Immigration Advisers in Harrow
The UK is one of the most popular destinations for immigrants worldwide. People often need expert legal support to understand the complex nature of UK immigration rules, and navigate smoothly through the visa, residency, citizenship or asylum application processes.
This article explores how to choose a reputable immigration lawyer in Harrow depending on your immigration situation. Our London Immigration Lawyers team comes with specialist knowledge and vast experience in helping both individuals and foreign businesses move to the UK. For more information on what services we offer, call us on 0204 502 8582 today.
Immigrating to the UK: Challenges Involved
Immigrating to the UK can be challenging. Especially so in an era when the successive British governments, Conservatives and Labour alike, are increasingly tightening border and immigration controls.
Individual Immigration Challenges
While critics are divided in their opinion about how the current Labour government’s immigration approach differs from their Conservative predecessors, the net result is more or less the same for people looking to move to the UK. UK immigration law is getting stricter, making your intended move to the island nation increasingly difficult, be it through the Skilled Worker, graduate student, or UK family visa route.
Even when applying for a short stay Standard Visitor visa in the UK, you must be aware of the visa requirements and application guidelines, to increase your chances of receiving a positive decision. Be aware that even a visit visa rejection can impact your future UK visa applications, depending on the nature and severity of the reason(s) for such refusal.
Business Immigration Challenges
On the other hand, if your overseas company wishes to expand its business footprint in the UK, you must additionally understand the nuances of British tax laws and financial regulations to operate lawfully in the country. Business immigration requirements are often the strictest in every country’s immigration policies. The UK government is no exception.
The Home Office not only wants to protect the interests of its domestic workforce but also ensure that employers do not abuse work visa routes or indulge in malpractices leading to “modern slavery” or illegal working conditions. While the UK generally welcomes international companies or start-ups on its soil, the benefits such businesses bring to the UK and its citizens are rigorously scrutinised.
It is, therefore, of utmost importance to seek legal advice and support as soon as you plan to move to the UK, whether you are a private individual wishing to visit, live, work or study in the country or a foreign company/organisation seeking to expand your business footprint there.
Page Contents
- Immigrating to the UK: Challenges Involved
- Why Should I Hire an Immigration Adviser?
- UK Visas and Immigration: An Overview
- Permanent Residency in the UK: Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- British Citizenship
- Claim Asylum in the UK
- Visa Refusals: Reviews and Appeals
- How Much Do Immigration Advisers in Harrow Charge?
- How to Find a Good Immigration Adviser in Harrow?
- Why Choose Our Immigration Advisers in Harrow?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Should I Hire an Immigration Adviser?
Application for a UK visa is often the final step in a tedious immigration journey for most people. A rejection may jeopardise your future plans of settling in the UK, taking a toll on your emotional health and family life. Partnering with a competent immigration adviser for a UK visa, residency, citizenship or asylum application may prove pivotal to improve your chances of receiving a positive decision.
For example, most people applying for citizenship in the UK are not aware that apparently minor issues like long vacations abroad in the last 12 months before filing their application may impact their claim. An experienced immigration lawyer can point out such nuances early to avoid such technical issues affecting your chances of receiving a positive decision later in the application process.
An expert immigration lawyer will not only help you with your application and required documentation, but also play a crucial role right from the planning stage, long before you actually submit your application. Moreover, if the Home Office refuses to grant you a visa, you will need to either appeal the refusal decision, or ask for an administrative or judicial review. All of these options are quite complex, and will demand legal advice at every step.
UK Visas and Immigration: An Overview
Overview
Individuals moving to the UK do so for various purposes, such as:
- Work
- Business
- Study
- Join family
- Seek protection from persecution in their own countries, etc.
On the other hand, the UK’s high-quality infrastructure and stable political system attract both individual foreign entrepreneurs and overseas companies to invest or expand in the UK.
The myriad of the UK visa requirements and application guidelines may appear to be a bit overwhelming to a layperson, but an expert and empathetic UK immigration lawyer can help you navigate through these legal complexities smoothly. Let’s first explore the various immigration pathways through which you can come to the UK or settle there on a long-term basis.
UK Visitor Visa
Foreign nationals from visa-required countries for the UK may need to apply for a short-term visa to travel to the country and stay there for up to 90 days, for various purposes such as tourism, business visa, medical treatment, visiting family or friends etc.
Depending on the purpose behind your trip, the eligibility criteria and documentation requirements will vary, so it is advisable to seek legal help even when applying for a short-term visa in the UK.
