OVERVIEW
Personal Immigration allows people from outside the United Kingdom to enter or stay in the UK to work, study, or join their family members in the UK. The United Kingdom is the sixth-largest economy in the world with a GDP of $2.83 trillion. Each year scores of immigrants arrive in the UK to contribute to its economic growth.
If you are looking for end-to-end personal immigration services, UK Residency is the immigration firm to trust. We closely listen to the needs of our clients and customise our consultancy services accordingly. We help them join the dynamic and fast-moving lifestyle by navigating the complexities of the UK immigration process.
To be eligible for settlement or indefinite leave to remain, you must have lived in the UK for a certain amount of time. Make sure to check the time duration you need to stay in the UK required for settlement before applying to extend your stay.
You can apply to settle if you have spent a couple of years in the United Kingdom already.
If you are already in the UK, you can apply to extend your visa to live with a family member. Your visa can be extended anytime as long as your permission to stay in the UK is valid. By applying to extend your stay, up to 28 days will be added to the days left on your current stay to your new visa.
The coronavirus pandemic might make it difficult for you to meet the rules to stay or enter the UK.
However, that’s not a problem. Read the guidance for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents if you wish to extend your stay or switch to a family visa.
You might also need to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.
If you’re applying from the UK, you need to pay an extra £800 for the super-priority service to get a faster decision. The super-priority service cannot be used if you’re applying as an adult coming to be sponsored by a relative.
A biometric residence permit takes up to 10 working days to arrive, once the decision has been issued.
- It takes 12 weeks for the decision to be made if you are applying outside of the UK.
- It takes 8 weeks for the decision to be made if you are applying within the UK using a standard service.
However, if you use the super-priority service, the decision will be made:
- By the end of the next working day given your biometric information is provided on a weekday
- After 2 working days, if you have shared your biometric information during an appointment on a weekend
Complex applications may take longer to process, for example:
- If the applicant doesn’t meet the minimum income requirement
- If the applicant has failed to prove his knowledge of English
- The applicant has an interview to attend
- The evidence required by the Home Office is missing or incomplete
- The applicant has a personal circumstance or criminal conviction that needs to be reviewed
You might be able to apply to settle in the UK if you had permission to stay in the UK as a partner if
- You were the victim of domestic abuse
- Your partner died
You might be able to apply for ‘family reunion’ to join a partner or parent who has either:
- Refugee status in the UK
- Humanitarian protection in the UK
You can apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme if a close family member of yours has started living in the United Kingdom before 1 January 2021. If that’s not the case, you must obtain a visa or family permit to visit the UK. Irish citizens can enter the UK without applying for a visa or the EU Settlement Scheme.
In some circumstances, you cannot apply for, or switch to a family visa.
Your family member has a work visa or student visa
If your family member is living in the UK temporarily on a work visa or student visa, you cannot apply for a family visa. You can only apply to stay as their dependent in the UK.
You have a visitor visa or a visa for 6 months or less
- You have permission to be in the UK as a visitor
- Your visa is valid for up to 6 months or less
UK Residency is the immigration firm that can help foreign nationals acquire indefinite leave to stay in the UK. Our immigration advisors can offer
- Expert advice on the requirements of the Immigration Rules
- An independent assessment of your prospects of qualifying for settlement
- Professional assistance with preparing an application or appeal to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.
Get in touch with one of our immigration consultants to discuss options to enter the UK.