KNOWLEDGE

CENTRE

IHS Fee Set to Increase 66% on 6 February 2024

On 13 October 2023, the UK Government announced a substantial 66% increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).  A delegated legislation committee of the House of Commons approved the Immigration (Health...

Registering a UK Born Child as a British Citizen After 10 Years

If you do not qualify for British citizenship automatically, you may be eligible to apply for Registration as a British citizen, either by way of an entitlement or on a discretionary basis.  In this...

Adult Dependent Relative Visa: Proving Unavailability of Care

In Adult Dependent Relative visa applications, an Applicant must demonstrate that the level of care they require for their specific conditions is unavailable or unaffordable in the country where they are...

Navigating the New £29,000 UK Partner & Family Visa Financial Requirement

This post explores the recent immigration announcement to change the minimum income requirement for the partner/family visa routes from Spring 2024 and the alternatives available if you are not able to meet the...

Cooling-Off Periods in Sponsor Licence Applications

UK-based companies that hold a sponsor licence can sponsor foreign employees to live and work in the UK under the Skilled Worker or Global Business Mobility immigration routes. In its published guidance, however,...

Settlement as a Sole Representative Visa Holder

The Representative of an Overseas Business category was closed on 11 April 2022, but many individuals who are already in the Sole Representative route will be looking to extend their leave or apply for indefinite...

UK Shortage Occupation List 2024

The Shortage Occupation List has now been replaced by the Immigration Salary List.  Click here to read our comprehensive guide to the UK Immigration Salary List.  When sponsoring a worker for a particular role,...

Home Office Revises Minimum Income Requirement for Spouse, Partner and Family Visas to £29,000

As we reported in our earlier post, on Monday, 4 December, the Home Secretary unveiled a series of significant measures aimed at reducing legal migration numbers to the UK by around 300,000.  These measures included...

UK-Ireland Travel: A Guide for Visa Nationals

In two previous posts, we explained the impact of the Common Travel Area (CTA) on travel between the UK and Ireland. In our first post, we explained how non-visa nationals may automatically benefit from  “deemed...

Grounds for Refusal of a UK Immigration Application Explained

Part 9 of the Immigration Rules applies to the vast majority of applications for entry clearance and permission to stay in the UK. It contains the general grounds of refusals and in certain circumstances provides...

Divorce and the EU Settlement Scheme: Retained Rights of Residence

A common question for those who hold Pre-Settled Status in the UK as the spouse of an EEA national is what will happen to their rights in the event of a divorce, and whether they will be eligible for Settled Status....

Supreme Court Weighs in on Long Residence, Validity and Section 3C

In R (on the application of Afzal) & R (on the application of Iyieke) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] UKSC 46 the Supreme Court considered matters arising from two applications for indefinite...