UK Visas and British Citizenship

This is a very welcome development! Same-day service is back for applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR, permanent residency) based on 10 years of Long Residence. This service did exist before 2010 but was stopped, so in the last 5 years all applicants had to apply by post and wait for up to 6 months. This category allows to qualify for ILR if one has spent 10 years lawfully in the UK. overstaying for max 28 days is allowed as well as the periods while waiting for a visa (in-country on-time applications). And even the periods outside the UK without a visa for max 6 months, ie the period between leaving the UK on the previous visa and returning to the UK on the new visa must be no more than 6 months, so your continuous residency is not broken. Usually any visas can be combined (unlike to the 5 – year routes) but there is a much stricter limit on absences. 1st 4Immigration is authorised to submit clients' visa applications using this service, we are accredited

This is a very informative and practical 2-day weekend course at our office in the City of London.  1st 4Immigration Ltd is a practicing OISC-accredited immigration company, OISC ref F200800152. After many years of experience – and hundreds of successful cases – we are sharing our experience to help you to prepare for your OISC Level 1 assessment and accreditation or, if you are already practicing, to increase your knowledge. You can read Testimonials on our immigration cases here. TRAINING DATES: Weekend 16 - 17 May 2015, OISC Level 1, just in time for an OISC exam on 28 May. Weekend 23 - 24 May 2015, Points-Based System, just in time for an OISC exam on 28 May. Weekend 20 - 21 June 2015, OISC Level 1, just in time for an OISC exam on 23 June. 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 conduct

We are often asked whether the Sponsor, usually a British citizen, has to meet the Financial Requirement on his/her own. The answer is no, sometimes it can be combined with the Applicant’s income (the person’s who needs a visa). Sometimes it can be only the Applicant’s income, on its own. Example 1: if the Applicant has a UK visa which allows to work, such as a Tier 1 or 2 work visa, Tier 4 Student visa or a Tier 5 visa then the Applicant’s earnings from employment or self-employment in the UK would be sufficient, without the need of the Sponsor’s income (assuming there is enough to meet the Financial Requirement). If both partners are working legally in the UK it can be a combination of both of their earnings, although there is no much point of that if one, ie either partner, can meet the Financial Requirement on his/her own (apart from the double amount of paperwork and a satisfying feeling of exceeding the Financial Requirement). Example 2: if the Financial Requirement is b

“Initially I was going to submit my wife’s visa application myself . However, I wanted reassurance that everything is correct. I found 1 st 4immigration website online and was pleasantly surprised that Lucy replied to my emails within hours and answered all my queries. This is the reason why I chose 1 st 4Immigration over other solicitors and firms, their quick responses gave me the feeling of having their full attention.  I was then passed on to Joanne who handled our case. Joanne was very thorough and checked key details 3 to 4 times during our meeting. I thought this is brilliant. I wanted someone to treat to this case as their own, and that’s what she did. My wife’s entry clearance visa has now been granted. Thank you Joanne and Lucy.” This came from Lakhwinder, a British national whose wife is Indian and was applying for a Spouse Entry Clearance in her home country, under Appendix FM.   Happy ending! The next step will be to renew a visa after 2.5 years and then to appl

We offer an intensive Saturday course at our office in the City of London. 1st 4Immigration Ltd is a practicing OISC-accredited immigration company, OISC, ref   F200800152. We are also a recognised CPD provider and can be found on the OISC list of the training providers. This course has a particular emphasis on Tier 2 General and Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa categories, applying for a Sponsor Licence and using Tier 2 Code of Practice as well as qualifying for an Indefinite Leave in these routes. It also covers (often forgotten in training) rules for family members of PBS migrants. You can earn 7 core CPD hours credit, subject to the successful completion of the test after the course. As a practicing company, we are offering to share our experience to help you deal with the applications of Points-Based System migrants, their family members and ILR applications based on PBS categories. You can read   Testimonials on our immigration cases here. Our tutors are our very own OISC-accredi

Whether you prefer to study online or be taught in a classroom – we have it covered! As a practicing OISC-regulated company, we   have designed this to be of practical help for those who are preparing for OISC accreditation at Level 1, re-taking an exam or need to improve their knowledge. The course includes a mock Level 1 Assessment and case studies from our practice. Online OISC LEVEL 1 course – CPD 16 hours. Can be downloaded from our website and study in your own time from any computer or your Smartphone. No need to travel to a classroom or wait for available dates! And it awards 16 core hours of Continued Professional Development (CPD), which is accepted by the OISC. You are allowed to bring this material to your Level 1 Assessment at the OISC! Download our course material or read the detailed Table of Contents (Syllabus) and Extracts here:   http://www.1st4immigration.com/training/online-oisc-level-1-course.php   Classroom OISC Level 1 course on weekends at our off

“My regards to Christina for her kindness and good efforts in making my renewal successful. I really appreciate her patience and her help with my documentations and all her efforts in Croydon to make the whole thing successful.” This came from Ebere, a Nigerian national, who was claiming points for Earnings from his job in Texas, USA. We used same-day service in Croydon and all went smoothly! In this case we used Ebere’s American income to claim the points for Earnings. Although it meant no points for UK experience, there was enough points based on Earnings, Age and Qualification. However, this method won’t work for a future ILR application! ILR applications, based on 5 years on Tier 1 General visas, continue to be possible until 5 April 2018. if you qualify by then – that’s your perfect chance! If you don’t qualify, namely because of having too many absences, you may consider switching to another category, which leads to ILR. For example, getting sponsorship and switching