UK Visas and British Citizenship

Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) is for people who are high-achievers in the fields of science, arts, engineering, architecture, digital technology and others. It also covers those who aren’t experienced yet but show exceptional promise. This visa allows to work in the UK  or set up a business, It also leads to settlement after 3 or 5 years.  This category can be an answer to a pressing question of Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer migrants on how they could achieve a permanent residency status in the UK.  Annual limit: Every initial application must be endorsed by a ‘designated competent body’. There is a limit of 2,000 endorsements per UK financial year. It is usually divided in 2 parts, some are given in the 1st half of UK tax year and the other half in the next half.    Endorsements can be from the following designated bodies: Royal Society,  Arts Council England, British Academy and Royal Academy of Engineering, Tech Nation.    Initial application – Stage 1 – Talent: Ini

Before 29 March 2019 From 29 March 2019 Categories Tier 1 (Entrepreneur), open to   all migrants. Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) for graduates from UK universities, who completed a degree on Tier 4 visa and obtained an endorsement from their university to support their business idea   Start-up and Innovator, both open to everyone.   Start-up – your 1 st business in the UK (but not first ever – you can have had a business outside the UK). Innovator - for experienced business people.   Endorsement is needed for all. Visa duration Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) – 1 year, extension for another year.   Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) – initially 3 years, extension – 2 years. ILR can be after 3 years (accelerated route) or after 5 years. Start-up visa - 2 years. After that can switch to Innovator (or to another category, such as Tier 2 or Spouse visa). Innovator – 3 years, then extension for another 3 years. No limit on how many extensions, every tim

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and (Graduate Entrepreneur) visas are closing to new entrants on 29 March 2019. New Innovator and Start-up categories are respectively succeeding them. They are not under Tiers or Points-Based System. This post is focusing on the dates and deadlines, on what happens to those who have the migrants on these visas in the future.    #1 Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) – closed to new applications on 29 March 2019. Last applications are accepted on 28 March 2019, date of application being date of online payment.  #2 New Start-up and Innovator visas will be open from 29 March 2019.  #3 Existing Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) migrants - extensions will be open until 5 April 2023, and settlement applications until 5 April 2025. Both will be under the ‘old rules’, ie under the rules as before 29 March 2019.  #4 Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)  -  endorsements will be open until 5 April 2019, still subject to the usual annual limit. Visa applications, based on these endors

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa is closing on 29 March 2019; a new Innovator category is succeeding it. This post is focusing on its criteria for extension of Innovator visa.  Initial Innovator visa is issued for 3 years. After that, you can either apply for extension or for ILR, depending on what criteria you have met.  Either way, you need another endorsement. If you haven’t met ILR criteria after 3 years, you need to obtain an ‘extension endorsement’, and apply for a visa based on it. Visa extension visa is for 3 years. There is no limit on how many extensions you can make, so if you need more time to qualify for ILR, you can apply for more extensions, every time for 3 years and every time with a new endorsement.  In the past, during Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa, we had 4 main requirements: registering a business within 6 months, continuing to be active in a UK business, investing the whole £200,000 and creating 2 jobs.  Now, under the new Innovator category, the criteria

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa is closing on 29 March 2019; a new Innovator category is succeeding it.     This post is focusing on its criteria for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain, IRL). Even though ILR applications won’t happen until at least March 2022, it makes sense to research now what is expected while you are in the UK as an Innovator.       During Tier 1 visa, we had a fairly short exhaustive list of requirements, and had to meet all of them.  Now, under the new Innovator category, you are given a choice of 7 criteria and you can apply when you have met any 2 of them (but minimum 3 years in the UK on this visa). Some are familiar rules on investment, turnover or creating jobs for settled workers, albeit with the different details, such as investment of £50,000 and not £200,000; or creating 5 jobs with a salary of £25,000 (instead of 2 jobs on unspecified salary).   Then there are new ones, such as on creating intellectual property; or generating turnover of

IMPORTANT  if you are planning to use next-day service for a UK visa in March 2019 You can submit and pay for your application before that – and save £190 per person! Dear customers, The Government has published UK visa fees that will come in force on 29 March 2019. The main difference is increase by £190 per person for next-day service for applications inside the UK. It goes up from £610 per person to £800 per person.  This is in addition to a standard consideration fee and applies if you choose to use next-day service to speed up the decision (doesn’t apply if you choose to use standard ‘slow’ service). This surcharge is levied per applicant, £800 for the main migrant and £800 for each dependant. If you are eligible to submit your application and pay by 28 March 2019, you can avoid this increase. Examples of eligible visa categories: - Indefinite Leave to Remain if you hold a Spouse/Partner, Tier 2, Ancestral visas. - Switching to a Spouse/Partner visa f