UK Family Visas
Foreign nationals, who wish to come and reside for more than six months with their UK resident relative, will need to apply for a family visa. Eligible family members who can take this route to move to the UK are:
- Spouse or civil partner
- Fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner
- Child
- Parent
- A relative who must be in the long-term care of their UK resident relative
UK Work Visas
The UK has several work visa options for overseas workers. You may choose what is appropriate in your circumstances, depending on your skills or qualifications and your employment situation. You may also be eligible for certain UK work visas given your nationality or the age group you belong to. The visa requirements and validity will vary depending on the type of visa.
The UK work visa options can be categorised like the following:
- Work visas such as Health and Care Worker visa and Skilled Worker visa, for people with an eligible job offer from a UK employer
- For people working in the UK for their overseas employers, Senior or Specialist Worker visa, Overseas Domestic Worker visa, Graduate Trainee visa, Secondment Worker visa, Service Supplier visa, UK Expansion Worker visa, Representative of an Overseas Business visa
- People without a job offer in the UK can apply for a British National (Overseas) visa, Graduate visa, Youth Mobility Scheme visa, India Young Professionals Scheme visa, Global Talent visa, UK Ancestry visa, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa
- Temporary work visas such as Seasonal Worker visa, Government Authorised Exchange visa, Creative Worker visa, Religious Worker visa, Charity Worker visa, International Agreement visa
- Other work visas, such as International Sportsperson visa, Minister of Religion visa (T2), Scale-up Worker visa, Frontier Worker permit
Setting up a Business in the UK
Foreign entrepreneurs and start-up founders can take the Innovator Founder visa route to immigrate to the country. To apply for an Innovator Founder visa, you must have an original and innovative business idea, which will have to be endorsed by an approved body in the UK.
The business idea must have a potential for growth, and there should be a clear plan to create jobs in the UK and expand the business footprint to national and international markets, to be successfully endorsed. Your visa validity may be cut short if your business loses its endorsement.
Sponsorship Licence for Employers
UK companies may hire eligible foreign nationals provided that they have a valid sponsor licence issued by the Home Office. Businesses must have appropriate systems, policies and processes in place to monitor their sponsored workers as well as key people to manage sponsorship within the organisation.
In addition, there must be a genuine vacancy, for which the job offer must comply with the UK minimum salary requirements and working time regulations. You must also prove that you can carry out your duties and meet all regulatory requirements as a licensed employer.
UK Student Visa
International students can apply for a study visa if they have been accepted by an educational institution in the UK, and have sufficient financial means to cover their tuition fees and living costs.
Foreign nationals over 16 years of age will have to apply for a Student visa. They may apply for a Child Student visa if they are 4-17 years old, and want to study at an independent school in the country. If your course duration is six months or less, you can apply for a Standard Visitor visa in the UK for study purposes.
A Short-term study visa is also available to foreign nationals to come to the UK for studying English.
Permanent Residency in the UK: Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
To live permanently in the UK, foreign nationals will need to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). It is a settlement pathway in the UK, and allows you to live, work and study in the country for an indefinite period as the name suggests. You will also be able to use your ILR status to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation.
There are different ways to apply for ILR based on your circumstances. For example, if you have lived and worked in the UK on a work visa for five years, you may apply for ILR if you meet all relevant conditions. For some visas, the residence requirement can be two or three years.
British Citizenship
There are several routes through which a foreign national may become a British citizen, such as birth, marriage/civil partnership, indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or settled status, British parent(s) or grandparent(s), parent(s) with British overseas territories citizenship, or another type of British nationality.
People who are stateless, a direct descendant of someone born in British Indian Ocean Territory, or who previously renounced their British citizenship or nationality will also be able to apply. Certain Commonwealth citizens may also apply under the Windrush Scheme to become British citizens.
Claim Asylum in the UK
Foreign nationals can seek asylum in the UK if they are unable to live safely in their home countries, fearing persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, sexual preference, or any other issue that puts them at risk because of the social, cultural, religious or political circumstances there.
They may also seek asylum in case their country is at war or undergoing internal armed conflicts, and they cannot get protection from the authorities in such a scenario.
Visa Refusals: Reviews and Appeals
In case of a visa refusal, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will send you a visa refusal letter stating the reason(s) for refusal, and whether you can appeal the decision or ask for an administrative review. The administrative review route is applicable if your visa application was refused not rejected. UKVI will review its refusal decision internally only if it is alleged that a caseworking error occurred in the process of reaching a visa decision in your case.
