Settlement Visa Applications

Permanent Residence

If you’re applying for a residence card it can help you re-enter the UK quicker and easier if you travel abroad, show employers that you’re permitted to work in the UK and help prove that you qualify to receive certain benefits and services. If you’re from outside the EEA or Switzerland and are an extended family member of an EEA or Swiss national, you will be able to apply for a UK residence card and this document typically lasts for up to 5 years; however, it is important to note that your residence card will not be valid when the UK leaves the European Union (EU) in March 2019. If your residence card expires before March 2019, you are required to reapply for a new residence card.

 

Since the result of the referendum, the UK government has made it abundantly clear how important it is that during the Brexit negotiations, we need to secure both the rights of EU citizens residing in the UK and UK nationals living in other EU member states as early as possible. You can stay up-to-date with the latest developments regarding EU nationals and Brexit by signing up for email updates on the government website.

Indefinite Leave to Remain

To reside in the UK permanently, you will need to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and this is granted to people who have shown commitment to the UK by living in the UK continuously for at least 5 years and to those who can adhere to specific income requirements by exercising their treaty rights. After you have received ILR, you will be eligible to go on to apply for naturalisation if you wish to do so.

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In order to apply for ILR, you will need to prove that you have sufficient knowledge of the English language and adequate knowledge regarding life in the UK. If you are under the age of 18 or over the age of 65 when the application is being made, you are exempt from this requirement.

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Once you have been granted ILR, it is imperative that you must not spend any more than 2 years outside the UK as this can lead to your ILR status being withdrawn – in order to avoid this from happening, the vast majority of migrants will be eligible to apply for British citizenship after 1 year as a permanent resident after qualifying for ILR.

Further Leave to Remain

This visa application is for those if you do not yet qualify for ILR, but wish to extend your temporary UK visa. If you came to the UK on a Visitor visa, in most cases you’re not permitted to extend your visa, however, in limited circumstances, you may be able to switch to a different immigration visa, which will allow you to extend your stay in the UK.

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Shamima will do everything that she can in order to make the application process as stress-free as possible. Your application will be acted upon with the utmost amount of professionalism and efficiency, allowing you to be confident in the services that she provides and be assured that your application will be completed and processed as quickly as possible.