Our team consists of qualified immigration lawyers and an employment services team to help you along the journey to practicing as a nurse in the UK.
The UK immigration system is subject to frequent changes. With licensed immigration advisors in our panel, we stay updated on the latest changes and can give you guidance on how best to proceed with your application – based on the latest information from UK Visa and Immigration.
Below is a list of some of the immigration services we assist you with
A Health and Care Worker visa allows medical professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier, or in adult social care.
Your visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer. Talk to one of our representatives to know more about the Health and Care worker Visa application process.
The UK visitor visa, also known as the Standard Visitor Visa is a visa that allows its holder to stay in the UK for up to 6 months. However, the embassy has the right to issue visas for a shorter period. This visa is established for those that wish to travel to the United Kingdom for purposes of:
The Standard Visitor Visa enables you to:
You cannot undertake any paid or unpaid work, get public funds, marry or register a civil partnership. You also cannot live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits with the Visitor Visa. Get in touch with our client care team to find out more about the Visitor Visa application process.
The Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa, is used by businesses that wish to send a senior employee to the UK in order to establish a commercial presence for the company in the UK. The route will be rebranded as the UK Expansion Worker category of the Global Business Mobility visa route.
Currently, the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa is valid for three years with a possible two-year extension. However, if the MAC’s views are adopted, the new individual subsidiary visa will be limited to a two-year period. If you wish to extend your stay or re-enter the UK, you will have to switch to another visa type. It’s the recommendation to allow in-country switching to other visas.
The justification for this, according to the MAC, would be to prevent the abuse of this route “as a way for people to obtain UK residence and work authorisation, despite not making progress towards setting up a viable business.”
If the MAC’s views are adopted, the default option for the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa will remain a single individual. However, if overseas firms want to send a team of workers to establish a subsidiary, they will be able to apply for a new sponsored Team Subsidiary (TS) visa that is to be trialled over a two-year period.
The TS visa will be limited to a two-year period, and the number of team members will be limited to five with at least one member of the team meeting the criteria of the current Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa route. The other team members will, at a minimum, need to meet the criteria of the Skilled Worker route.
As with the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa, if members of the team wish to remain in the UK or extend their stay they will need to switch to a different visa.
The UK spouse visa, also known as Marriage Visa in the UK, is a type of visa that provides an opportunity for non-British partners to live and work in the UK. You can apply for this family visa if you are the
The requirements for getting a spouse visa includes but not limited to
International students from outside the UK need to apply for a Student Visa to study in the UK. To be eligible for this category, you must intend to study a full-time degree course in the UK and meet specific requirements. The courses eligible for student’s visa are:
For graduates who wish to work and stay in the UK after studying, one option is to switch to the Graduate Visa but this does not lead directly to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). If you wish to apply for ILR to stay in the UK, you must switch to an eligible visa. The visas you may be eligible to apply for include:
If you are from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and you want to establish your business in the UK, you can apply for an Innovator Visa. This visa is provided for experienced businesspersons or entrepreneurs who are willing to invest at least £50,000 to set up their business in the UK, and have had their business plan validated by an accredited body. To be eligible, your project must be innovative, viable and show the potential for job creation and growth.
To become eligible for Innovator visa the international innovators must:
If you hold an Innovator Visa, you can stay in the UK for 3 years. After 3 years, you can apply to extend your permit for another 3 years. There is no limit to the number of times you can apply to renew your immigration status as an international innovator. You can also apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK once you have been in the UK on this immigration status for 3 years.
If you are looking to establish a business in the UK for the first time, you need to apply for start-up visa. This visa is reserved for early-stage, high potential entrepreneurs who have a business idea wish to start their company in the UK for the first time and who hold an endorsing letter from an authorised body.
To get a start-up visa, you must:
Your Start-up Visa will be valid for 2 years. At the end of this period, you cannot apply for an extension. However, you may be able to change your immigration status and switch to a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) Visa if you have:
If you are an entrepreneur and you want to learn more about applying for a Start-up Visa, or if you need the help of an immigration professional, you can get in touch with our team now.
The Global Business Mobility routes are a new category of sponsored routes for overseas businesses seeking to establish a presence in, or transfer staff to, the UK for specific business purposes.
The Global Business Mobility routes will open to new applicants on 11 April 2022.
The Global Business Mobility routes are designed for businesses and workers undertaking temporary business assignments in the UK and therefore will not lead directly to settlement in the UK. However, once in the UK, Global Business Mobility visa holders may be able to switch into another immigration route that does lead to settlement.
There will be five global business mobility routes that correspond to different temporary assignment types
The Senior or Specialist Worker Visa will be for senior managers and specialist employees who wish to undertake a temporary work assignment in the UK. This route will replace the existing Intra-Company Transfer route, which will close to new applicants on 11 April 2022.
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa applicants will need to be currently working for a business or organisation that is linked to their UK sponsor by common ownership or control, or by a joint venture on which they are sponsored to work. They must have worked outside the UK for the linked business or organisation for a cumulative period of at least 12 months, unless they are a high earner earning £73,900 per year or more.
Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Senior or Specialist Worker. The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level and the applicant will need to be paid a salary which equals or exceeds £42,400 per year and 100% of the pro-rated going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. Applicants will not, however, be required to satisfy an English language requirement.
