Immigration Solicitors Manchester
Without good legal help, your chances of starting a new life or continuing your existing one in the UK are dramatically cut.
Our Immigration Solicitors in Manchester are here to help you with your immigration claim, be it for a:
- Visa,
- Indefinite leave to remain,
- Further leave to remain, or
- Naturalisation.
CALL US TODAY OR PUT YOUR DETAILS BELOW AND WE’LL CALL YOU STRAIGHT BACK
Immigration Services Manchester
Immigration to the UK
Britain prides itself on its internationalist outlook and its reputation as a safe haven for refugees. However, anyone with experience of the immigration system will know that it almost has friction and intimidation built into it. Endless paperwork, questioning, the language barrier and the ever-present threat of deportation or prison hang over applicants.
SLS Immigration Lawyers and Solicitors are ready to work with you to remove the stress from any immigration process, maximising your chances of a successful outcome.
If you are planning to visit, reside or extend your stay in the UK, our specialist solicitors are here to help you and your family with our tailored immigration services.
Without good legal help with your claim, your chances of starting a new life – or continuing your existing one – in the UK are dramatically cut. We’re here to help you with your immigration claim, be it for a visa, indefinite leave to remain, further leave to remain or naturalisation.
Related Services
Purchase Immigration Services
Legal services for immigration services
SLS Immigration Services
Spouse Visa
A Partner/Spouse Visa UK, also known as a UK Marriage Visa, is a settlement visa that allows you to live together with your British partner in the UK for up to 30 months.
It can be extended for another 30 months if you meet certain eligibility conditions. Holding a Partner Visa is the first step towards Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and, eventually, British Citizenship.
To apply for a Marriage Visa and enter the UK, you must be married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen, UK settled person or UK refugee. The main eligibility criteria include providing proof that you are in a genuine relationship and that you meet specific financial conditions.
Fiancé visa
If you intend to relocate to the UK to begin a new life with your UK-based partner, you could be eligible for the UK Fiancé Visa.
Fiancé Visas are designed to enable non-EEA nationals to enter the UK to marry/enter into a civil partnership with their UK-based partner, and to begin a new life here. The applicant’s partner must be either a UK citizen or a person with settled status in the country.
Fiancé Visas last for 6 months and they are granted under the assumption that you will marry your partner within the validity period of the visa.
You must apply for another immigration permission to remain in the UK after your Fiancé Visa expires. The simplest transition is to the Spouse Visa, which grants holders 30 months of residence in the UK. You can look for employment and study in the UK as a Spouse Visa holder, without any restrictions.
Why choose SLS Solicitors?
We strive to achieve the best possible result and solution for every one of our clients through our expertise and passion. We are straight talking, approachable and understanding.
Client care is at the very top of our priorities and you can be sure that we will look after you in your times of need.
You will be kept up to date throughout the process and we will only ever be a phone call or e-mail away.
Fiancé, Partner, Spouse and Family Visa Applications
How to apply as a partner?
You and your partner both need to be 18 or over. Your partner must also either:
- be a British citizen;
- have settled in the UK (they have ‘indefinite leave to remain’ or proof of permanent residence); or
- have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
You and your partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK after you apply.
There is a requirement to provide proof of your civil partnership or marriage that is recognised in the UK, you have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when applying you are a fiancé/e or partner and will marry or enter a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving in the UK.
Other requirements which must be met
in order to apply, you must have a good knowledge of English and are able financially support yourself and your dependents.
There are other options which enable you to apply or extend your permission to stay, should you not meet the requirements mentioned above, for example if:
- you have a child in the UK who is a British citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK
- living together as a couple outside the UK would cause you difficulties that could not be overcome
- it would breach your human rights to stop you coming to the UK or make you leave
What must I prove?
- any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended
- you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK
- You won’t be able to work during your engagement.
You will be granted permission to stay for 2.5 years, or if you’re applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner a 6-month permission will be approved. There are different routes for applying for UK Spouse Visas, including:
- Spouse Visas for Employed Individuals
- Spouse Visas for Self Employed Individuals
- Spouse Visas for people with Cash Savings
Our team of solicitors are specialists in immigration law and we can advise on the most appropriate type of visa based on your circumstances. SLS Solicitors provide a superior privately funded service and a bespoke package comprising of:
- Advice Package
- Application Package
- Fast Track Package
- Appeal Package
Further Leave to Remain
Commonly known as the UK de facto visa, the unmarried partner route applies the same requirements and benefits to couples in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships – provided that you can demonstrate with evidence that you have been in a committed and serious relationship for two years or longer.
The unmarried partner visa UK technically falls under the family visa category, which applies to unmarried couples but also children, parents, and a spouse or civil partner. Under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals have the right to legally seek to travel to the UK with the intention of staying and living with their partner.
The law on who can stay in the UK gets more stringent the longer you want to stay. A further leave to remain (FLR) claim might be allowed if you fulfil one of many criteria listed by the government; these are always subject to change as new governments arrive and new policies are enacted.
A Further Leave to Remain application has many categories and is for leave to remain in the UK on the basis of your family life as a partner, parent or dependent child or on the basis of your private life in the UK and for a biometric immigration document.
