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 thei

Certainly not as indefinite as most people think. This post is of vital importance to those who have secured an Indefinite Leave to Remain (permanent residency status) in the UK and who are thinking of relocating abroad or taking a job abroad. You will lose your ILR if you leave the UK for more than 2 years in a row and will have to start all over again in the future. Indefinite Leave can be lost, and many lose it, as a result of being away for more than 2 years, such as working in Australia, USA or the Middle East etc. What’s the solution? First to apply for British Citizenship, then to go. Please note we say ‘to apply’ and not ‘to get’. In other words, assuming you meet the requirements and can provide the right documents (which we can advise on), your application for Citizenship is based on the time before the date of application, not after. So, you can apply and then take a job offer abroad because your absences will be counted up to the date of application, not the date of d

(Addressed to Joanne who dealt with this case): “ Very good job from 1st4 immigration. They have gathered the right documents needed for successful application for my wife. Also listen to their guidance and provide the documents they require ... the right documents and their cover letter make for 100% success. Thank you”.   This came from Chudomir, a Bulgarian national who is now looking forward to his Filipina wife joining him in the UK for Christmas. A Family Permit is issued to spouses and family members of EEA nationals, such as Bulgarian, French etc. An EEA national has to be exercising Treaty rights in the UK, in this case Chudomir was self-employed (and paid via an umbrella company). We are very experienced in dealing with the self-employed people of all nationalities and types of applications, so we were able to advise efficiently.      A Family Permit is a visa for 6 months, which allows to work. The best step would be applying for a Residence Card, which will be f

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