Permission will be granted for either the time given on the applicant’s Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, a period of 5 years, or the length of time that will take the applicant to the maximum time period allowed in the Global Business Mobility route, whichever is shorter. The maximum time allowed in the Global Business Mobility route will be 5 years in any 6 year period if paid less than £73,900 per year; or 9 years in any 10 year period if paid £73,900 or more per year.
Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker Visa holders will be permitted to work for their sponsor in the job described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.
The Graduate Trainee Visa will be for overseas workers who wish to be transferred to the UK by their employer for a work placement in the UK as part of a graduate training course leading to a senior managerial or specialist role. This route will replace the existing Intra-Company Graduate Trainee Visa, which will close to new applicants on 11 April 2022.
Graduate Trainee Visa applicants will need to be currently working for a business or organisation that is linked to their UK sponsor by common ownership or control, or by a joint venture on which they are sponsored to work, and have worked outside the UK for this business or organisation for at least 3 months immediately before the date of their visa application.
Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Graduate Trainee. The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level and, in most cases, the applicant will need to be paid a salary which equals or exceeds £23,100 per year and 70% of the pro-rated going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. If the applicant is being sponsored for a job in one of the health or education occupation codes, the going rate requirement will be 100% of the pro-rated going rate. Applicants will not, however, be required to satisfy an English language requirement.
Permission will be granted for either 1 year from the start date of the job detailed in the Certificate of Sponsorship, the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days or the date at which the applicant will have had cumulative permission in the Global Business Mobility routes and Intra-Company routes totalling 5 years in any 6-year period, whichever is shorter.
Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee Visa holders will be permitted to work for their sponsor in the job described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.
The UK Expansion Worker Visa will be for senior managers and specialist employees who wish to be assigned to the UK temporarily to undertake work related to the expansion of an overseas business in the UK. This route will replace the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business Visa, which will close to new applicants on 11 April 2022.
UK Expansion Worker Visa applicants will need to be currently working for a business or organisation that is linked to their UK sponsor by common ownership or control, or by a joint venture on which they are sponsored to work. They must have worked outside the UK for the linked business or organisation for a cumulative period of at least 12 months, unless they are a high earner earning £73,900 per year or more or they are a Japanese national seeking to establish a UK branch or subsidiary of the linked business or organisation under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a UK Expansion Worker. The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level and the applicant will need to be paid a salary which equals or exceeds £42,400 per year and 100% of the pro-rated going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. Applicants will not, however, need to satisfy an English language requirement.
Permission will be granted for either 1 year after the start date of the job detailed in the applicant’s Certificate of Sponsorship, the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, the date on which the applicant will have had continuous permission as a UK Expansion Worker totalling 2 years or the date on which they will have had cumulative permission in the Global Business Mobility routes totalling 5 years in any 6-year period, whichever is shorter.
Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker Visa holders will be permitted to work for their sponsor in the job described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.
The Secondment Worker Visa will be for overseas workers who wish to be temporarily seconded to the UK by their overseas employer as part of a high value contract or investment. This is a new immigration route.
Second Worker Visa applicants will need to be currently working for an overseas business that has a contract with their UK sponsor that has been registered with the Home Office by the UK sponsor and have worked outside the UK for that overseas business for a cumulative period of at least 12 months.
Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Secondment Worker. The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level but applicants will not need to satisfy a salary requirement. Secondment Worker Visa applicants will also not need to satisfy an English language requirement.
Permission will be granted for either 1 year from the start date of the job detailed in the Certificate of Sponsorship, the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, the date on which the applicant will have had continuous permission as a Secondment Worker totalling 2 years, or the length of time that will take them to the maximum time period allowed in the category, whichever is shorter. The maximum time allowed in the category is 5 years in any 6 year period.
Global Business Mobility – Secondment Worker Visa holders will be permitted to work for their sponsor in the job described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.
The Service Supplier Visa will be for overseas workers who are either a contractual service supplier employed by an overseas service provider or a self-employed independent professional based overseas, who need to undertake a temporary assignment in the UK to provide services covered by one of the UK’s international trade commitments. This route will replace the contractual service supplier and independent professional provisions in the Temporary Work – International Agreement route.
Service Supplier Visa applicants will need to be currently working as or for an overseas service provider that will provide services to their UK sponsor and have worked as or for the overseas service provider outside the UK for a cumulative period of 12 months.
Their UK sponsor must have a contract with an overseas service provider, where that contract has been registered with the Home Office, and on which the applicant, as a Service Supplier, will work.
Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Service Supplier.
The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level but applicants will not need to satisfy a salary requirement. Service Supplier applicants will also not need to satisfy an English language requirement, but they will need to satisfy a nationality requirement.
Permission will be granted for either the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, the length of time that will take the applicant to the maximum time period allowed in the category or the maximum single assignment period (which is either 6 months or 12 months if covered by a relevant UK international trade commitment), whichever is shorter. The maximum time allowed in the category will be 5 years in any 6 year period.
Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier Visa holders will be permitted to work for their sponsor in the job described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.
The Global Business Mobility Visa Routes will not lead directly to settlement in the UK. However, subject to satisfying the eligibility requirements, Global Business Mobility Visa holders may be able to apply from within the UK to switch into another immigration route which does lead to settlement.
The main work and business routes for achieving settlement are likely to be:
