Immigration Law

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UK WORK VISAS

To work, set up a business or invest in the United Kingdom, you may want to look at one of the visa categories listed below, labelled as the “UK Work Visa”. It is important that you read through and understand the requirements thoroughly as well as check with one of our immigration lawyers or on the current immigration rules as the rules change from time to time.

 

LIST OF WORK VISA CATEGORIES IN THE UK:

  • Tier 1 General
  • Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa UK
  • Tier 1 Investor Visa UK
  • Tier 1 Exceptional Talent
  • Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur
  • Tier 2 General Migrant
  • Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer (ICT)
  • Tier 2 Minister of Religion
  • Tier 2 Sportsperson
  • Domestic Worker Visa
  • Sole Representative Visa

If you would like professional advice and more information on the visa categories listed above, contact our immigration Solicitors today.

British Citizenship

If you or your loved ones would like to make the United Kingdom their permanent home, you will need to determine the most appropriate path to British Citizenship. There are many factors and qualification criteria which determine which path to apply for British citizenship are most suitable. Here is the basic overview of the most common paths to citizenship.

Naturalisation is currently the most common way to apply for British citizenship and the requirements are as follows:

  • You must be at least 18 years of age.
  • You may not have any immigration offences in the past 10 years.
  • You must not have any serious criminal charges.
  • You must have lived in the UK for 5 years.
  • Your travel outside of the UK in the last 12 months must have been minimal; such as for holidays.
  • You must meet the minimum knowledge of English and life in the UK requirements.
  • You may qualify for naturalisation if you are currently stateless.

This is the general criteria to apply for British Citizenship, but it varies greatly if your spouse is a British citizen, or if you are a citizen of an EEA country. Naturalisation for EEA citizens varies by country. If you are currently married or engaged to a British citizen, you can gain entry to the UK with a spouse or fiancé visa which allows you to work and attend university. We can then discuss a long-term plan for obtaining British citizenship. Our immigration solicitors will assist you with the most complicated immigration cases.

Other ways to qualify for British Citizenship:

  • You have another form of British nationality; overseas citizen, protected person, are a British subject, or overseas national.
  • Your father is a British citizen.
  • Your mother is a British citizen and you were born before 1 January 1983.
  • You were born in the UK on or after 1983.
  • You are currently stateless.
  • You are connected with Gibraltar or Hong Kong.
  • You are under the age of 18 and do not meet naturalisation qualifications.

 

Right of Abode and Certificate of Entitlement

If you have the right of abode (which means you have the unrestricted right to enter and live in the UK) you can live and work in the UK without meeting the British citizenship requirements above. You will not require a visa, and there is no limit to how long you can stay in the UK. Once you prove your right of abode you will need to apply for a certificate of entitlement, and again each time your passport expires. You automatically have right of abode if you are a British citizen or have a UK passport that describes you as a British citizen or subject. You can contact us to know the criteria needed to gain a right of abode.

Depending on the date of your marriage, women may lose their right of abode if they are divorced and their partner has remarried or remarried and widowed, or their new spouse has a certificate of entitlement.

Your Partner/Spouse is a UK Citizen

If you are married or in a civil partnership with someone who has British citizenship, the requirements to apply for naturalisation are different. You can contact us directly and we will be happy to shed more light on your specific situation and what will be needed.

Brexit and EU Citizens who want British Citizenship

As of March 2019, if you are an EU citizen you will have to qualify for Permanent Residency (Indefinite Leave to Remain) before receiving British Citizenship. For this, you will have to apply through the EU Settlement Scheme.

 

EEA Family Permit – Application and Requirements

EEA family permits allow recipients to enter and leave the country as many times as they like within a 6-month period. Without a permit, you may not be able to receive a boarding pass to travel to the UK or may not make it through customs. While Brexit will affect the current permit procedures for EEA and Swiss nationals and their families, it will not go in to effect until sometime in 2019. A new process will be developed, but in the meantime, the current process still stands.

At Oasis Law Solicitors, we can also help you with all of the following Indefinite Leave to Remain Services:

  • ILR – 10 Years Residence (See Below)
  • ILR – 20 Years Residence (See Below)
  • ILR – 7 Years Residence (Children, see below)
  • ILR – Tier 1 Investor Visa 
  • ILR – Tier 1 Entrepreneur 
  • ILR – Work Permit Holder
  • ILR – Spouse Visa 
  • ILR – Same-Sex Partner 
  • ILR – Civil Partner 
  • ILR – Unmarried Partner Visa 
  • ILR – As a Victim of Domestic Violence
  • ILR – Bereaved Partner
  • ILR Adult Dependant Relative
  • ILR – Tier 5 International Agreement
  • ILR – As A Refugee – SET Protection Route
  • Permanent residence as Family Member of an EEA National 
  • Permanent residence as an EEA National

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) entitles you to live in the UK for as long as you wish and also allows you to leave the UK for standard holidays and business trips. However, if you leave the country for over 48 consecutive months, your ILR may be revoked. You must have your ILR for at least 1 year before you can apply for naturalisation. There are criteria to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain. You may have to contact our expert immigration solicitors for advice. Please book an appointment today.

ILR for European Citizens (Brexit)

As of March 2019, you can qualify for Permanent Residence (Indefinite Leave to Remain) in the UK as an EU citizen or as a dependent of an EU Citizen. For this, you will have to apply through the EU Settlement Scheme.