Information For Individuals, UK Settlement & Citizenship, UK Visas

UK Settlement Visas

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After you have completed a certain number of years in the UK on a certain immigration status you can normally apply for Settlement (also known as ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’ or ‘Permanent Residence’).

The length of time you need to complete in order to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) depends on the type of status you hold. Below we have provided information on;

Are you a highly skilled IT, Engineering, Medical or Financial Services Professional? Do you need a Tier 2 General Visa to work in the UK? If so Commonwealth Contractors can help!

At Commonwealth Contractors we partner with Tier 2 Licensed Employers & Consultancies who may be prepared, where required, to sponsor an individual on a Tier 2 General Visa.

To find out more about our solutions call now on 0330 390 9021 or Submit your Details and we will get right back to you!

ILR further to a Work Visa (i.e. Tier 1 General, Tier 2 General)

Most highly skilled professionals come to the UK to work on Tier 1 General Visas (formerly the old HSMP) and employer sponsored Tier 2 General Visas (formerly the old Business & Commercial Work Permit).

If you hold a qualifying Work Visa you can apply for Settlement in the UK after you have completed at least 5 full qualifying years without a break. Please note that a break is considered to be any more than 90 days out of the country in any one year.

You can qualify for ILR after 5 years on a combination of visas (i.e. Tier 2 General & then Tier 1 General) so long as the time spent on each visa counts towards ILR. For example someone who came to the UK on a Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa (i.e. Working Holiday) and then transferred to Tier 2 General could not use time spent on Tier 5 in respect of the ILR application.

Qualifying Work Visas;

Tier 1 General (to qualify for ILR you must re-prove you gain enough points for Tier 1 at the time of applying)

  • Highly Skilled Migrant Programme
  • Tier 2 General (requires the support of your sponsoring employer)
  • Business & Commercial Work Permit
  • Innovator
  • UK Ancestry

You will need to complete a ‘Life in the UK’ test

For information on Settlement further to the Tier 1 Investor and Tier 1 Entrepreneur categories please see below.

ILR further to Marriage

You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain as the wife, husband, civil partner or unmarried / same sex partner of a British Citizen or Settled Person after you have completed at least 3 full (unbroken) years in the UK.

ILR further to the 10 Year Long Residence Concession

You can apply for ILR on the basis of ‘Long Residence’ after if you have completed at least 10 years ‘lawfully’ in the UK.

For example an individual comes to the UK on a Student Visa (which does not normally count towards ILR) and then keeps on extending the visa for a period in excess of 10 years. In this case the individual would qualify for Indefinite Leave after 10 years.

ILR further to the 14 Year Long Residence Concession

At the moment it is possible to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain further to the highly controversial 14 Year Long Residence Concession. The reason the concession is so controversial is that time spent ‘illegally’ in the UK counts towards ILR.

In July 2011 Government Ministers aired plans to close the 14 Year Long Residence Concession which was originally introduced by the Labour Government back in 2003. It has been estimated that around 9,000 illegal immigrants have been grated Indefinite Leave further to the concession since it was introduced.

ILR Fast track under Tier 1 Investor

The Tier 1 Investor Visa allows individuals to ‘fast track’ applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain as set out below. This fast tracking is in comparison to the 5 year requirement further to normal employment visas.

Qualifying for ILR after 2 Years

You can qualify for ILR after 2 years if:

  • You have at least £10 million of your own money under your control in the UK, OR
  • You own £20 million worth of personal assets (after liabilities), AND you have at least £10 million under your control and disposable in the UK which has been loaned to you by a UK regulated financial institution

Qualifying for ILR after 3 Years

You can qualify for ILR after 3 years if:

  • You have at least £5 million of your own money under your control in the UK, OR
  • You own £10 million worth of personal assets (after liabilities), AND you have at least £5 million under your control and disposable in the UK which has been loaned to you by a UK regulated financial institution

ILR Fast track under Tier 1 Entrepreneur

You can qualify for ILR after 3 years if:

Your business has created at least 10 new full time jobs for settled people, OR

  • You have established a new UK business that has had an income from business activity of at least £5 million during a 3-year period while you have been in the UK under Tier 1 (Entrepreneur), OR
  •  You have taken over or invested in an existing UK business, and your services or investment have resulted in a net increase of £5 million in that business’s income from business activity during a 3-year period while you have been in the UK under Tier 1 (Entrepreneur), compared to the immediately preceding 3-year period.

 

Find out More

To find out more about our solutions call now on 0330 390 9021 or Submit your Details and we will get right back to you!

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