Further Leave to Remain Application Categories
- Family life as a partner (10-year route)
- Family life as a parent (5 year and 10-year routes)
- Dependent child of a person who has, or is at the same time applying for, limited leave to enter or remain in the UK other than under the points-based system or UK Ancestry (10-year route)
- Private life in the UK (10-year route)
- Leave outside the Rules on the basis of family or private life
Exceptional Circumstances
You can apply outside the immigration rules in exceptional circumstances under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to a private and family life). The test is a high one to meet and involves the proving of ‘unjustifiably harsh consequences’ for the applicant, their child or another family member if they are not able to stay in the UK.
It can be difficult to keep up with the changes, but our immigration law specialists Solicitors and Lawyers can help make sure your rights to stay in the country are not breached. Talk to us about your FLR application – there are several categories of the application, so it’s important to make the right one.
Our team of solicitors are specialists in immigration law and we can advise on the most appropriate type of visa based on your circumstances. SLS Solicitors provide a superior privately funded service and a bespoke package comprising of:
- Advice Package
- Application Package
- Fast Track Package
- Appeal Package
Indefinite leave to remain claims
The next step up is indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is a form of settlement available to overseas nationals.
Individuals who have held the same type of British visa for 5 years or more are eligible to apply for ILR, although in certain circumstances you may be eligible after just 3 years. Indefinite Leave to Remain enables migrants from outside of the UK to stay in the UK without restrictions and is the first step to take before applying for full British citizenship or naturalisation.
Many different types of immigration visas can lead to ILR including Spouse Visas, Tier 1 Visas and Tier 2 visas.
Indefinite Leave to Remain enables a person to live in the UK without any restrictions, and is the first step towards naturalisation and full citizenship.
SLS Immigration Solicitors and Lawyers are experienced at helping migrants secure Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK and can support you in the application process to ensure a successful result.
The conditions that you need to meet to qualify for ILR are as follows:
- You have held the same type of British visa for 5 years or more
- Proof that you meet the B1 levels of English
- You must pass the Life in the UK test
- No criminal record and you cannot have breached the immigration laws during your stay in the UK
- You cannot have spent more than 180 days outside of the UK within any year of living in the UK
The requirements can vary so it’s best to speak to an immigration specialist to determine if you’re eligible to apply and what you will need to include with your ILR application.
SLS Immigration Lawyers specialise in supporting or representing individuals seeking leave to remain for all types of British work visas. We will help ensure your application process is straightforward and aim to help you successfully secure leave to remain in the UK.
Our team of solicitors are specialists in immigration law and we can advise on the most appropriate type of visa based on your circumstances. SLS Solicitors provide a superior privately funded service and a bespoke package comprising of:
- Advice Package
- Application Package
- Fast Track Package
- Appeal Package
British Naturalisation – British Citizenship
The ultimate immigration status is naturalisation. If you become a naturalised UK citizen, you’ll get a British passport and all the rights of a British citizen such as benefits and full access to the NHS.
You can become a British citizen either by birth or you can apply for naturalisation if you are aged 18 or over. To be eligible to become a British national, you need to prove that you have been in the UK on Indefinite Leave to Remain or EU Settled Status for at least three years and that you have never broken UK law, including immigration breaches.
Once your permanent residence status request is approved, you can live, work and study in the UK permanently, without any immigration restrictions. You will also be able to travel and spend time abroad without the need to worry about losing your status.
How to Apply?
You can apply to become a British citizen through naturalisation if you are 18 or over, you are of good character (i.e. no criminal record), you intend to continue living in the UK, you have good knowledge of English and life in the UK and meet the residence requirement. There is a residency requirement which is:
- you must have lived in the UK for at least 5 years,
- in that time, you must have not spent more than 450 days outside the UK,
- spent no more than 90 days (3 months) outside the UK in the last 12 months,
- if you are from outside the EEA, you had settlement also knows as ILR for the last 12 months in the UK,
- if you are an EEA national, there is a requirement to provide a permanent residence document which will confirm you had permanent residence status for the last 12 months,
- and you have not broken any immigration laws whilst in the UK
Similarly, if your spouse is a British citizen you can apply for citizenship which also has requirements which include:
- your age being 18 or over,
- you are of sound mind,
- you have met the requirements of the knowledge of English and life in the UK,
- if you are an EEA national, you have been granted ILR or permanent residence,
- you meet the residency requirement.
When sending your application, biometric ID will be mandatory from you. After applying, a decision will usually be made in 6 months, but depending on the application some may take longer. Once you have received your certificate of British Citizenship, you must send your biometrics residence permit back to the Home Office. The UK allows dual nationality for its citizens, however, some countries may not in which case they can revoke your citizenship once you have become British. Therefore, it is imperative for you to contact your embassy before you decide to apply for naturalisation.
Our team of solicitors are specialists in immigration law and we can advise on the most appropriate type of visa based on your circumstances. SLS Solicitors provide a superior privately funded service and a bespoke package comprising of:
- Advice Package
- Application Package
- Fast Track Package
- Appeal Package
Talk to our Immigration Lawyers & Solicitor today
SLS Immigration Specialists are ready to work with you to remove the stress from any immigration process, maximising your chances of a successful outcome.
If you are planning to visit, reside or extend your stay in the UK, our specialist solicitors are here to help you and your family with our tailored immigration services.
Without good legal help with your claim, your chances of starting a new life – or continuing your existing one – in the UK are dramatically cut. We’re here to help you with your immigration claim, be it for a visa, indefinite leave to remain, further leave to remain or naturalisation.