UK Visas and British Citizenship

We are often asked this question, especially by those who do not wish to leave the UK for too long and be apart from their British spouse. Here we are covering a situation where a foreign spouse is in the UK in the capacity of a visitor (on a visitor visa or just with an airport stamp for 6 months). Also, a situation where the couple are travelling and are looking to apply for a Spouse visa at the end of their travel, say in Spain.   (Here we are not covering a situation where a foreign spouse is in the UK on a visa like Tier 4 student, this is a different matter).     So, to start with, visitors cannot switch to a Spouse status inside the UK. Instead they have to apply from outside the UK, but where? Such an application must be made either in the country of your nationality or in the country where you have a valid resident-type visa, such as a work visa or permanent visa or a family visa etc (but NOT a visitor status). For example, if you are Australian, travelling around

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Sebastian and Multi Travel Visas for their help in obtaining a Schengen visa from the French Embassy. I contacted many agencies but was turned away with one saying that "no one could help me and that there's no way I'd get a visa". Well, Sebastian and his colleagues have proved them wrong and I got a 2 year multi entry visa from the French Embassy in 2 working days (visa issued in 1 working day, received it in the post on the 2nd day)! Needless to say, I am extremely satisfied with their service and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who needs help with Schengen visas. Thank you again, Sebastian!” Nina, Chinese national It is possible to obtain a French Schengen visa within 3-4 working days from the date of appointment for most nationals, such as South African, Thai, Filipino, Russian, Indian, Chinese and most others. We can also assist with the German and Portuguese Schengen visas. The good thing about

“ Very efficient and good service! Would use them again! ” Demi, Chinese national  It is possible to obtain a French Schengen visa within 3-4 working days from the date of appointment for most nationals, such as South African, Thai, Filipino, Russian, Indian, Chinese and most others. We can also assist with the German and Portuguese Schengen visas. The good thing about applying through French Embassy is that they tend to issuer longer, multiple-entry, visas. Although you have to go through a very stringent process of application, you may have a visa lasting for several years.  Contact us at Multi Travel Visas: French Schengen visa:  http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/schengen-visa-france.php German Schengen visa:  http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/schengen-visa-germany.php Portuguese Schengen visa:  http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/schengen-visa-portugal.php Fast UK passport renewal through the Passport Office in London):  http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/sam

“Really good service and I would recommend their service to anyone preparing for Visa.” Saif, Iraqi national In this case we were submitting a Spouse visa extension application , ie the 2nd visa after the first 2.5  years in this category. We used same-day service and it went well on the day! For an individual advice or to make your application as successful please contact us: info@1st4immigration.com or visit  http://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 have a weekend OISC Level 1 course as well as a Points-Based System course and we also have online training courses, including Online OISC Level 1 course and courses focusing on Spouse/Partner visas. All our training courses are CPD-accredited with CPD credit accepted by OISC.

When you are applying for your 1 st Spouse visa, you need the most basic A1 level. This is true whether you are applying outside the UK or switching from another category inside the UK. After the 1 st Spouse visa you will need an extension. At the moment at that stage you would still need the same A1 level, so at the moment you wouldn’t need to worry about this rule at all. From May 2017, however, you would need to demonstrate a higher A2 level when applying for extension. This new rules, having to prove A2 level, applies to those whose current Spouse / Partner visa expires from 1 May 2017 onwards – even if applying for extension before that!   You can read more on this here in the earlier post: http://1st4immigration-visas.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/new-a2-english-language-requirement.html After that you could normally apply for a permanent visa. This is where an even higher B1 level would be needed. For an individual advice or to make an application please contact us: inf

The new requirement for spouses and partners of British citizens to prove the higher, A2, level of English when applying for a visa extension in this category has been known for a while. What makes it interesting is the way it will be implemented. Unusually, the Rules were changed in the way to prevent the migrants rushing to extend their Spouse/Partner visas before the changes have been implemented. Traditionally, the new Rules affect those who make an application after the changes. Just as traditionally, people usually rush to make an application before the changes – to benefit from the old Rules. In this case, however, the changes affect those spouses / partners, whose initial Spouse/Partner visas expire from 1 May 2017 onwards – even if they are making an application before 1 May 2017! We also have a post, describing all levels of English exams and when each level is needed for a Spouse / Partner visa: http://1st4immigration-visas.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/updated-english-

5 years and 10 years refer to the number of years a migrant needs to spend in the UK, in the given category, to qualify for permanent residency. So, in the 5-year route one needs 5 years and in the 10-year route twice more, ie 10 years. It means if you get a visa in this route, you'd need 5 or 10 years respectively from the date of the first visa. It does not relate to the number of years preceding to the first application in this route. When does each of them apply? 5-year route is for a migrant who is applying as a Spouse/Partner, or as a Parent, of a UK citizen under the Appendix FM and who is able to meet all the requirements. This is also known as application “within the Rules”. It means one can meet all the requirements, be it applying at the right place (ie switching from another category when it is allowed), meeting the Financial or English language requirements or otherwise.    10-year route applies to the applications under FLR(FP) category, as a Spouse/Partner or a P

This is one of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to a UK Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa. There seems to be confusion over how much one needs. If you could apply with GBP 50,000 why would you be worried about 200,000? Here is our clarification. The main amount is £200,000 (200 000 British Pounds), which can be your own money (visa applicant’s own money), can be given to you by your family or unrelated sponsor, or can be loaned to you or your business by a bank. In some limited cases it is possible to apply with “only” £50,000 but only if the funds are from the following sources (the list is exhaustive): ·           UK-based Venture Capital firm. ·           Government Department. ·           UK Seed Funding Competitions. ·           You are switching from a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa with any source of funding. If you have a Tier 4 Student visa  you would normally have to apply for an Entrepreneur visa outside the UK, even if your Tier 4

“Great and helpful service! I have used them more than once and application has gone smoothly every time.”  Pieter, South African national It is possible to obtain a French Schengen visa within 3-4 working days from the date of appointment for most nationals, such as South African, Thai, Filipino, Russian, Indian, Chinese and most others. We can also assist with the German and Portuguese Schengen visas. The good thing about applying through French Embassy is that they tend to issuer longer, multiple-entry, visas. Although you have to go through a very stringent process of application, you may have a visa lasting for several years.  Contact us at Multi Travel Visas: French Schengen visa:  http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/schengen-visa-france.php German Schengen visa:  http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/schengen-visa-germany.php Portuguese Schengen visa:  http://www.multitravelvisas.co.uk/schengen-visa-portugal.php Fast UK passport renewal through the Passport O

This was a recent article on The Daily Mail website, dated 1 February 2017: South African wife is ordered to leave UK in 28 days because Home Office say she isn't earning enough as she ploughs everything into her business , the full article can be found here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4175862/South-African-wife-ordered-leave-UK-28-days.html It is a continuation to the subject of minimum income threshold (£18,600) for spouses and partners of British citizens, applying for a Spouse/Partner visa. In this case, as we understand, it was a visa extension, ie the next visa after the initial 2.5 years of residency in the UK. The article headline sounds very dramatic (probably has to be for the newspaper), but here is our analysis, based on the limited information provided in the article. The South African spouse was most likely given the right of appeal against the decision of the UK Visas and Immigration (The Home Office). If she appeals on time, within 14