An Immigration Solicitors Guide to the UKVI
UK Visas & Immigration is the longhand for UKVI. As UKVI doesn’t trip off the tongue easily many UK immigration solicitors refer to UKVI as the Home Office.
In this guide, our immigration solicitors look at what the UKVI does.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For specialist immigration law advice call the London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
UK Visas & Immigration
UK Visas & Immigration (or UKVI) is part of the UK government’s Home Office. The department is responsible for processing:
- Visa applications including visitor visas, student visas, spouse and family visas, work visas (such as the skilled worker visa, health and care worker visa or senior or specialist worker visa) and business visas (such as the start-up visa or innovator visa)
- Visa switch applications and extension applications
- Settlement applications such as indefinite leave to remain applications and British citizenship applications
- Asylum and human rights claims
- Deportations
- Making immigration decisions, such as whether a visa should be curtailed or assessing whether visa conditions have been breached
- Sponsor licences and business immigration decisions such as sponsor licence applications and renewals as well as sponsor licence compliance, sponsor licence suspensions and revocations
- Administrative reviews of UKVI decisions
Immigration solicitors and applying to the UKVI
You don’t need a specialist immigration solicitor to make an application to UKVI but it helps as an immigration solicitor can advise you on:
- Whether you need a visa – you may not need one depending on your nationality and the length of the planned visit
- Making the best visa application for your situation – there is often more than one choice available to you so you need to carefully consider the available options. For example, some visas allow you to find employment without the business needing to sponsor your employment under a sponsor licence. Other visas allow you to apply for accelerated settlement so you can apply for indefinite leave to remain earlier than normal. Applicants for indefinite leave to remain have to meet a 5-year residence requirement unless they qualify for accelerated settlement
- Whether you can apply for the visa from within or outside the UK
- The eligibility criteria for specific visas and the evidence requirements
- Administrative review or appeal or judicial review options
- Sponsoring overseas migrant workers on UK work visas so UK business owners can meet their recruitment needs
- Settlement applications including indefinite leave to remain and British citizenship applications
- Advice on deprivation of British citizenship or applications for a returning visa if you have indefinite leave to remain but you have been absent from the UK for more than 2 years
- Advice on overstaying and the impact of overstaying on your immigration record and future immigration applications
- Asylum claims
- Use of UKVI priority and premium services to speed up the UKVI application process
Whatever the nature of your individual immigration or business immigration query our expert immigration solicitors can provide you with friendly specialist legal advice and guidance.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For specialist immigration law advice call the London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
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