General UK Immigration Advice

Leaving Uk As An Overstayer

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:00:07 +0000

Hey there

The person in question is an overstayer since 2008. She has been in uk for 7 years total. Apparently it doesnt look like she has any basis for a case that would win, so by my understanding her best bet is to leave. Now she is willing and wanting to leave, She is able to get her ticket etc, however ofcourse her visa is expired and so is her passport. What is the best way for her to get out of this country without having to go through alot of hassle.

Thank you for reading.

Visitor Visa

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:25:02 +0000

Hi All,

I'm finally a British citisen and inviting my sister and nephew to visit me in the UK. However, I'm struggling with the type of visa my sister should apply.
As per immigration rules my nephew would not qualify for Family Visitor visa and as he is over 18 he needs to apply for General Visitor visa.
As they will be traveling together, what type of visa my sister should apply for Family Visitor visa or General Visitor?

Thanks in advance for your responces

Fiance Visa Switch To Eea Family Permit

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:32:06 +0000

Hi Everyone,

A few months ago, my boyfriend ( Colombian ) got a UK fiance Visa. We are having our civil partnership this week, and I would like to check which are our options regarding residency and work permit.

His current fiance visa does not allow him to work, however as I am Spanish, I was thinking about switching to European Union law, as this seems an easier and cheaper option. Is that the best option considering that he would not be able to work until he receives the resident card? or is it better to go for the UK FLR?

If we apply for the Residence card, How long does it usually take for this permit to be issued?

if I am not mistaken another option would be for him to go back to Colombia and apply for a EEA family permit (which would allow him to work)...is that correct?

As you can see I am a bit confused, so any advise about the fastest and easier way for him to be able to start working in Uk would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Channel 4 Despatches

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:16:15 +0000

http://www.channel4....eporter-feature

Immigration Undercover: Reporter Feature

FEATURES

MONDAY 08 APRIL 2013
REPORTER - MORLAND SANDERS

Morland Sanders writes about the making of Immigration Undercover
Ever wondered what a government agency looks like with just hours to go before the biggest deadline in its history?
Easter Saturday morning and the door swings open to reveal the United Kingdom Border Agency offices in Sheffield. We see nothing but empty desks, vacant chairs and a handful of staff. One of the few who did volunteer to come in was Pete, our undercover reporter.
There should be plenty for him to do: tens of thousands of immigration case need to be processed. This was a promise that senior civil servants made to Parliament 12 months earlier – that they would clear the entire backlog of outstanding immigration cases. Some of them date back years. The Agency has long been accused not just of shoddy work, but of obscuring the scale of its problems. So with a deadline of March 31st to clear a huge backlog of immigration cases, we sent in undercover reporters with secret cameras to see how the Agency planned to deliver on its promise.
Pete was one of around 800 temps paid near minimum wage and given five days' training to help bust the backlogs. The Agency has spent its five-year existence stumbling from one crisis to another, losing track of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, building backlogs and delaying crucial decisions, allowing those who should be removed from the country to strengthen their case to remain and extending the misery of those with a genuine reason to continue their life in the UK.
Some of the briefings that staff in the Sheffield office attend seem to be about not meeting this deadline. A manager briefs workers that 'we're going to shift the goal posts a little bit', and that 'the commitment made to ministers won't be met'. The plan appears to be two-fold: firstly, take 17,000 of the 60,000 cases in the family backlog and redefine them as 'frictional', meaning they're in the process of being worked on but crucially not stuck in the backlog.
Secondly, the family cases backlog will be segmented into four different categories. Three of them will contain cases that are reasonably simple to process. But the fourth – Category D – will be an enormous pile of 50,000 complex human rights cases that won't be cleared before the deadline. However, this could allow the UKBA to claim they have cleared three of the four categories by 31st March .
On 26th March 2013, just four days before the deadline, the Home Secretary announced that the UKBA would be scrapped, and its responsibilities folded back into the Home Office.
In response to our findings about the segmentation of the Family backlog, the Home Office told us: 'Dividing up work in this way and prioritising cases is a sensible way of tackling the large caseload so that, for example, a person with a straightforward application to stay in the country with their husband or wife would be dealt with more quickly than a complex Human Rights application from a person who had been refused under several other routes. We expect these human rights cases to be within service standards by the summer and the rest of the family cases within the next few weeks'.
They also said: 'It will take many years to clear the backlogs and fix the system, but the changes weve put in place will put us in a much stronger position to do so.'
Our reporters have been inside the Border Agency's dying days for nearly a month. The Agency may be no more, but change to the way we deal with immigration is undoubtedly needed, and it'll take more than a shiny new logo to solve the same old problems.

