Immigration Advice
We assist with the following applications:
- Visit Visa: Family, Business, Tourism, Fiancé
- Spouse, Partner, Parent, Child appendix FM applications
- Applications to the EU Settlement Scheme
- Turkish ECAA Visa
- 10 Year Long Residence
- UK Ancestry
- Nationality, citizenship, naturalisation and registration
- Tier 1: Innovators & Investors
- Tier 2: Sponsored Workers, Intra-Company Transfer
- Tier 2: Minister of Religion, Sportsperson
- Tier 4: Student Visas
- Tier 5: Temporary Workers, Youth Mobility Scheme
UK Visit Visas - Free UK Visa Assessment via email – no obligation
The visitor visa is the UK's most common visa and is typically used by individuals who are coming to the UK for tourism, or visiting family, or visiting on business.
A key requirement of the visitor visa is that applicants must be able to show that they intend visiting the UK for no more than six months and that they will be leaving the UK at the end of their visit. Applicants are also required to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to maintain and accommodate themselves (and any dependents) without access to public funds.
The UK's Standard Visitor visa has replaced a number of previous Visitor Visa categories:
Visiting the UK on business
You can apply to enter the UK as a business visitor if you are coming to the UK for business purposes if:
Business visitor visa rules
As a business visitor visa holder you are allowed to:
However, you are not allowed to:
How long is a visitor via valid for?
A Visitor Visa typically allows the holder to stay in the UK for up to 6 months. In some circumstances a holder may be eligible to stay for up to 11 months if they are coming to the UK for private medical treatment. Furthermore, you, your spouse or civil partner and children might be able to stay for up to 12 months if you are an academic on sabbatical and coming to the UK to conduct research.
Upon the expiry of your visa you must leave the UK. Failure to leave the UK before your visitor visa expires will have a negative effect on your immigration record and is likely to impact any future UK immigration applications you make.
Partner Visas
The UKVI rules and regulations make it possible for eligible partners of UK citizens or permanent residents to enter and live with their partner in the UK.
Partner visa categories include:
• Spouse visas
• Civil partner visas
• Unmarried partner visas
• Fiance visas
To qualify under one of the UK's partner visa categories listed above, applicants must be of a minimum age and they must meet the English language, accommodation and maintenance requirements.
In addition, applicants must also be able to demonstrate that their relationship is existing and genuine in nature.
Partner visa applicants may also be required to meet certain health and character requirements.
British Naturalisation is the most common way by which a person with foreign citizenship can apply for British citizenship.
If you are naturalised as a British citizen, you will be able to live and work in the UK without being subject to immigration control.
Unless you have a claim to British citizenship based on your ancestry (British citzenship by descent), you will need to apply for British Naturalisation on the basis that you have either spent 5 years in the UK lawfully.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for British Naturalisation differ depending on the circumstances under which you apply.
If you are applying for British Naturalisation on the basis of being in the UK for 5 or more years you must:
Multiple Nationalities
UK nationality law allows you to have more than one nationality. However, you should check with the authorities of your original country before you apply for naturalisation, as some countries do not allow you to be a citizen of that country if you are a British citizen.
UK Ancestry
UK Ancestry Visas allow commonwealth nationals with a grandparent who was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man to enter the UK for a period of 5 years.
Commonwealth nationals with a grandparent born in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922 are also eligible to apply for an Ancestry Visa.
An Ancestry Visa offers full freedom to work in the UK, including working as a self-employed person or starting your own business.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify you must satisfy the following Ancestry Visa requirements:
Duration
If your application for a UK ancestry visa is successful you will be granted permission to remain in the UK for five years. At the conclusion of this five year period you will then be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) provided that:
Additional information
In certain circumstances it may be possible for you to change your visa status to an ancestry visa from within the United Kingdom, however in most cases you must apply for your this visa in your home country or the country where you legally live. You must also apply for entry clearance prior to coming to the UK.
If you have a spouse, unmarried partner or dependants under 18 years of age you can apply for them to join you in the UK on an Ancestry Dependency Visa.
If you or your parent who you are claiming ancestry ties through is adopted you can still apply for entry clearance to the UK under the ancestry category.
Government Exchange Scheme
Under the Points Based System student internships fall under the Tier 5 "Government Exchange Scheme" Temporary Workers Category. The Government Exchange Scheme will allow individuals to come to the UK temporarily to share knowledge, experience and work through placements in the UK.
Individuals need to apply to a registered body in the UK which has been issued a licence to act as sponsors and manage this scheme. Individual employers are not able to act as sponsor, even if you are licensed as a sponsor.
The sponsoring body’s exchange scheme must comply with the following principles:
• The scheme must not detrimentally affect the resident labour market;
• The candidates must not fill genuine vacancies;
• The candidates must be engaged in a capacity additional to the normal;
• The staffing requirements of the employer;
• The work must be skilled (minimum NVQ level 3);
• All UK legislation must be complied with e.g. minimum wage etc.
To find out which Bodies are registered under this scheme please visit the Home Office register of sponsors.
Please note that although employers are registered under Tier 5 on this register it does not mean that they are allowed to act as sponsor under the Government Exchange Scheme.
For further details about how to apply for the Tier 5 Government Exchange Scheme please contact us today – our OISC registered advisors will ensure you receive the correct advice first time, every time.
The Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS)
is designed for young people from participating countries who would like to experience life in the UK for up to 2 years. Under the youth mobility scheme, your national government acts as your sponsor.
Currently only citizens of the following countries are eligible to participate in the Youth Mobility Scheme:
Australia
Canada
Japan
New Zealand
Eligibility criteria
To qualify for entry to the UK under the Youth Mobility Scheme you must score a total of 50 points across the sponsorship, age and maintenance categories.
Sponsorship - under the youth mobility scheme your national government acts as your sponsor, therefore you will score 30 points if you are a citizen of one of the participating countries outlined above.
Age - you can claim 10 points if you are between the ages of 18 and 31 years of age. Please note that you must be under the age of 31 on the date your application is made.
Maintenance – you can claim 10 points show that you have at least £1600 that you can use to support yourself while in the United Kingdom. This amount must be held in a personal bank account on the date of your application for entry clearance.