Blog

Maybe you know the story. There is a family with young children who were born in the UK. They are all overstayers. But then the... Read More

The Covid-19 pandemic has, for obvious reasons, disrupted UK immigration very considerably. When the pandemic started migrants who were in the UK were in many... Read More

30 June 2021 was supposedly the deadline for Pre-Settled/Settled status applications for EEA nationals and their family members.  But, like everything else to do with... Read More

Finally it has arrived – the new “Graduate” visa, which looks something like the old Tier 1 Post-Study Work visa but with a few improvements.... Read More

Brexit is done, more or less, and the UK is no longer part of the EU. In the immigration field there are various transitional arrangements... Read More

Many readers will know about the financial requirement for partner visas, and especially those who have read our blog “Financial requirements for Family Visas”, 12... Read More

There have been in the last few months no less than three decisions from the courts/tribunals about the ten-year continuous lawful residence route to settlement... Read More

If the relationship between a qualifying person settled in the UK and a migrant breaks down then, legally speaking, the visa that the migrant holds... Read More

“Unmarried partner relationship” has a specific meaning in UK immigration law: a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership where the parties have not actually... Read More

Visa application for partner and sponsor’s stepchild A partner (spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner) can apply for a visa to join their sponsor in... Read More

In every case an applicant applying for a family visa – in most instances a partner or child – will have to satisfy a financial... Read More

In recent times there has been some confusing case law about the ten-year continuous lawful residence route to settlement and short periods of overstaying (see... Read More

As we explained in our previous article (“Immigration Fee Waiver”, 24 December 2020), in-country visa applicants are able to apply for a fee waiver if... Read More

The Ankara Agreement (more formally known as the European Community Association Agreement), an agreement made between the EU and Turkey, provided UK visa routes for... Read More

Two cases heard in recent times – the case of “Pathan” in the Supreme Court and the case of “Taj” in the Court of Appeal... Read More

The IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) is an extra fee that many migrants have to pay as part of their visa application fees. Whereas the application... Read More

How long is a partner visa valid for?  There is a simple answer to this question: a visa issued to a spouse, civil partner, or... Read More

In our recent post “New grounds for visa refusal” we explained how the “grounds for refusal” section of the UK Immigration Rules can prevent a... Read More

The Tier 1 Investor visa is not for everybody: the starting point is that you have at least £2 million or equivalent in foreign currency... Read More

The UK Immigration Rules had a significant shake-up in December 2020. A lot of the changes were just to do with structure and nomenclature but... Read More

Some immigration applications, if refused, attract the right to Administrative Review. Administrative review is a process whereby a UKVI officer – either in the UK... Read More

For many UK visas there is an English language requirement but for some there is none.  As you might expect, there is no such requirement... Read More

It hardly needs to be said that visa applications are expensive, and rising. There is the visa application fee itself (in many cases over £1,000)... Read More

There have been quite a lot of changes in the immigration rules in the last couple of years or so, not least in the context... Read More

Surinder Singh route It is generally the case that European free movement law does not always benefit EEA nationals in their own country. For example,... Read More

Confusion and relief for ten-year long residence applicants There is a provision in the immigration rules that enables a migrant who has been in the... Read More

UK immigration – life getting easier for some It hardly needs to be said that in recent times life has become more difficult for EEA... Read More

Some people might think that applying for a UK visitor visa is easy or straightforward, but this may not be good advice. The requirements are... Read More

Tier 2/Skilled Worker ICT: switching rules and cooling off period  When the “new” points-based system comes into effect on 1 January 2021 the current Tier... Read More

On 1 January 2021 a new points-based system will come into place, and the Tier 2 scheme will be rebranded the “Skilled Workers” scheme. The... Read More

We have a sad announcement to make: the Tier 4 student visa scheme is dead. It was replaced on 5 October 2020 by the new... Read More

A partner visa can be held on the basis of being a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner – the latter relies on a two-year... Read More

A partner visa application could be an application made by a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, fiancé(e) or prospective civil partner to join or remain... Read More

Do you need a lawyer to help you with your spouse/civil partner/unmarried partner visa application? It’s a fair question. This application is already very expensive... Read More

The new Health and Care visa, which is for health professionals, opened on 4 August 2020. It is part of the Tier 2 General scheme... Read More

The Home Secretary some time ago announced a new points-based system visa category, which will open on 1 January 2021. As she reminds us, on... Read More

As we reported last month, the British Government has promised to provide a dedicated visa route to the UK for British Nationals (Overseas) from Hong... Read More

The Representative of an Overseas Business visa scheme is very useful for businesses situated outside the EEA which have no business presence in the UK... Read More

Should I engage the services of a Lawyer for my Immigration matter? This is a very good question, and of course most lawyers will advise... Read More

British National (Overseas) Status and Hong Kong As we learn from the media, the British Government is going to offer a route to settlement and... Read More

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) & Settlement for spouses and partners in the UK The non-EEA spouse or partner of a person who has sufficiently... Read More

It seems a long time ago, but on 31 January 2020 the UK left the EU. We believe this to be definitely true, not least... Read More

You can sponsor your parents or adult relatives to come and live with you in the UK permanently. In 2012 the family immigration rules had... Read More

How is coronavirus affecting UK immigration? The Covid-19 coronavirus has really messed up UK immigration, as indeed it has a lot of things. For a... Read More

What is a stateless person? Well, the answer, in both British and international law, is: “a person who is not considered as a national by... Read More

Child born in the UK – visas and British citizenship If a child is born in the UK and neither parent is British or settled... Read More

Tier 1 Entrepreneur and points-based system – evidential problems The Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa scheme is not yet dead but it is not very well:... Read More