Visiting France With Biometric Residence Permit

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:38:04 +0000

Hi

My wife is recently granted ILR - Biometric residence permit.

If she wants to visit France for holidays, does she need a French Visa?

I was under the impression that she would need one, but I read the following on

http://ambafrance-uk.org/Do-you-need-a-visa,21436

Latest news
« Holders of travel documents issued by the British Authorities under the Geneva Convention of July 1951 - refugees - and under the New York Convention of September 1954 - stateless - may travel visa-free to France and the Schengen area as long as they can produce at border control their valid travel document as well their valid UK residency permit. People who do not hold official evidence of their right to remain in Great Britain will need to apply for a Schengen visa ».

Published on 25.09.2012

Hopefully someone can clarify

thanks

(Potentially) No University Degree For Me

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 20:46:59 +0000

A very good evening to you all, I hope you don't mind me not giving you my real name for obvious reasons.
I am currently a student at a University in the United Kingdom and have been for the last 4 years. My story starts in 2002 when my parents brought me to the United Kingdom at the age of 11. My mother and father then had a row and my dad left to go to Kenya whilst my mum, my siblings and I remained here in the care of my grandfather (mum's dad). Unfortunately my mum had decided to overstay her visa and had made an application on some basis that I was not sure of. That didn't work. In the meantime I was progressing in school and sixth form. The time came to apply for university and I had no idea what was going to happen. I had no passport no visa nothing, however no checks where done on me and I was able to get mys student card and I became a student in 2009. During this time in 2010 we had then submitted an application for discressionary leave to remain but that too also came back refused, however my mother's passport still resides with the UKBA and I didn't have one until July 2012.

However it was a temporary state and I have now been asked by the university to submit my passport and documents in my final year, I understand that I may not have tackled the situation in the best way, I have no idea what to do and I seriously need some advise
The university have held my degree until I can provide them with the right documents.
I have paid �14400 every year for the last 4 years for this degree and I can't just give up that sum of money not considering the hard work I've put in the last 4 years.

I have contacted lawyers and solicitors who haven't given me any hope, I know that I may be asking for too much here but any sign of hope will be very much a GodSend

Thanks

Kings Court Chambers: Experiences

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:15:11 +0000

Hi,

Has anyone dealt with Kings Court Chambers barristers?

It seems a little too vague and everything is dealt with online. Are they legitimate?

The reason I ask is I got referred to them and when I try to process the payment my bank referred it to security team which arose my suspictions.

I then started to google them and the little reviews I have read about them aren't great.

I will keep you all posted as to the development vis-a-vis my bank.

In the meanwhile anything anyone could them me about these guys would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Tier 2 Holder And Psw Holder Getting Married

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:25:30 +0000

Hi,
I am currently a psw holder and my girlfriend is a tier 2 work-permit holder. And my visa is going to expire soon.

So, we are thinking to get married and I am going to be a dependant one. I have been living lawfully (continuously) since 2005

september. and after we get married, all those years i have spent still count as a 10 years residency? and do we have to go back to get

married or to apply visa ?

thanks in advance.

Divorce While Waiting Pup Decicion?

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:40:33 +0000

Hi Forum Lawyers ,Victoria pls trying to help our friend ,
I have very close friends lady my wifes friend plus our friend actually.She is husband behaving very badly near her child almost a year and he hit her...plus lots of insulting along too.no money food ...

our friends suffering very badly.When i went sign place last time i saw a poster dont suffer come and tel us domastic violence kind of poster was in sign place.Also i got one friend from grocery told me if this lady go there and ask help it helps her visa status due to she need help so she dont have house and she got very young child school age.

I wonder if she go there ask help are they provide a house her to stay with her child safely? plus she dont have work permission like us she also applyed human rights long time a go waiting like us no news nothing she said she signing more than 2 years .She like to work if they give a chance also.I told her sister i dont have a that much money to get u lawyer but insallh Victoria or other valuable lawayers can give you a little bit advise mean while

Thank you advance I wish good future all of us

Aladdin &Family

Discretionary Leave

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:22:42 +0000

Please can you advise what forms that I would need to renew my three years discretion visa under aricle8 granted in 2009 because I had british husband and two british kids,visa expire in march this year.thanks