In certain cases, you may instead be able to appeal the visa decision in front of the immigration tribunal. However, there are significantly fewer occasions where a visa applicant may have this right.
If you do not have the right to appeal or ask for an administrative review, and you have applied for your visa from inside the UK, you may raise a ‘reconsideration request’, asking UKVI to review the decision on your application. If none of these options applies to your case, you may need to reapply for a UK visa.
Irrespective of the option applicable to your circumstances, you must ensure that you have thoroughly understood the reason(s) behind your visa refusal or rejection, to be able to come up with a feasible strategy. An experienced immigration lawyer can help you understand the visa refusal reasons, and advise on what you should do next.
How Much Do Immigration Advisers in Harrow Charge?
The cost of hiring an immigration lawyer varies from case to case, depending on the:
- Services you are looking for
- Complexities involved in your situation
- Extent of services required
For example, the legal fees will be higher for a multinational corporation moving several foreign employees to the UK (or hiring a considerable number of overseas workers) than that applicable for an individual applying for a Skilled Worker visa.
Likewise, if you need your chosen immigration law firm to provide end-to-end support for your UK visa, starting from exploring visa options, collecting required documents to applying for the visa, you will be charged higher than if your lawyer is only helping you with the application part.
Irrespective of the cost, please note that it is crucial to hire an experienced and reputed immigration lawyer to guide you and advise with your visa, permit or sponsor licence applications, and/or represent you in a tribunal if your application is refused or challenged.
How to Find a Good Immigration Adviser in Harrow?
To identify an immigration adviser best suited to help with your UK visa application, consider the following checklist:
- Whether the concerned law firm has considerable specialisation and experience in the related immigration area (e.g., UK work visa or sponsor licence)
- Whether the firm has a proven track record when it comes to helping individuals and companies with UK immigration
- What their past clients have to say about the lawyer(s)
- Whether the fee structure is transparent and has no hidden costs
- If the law firm is regulated by SRA, the regulator of advisers and law firms in England and Wales
- Whether the law firm is certified by IAA (Immigration Advice Authority), an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Home Office, that protects seekers of immigration advice through regulation, enforcement and promoting best practice
- How easily you can connect with your lawyer, e.g., over phone, online, or just by filling up an enquiry form
If you comb through the content on your chosen law firm’s website, or their blogs on UK visa and immigration practices (if there is one), you will most likely be able to answer many of the above questions.
Why Choose Our Immigration Advisers in Harrow?
If you are looking for immigration advice in North London, get in touch with our Harrow office. We tick every checkbox discussed in the section above, and are an IAA Level 3 law firm supporting clients worldwide.
Our team is here for you for every step of the process, starting from helping you decide which visa/permit option would be most suitable given your circumstances, to advising you on the required documentary evidence, to completing your visa/permit application on your behalf.
You may choose from any of our below packages and/or ask for more customisable services as required in your immigration situation:
- The Advice Package: Comprehensive advice from our professional immigration lawyers, tailored to suit your needs and situation
- The Application Package: Advice regarding eligibility and application process from a dedicated immigration lawyer, followed by actual assistance in completing and submitting your application form
- The Fast Track Package: A premium service offered in case you have a tight deadline for submitting your visa/permit application, where your case becomes a top priority for our lawyers
- The Appeal Package: Preparation of your appeal case by experienced and knowledgeable lawyers, and full legal representation in any hearings/tribunals on your behalf
Relocation Services
Starting from purchasing or renting an accommodation, opening a bank account, purchasing health insurance (where applicable) to actually moving to the UK physically, moving to the UK from overseas takes a lot of paperwork and a thorough understanding of how the country’s bureaucratic and administrative systems work.
Keeping that in mind, we also offer international relocation services for both individuals and organisations for a hassle-free moving experience. Our team will not only help you through the process, but will also complete some of the tasks on your behalf so that you can concentrate on settling down in the UK as well as integrating with the UK society.
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Frequently Asked Questions
We help both individual immigrants as well as foreign businesses and entrepreneurs moving to the UK. Depending on your situation, you will be assigned a specialist UK immigration lawyer having the relevant expertise and experience in the concerned area.
Technically speaking, there is no hard-and-fast rule that says you must hire an immigration lawyer to apply for a UK visa. However, professional legal advice can increase your chances of receiving a favourable decision, especially in complex immigration circumstances.
