UK Visa Solicitors

Short-term Visit Visas (6 months)

For those wishing to visit the UK for a short-term period, there are various visas available for a 6-month visa to the UK for tourism, business and study (courses up to 6 months).

Entry clearance

Richard Nelson LLP assists with the following entry clearance visa applications.

Spouse Visa

The UK spousal visa for entry clearance to the UK is for married partners or of British or Irish citizens, persons who are settled in the UK, persons with pre-settled status, persons with a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker visa and persons with refugee status or humanitarian protection. This visa is for applicants who wish to join, or stay with, their husband or wife in the UK.

The applicant and spouse must intend to live together permanently in the UK after they apply.

Civil Partner Visa

The UK civil partner visa is for civil partners of British or Irish citizens, persons who are settled in the UK, persons with pre-settled status, persons with a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker visa and persons with refugee status or humanitarian protection.

This visa is for applicants who wish to join, or stay with, their civil partner in the UK.

The civil partners must intend to live together permanently in the UK after they apply.

Unmarried Partner Visa

The unmarried partner visa is available for long-term partners of British or Irish citizens, persons who are settled in the UK, persons with pre-settled status, persons with a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker visa and persons with refugee status or humanitarian protection.

The applicant is to demonstrate that they have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least 2 years when they apply.

Fiancée Visa

The fiancée visa is available for applicants who plan to marry within 6 months of arriving in the UK.

Proposed Civil Partner Visa

The proposed civil partner visa is for applicants who plan to become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK.

Child Visa

A child applicant can apply for entry clearance to the UK when the parent has already been granted or is at the same time granted a partner of parent visa under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

Parent Visa

A parent can apply for entry clearance to live in the UK to care for a child who is a British or Irish Child, settled in the UK.

If the applicant is applying in the UK, the child must have lived in the UK for 7 years continuously and it would not be reasonable for them to leave.

Adult Dependent Visa

The adult dependent visa is available for an applicant who is outside the UK and requires long-term care from a parent, grandchild, brother, sister, son or daughter who is living permanently in the UK.

The applicant will have to satisfy the onerous requirements evidencing that they require long-term care to do everyday personal and household tasks because of illness, disability, or age.

Further, the care they require is not available or affordable in the country they live in. The person they will be joining in the UK can demonstrate that they will be able to support, accommodate and care for the applicant without claiming public funds for at least 5 years.

Further Leave To Remain In The UK Application

Applicants who are currently in the UK with a valid family visa may require an extension of their existing visas in the UK. Those applicants will be required to apply for an extension to stay.

In certain cases, an applicant can also switch the visa categories from another valid visa if their circumstances change.

Domestic Violence Applications

Those who have suffered domestic abuse or violence can apply under the DV provisions to secure their status in the UK. The applicants must have previously been granted leave to enter or remain as a spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex partner of a British citizen, settled person, or member of HM forces who have served for at least 4 years.

By submitting a strong application with detailed representations that satisfies the requirements the applicant can be granted indefinite leave to remain as a victim of domestic violence.

Richard Nelson LLP’s visa solicitors can assist with complex matters for both men and women who have been victims of domestic violence securing their ILR in the UK

Settlement Applications

Our visa lawyers assist with the following settlement application visas in the UK.

Long Residence

Applicants can apply for indefinite leave to remain if they have been in the UK legally for 10 continuous years (known as ‘long residence’).

For those applicants who cannot demonstrate legal status in the UK, applications can be considered under the 20-year rule. The applicant may not have lived in the UK lawfully but has lived in the UK ‘continuously’ for at least 20 years.

Returning Residency

Applicants may be able to live permanently in the UK as a ‘returning resident’ if they were previously settled in the UK.

The applicant will still have indefinite leave to remain in the UK if they were away for less than 2 years.

If the applicant is away for more than 2 continuous years, they will lose the indefinite leave to remain.

A successful returning resident application detailing the applicants’ strong ties to the UK, specifying the family and applicant has lived in the UK for most of their lives and evidence demonstrating the current circumstances and why they lived outside the UK can allow applicants to return to the UK and secure their status in the UK.

EU settlement scheme

Our team can assist you with any of the following EU settlement scheme visa applications.

Family Permit

The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is available for family members of someone from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and an eligible person from Northern Ireland to come to the UK. This application is submitted outside the UK.

Pre-Settled Status

If the applicant is from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein they might be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK.

The deadline for most people to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021

Applicants can still apply if they or a family member were living in the UK by 31 December 2020. You must also either meet one of the criteria for a later deadline to apply or have ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by 30 June 2021.

The rights of these individuals in the UK are not protected unless they have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and received a certificate of application. Richard Nelson’s visa lawyers can assist applicants to protect their rights.

Settled Status

To secure settled status in the UK under the EU settlement scheme, the applicant who has pre-settled status can apply to switch to settled status once eligible. This is usually after they lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 5 years in a row (known as ‘continuous residence’).

The application is to be made to the EU Settlement Scheme again before the pre-settled status expires to stay in the UK.

Derivative Rights Of Residence

Derivative right to reside in the UK can be evidenced under the EU settlement scheme.

The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021. Applicants may still be able to apply if they can establish reasonable grounds for why they could not apply by the deadline. This may be a medical condition or if the applicant was a victim of domestic violence.