As immigration laws become more stringent, it will be more difficult for UK businesses to employ skilled workers to work and live in the country. Hillary Cooper Law’s immigration team specialises in offering high-quality immigration law advice and guidance to businesses and skilled workers in various industry sectors. Our lawyers can assist your company in complying with the complicated application processes involved in the current immigration regulations.

We also assist overseas investors who want to invest in or start a business in the United Kingdom. Do you need to send employees from one of your oversees operations to work in the UK on a temporary basis? Do you require assistance with an administrative review or appeal of a visa refusal or the suspension or cancellation of your sponsor licence? Perhaps you want professional assistance with your sponsorship criteria and visa application process to hire a highly competent new hire?

We are your go-to experts specialising in supporting SMEs and Start Up businesses on the ever-changing sponsorship procedure, as well as dealing with a variety of visa petitions and complex commercial immigration concerns.

1. Tier 1 Investor visa applications
2. Sponsor Licence (FORMERLY KNOWN AS TIER 2 SPONSOR LICENCE) Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence Application, Renewal, Revocation, Audit and Compliance Services
3. Sole Representative visa
4. UK Standard Visitor visa
5. Refusals / Appeals
6. EU AND EEA EMPLOYEES AND BREXIT
7. Global Immigration Advice and Intra-Company Transfers
8. Innovator Visa

We at Hillary Cooper Law understand the feelings that come with attempting to bring your foreign-born spouse and/or family members to the United Kingdom to join you. If your spouse and/or family members are from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), they will need to apply for visas in order to enter and stay in the UK.

Visas for family members come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

It’s important to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all ‘Family Visa,’ so if you wish to join or accompany your partner or relative to the UK, you’ll need to figure out which category is right for you. These are some of the categories:

• Spouse visas (The UK Spouse Visa is for people who desire to join their spouse or other partner in the UK who is a British citizen, settled person, refugee, or under humanitarian protection
• Either a marriage, a long-term relationship, or a civil partnership must exist between you and your partner.)
• Family visas (Family members of British citizens and permanent residents are allowed to visit or stay in the UK.

A visa is available to children (under the age of 18) of British nationals, settled persons, and people who have been granted permission to settle in the UK. They can apply for a temporary visa by filling out the VAF4 application form. They can apply for British settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) and eventually citizenship once they are in the UK.

Under the points-based system, children and spouses of migrants are eligible to apply for a UK visa. You can apply for a visa using the VAF10 application form.

Children and partners of asylum seekers in the UK can apply for a visa to join their families using the FLR application form (P). You can apply for British settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) and eventually citizenship once you arrive in the UK.)

• Unmarried partner visas(The Unmarried Partner visa (also known as the UK de-facto visa) allows an unmarried partner to come or remain in the United Kingdom if they are in a relationship with someone who is already present and’settled in the United Kingdom.’ ‘Settled in the UK’ indicates you are usually resident in the UK with no constraints on the length of your stay due to immigration.

The Unmarried Partner visa is valid for both heterosexual and same-sex relationships as long as you can show that your relationship is still going strong and has been for at least two years.)

• Dependent child visas (The UK Child Visa is issued to children of a settled person in the UK.

You must be the dependent child living in the UK with your parent, who is making a joint application with you for a UK visa or an extension of stay in the UK.

• Adult dependent relative visas

If you are settled in the UK and have an adult relative who depends on you for day-to-day support and care, then they can apply for an Adult Dependent Relative Visa, so they can join you in the UK and will be granted indefinite leave to enter.)

• Parent visas

The UK Parent Visa is issued to parents of British citizens or settled persons or persons that have spent at least 7 continuous years in the UK.

To qualify for this visa the child must be younger than 18 or must have been that age when you’ve first applied for the UK family visa.

• The following are some of the services we provide for family and spouse visas:

– Advice on whether you are eligible for a spouse or family visa.

– Assistance in filling out a family or spouse visa application

– Refusals of spouse and family visas, as well as court reviews and appeals

– Some types of family-based visas are only valid for a limited time, while others are permanent. Spouse Visas, for example, are valid for two and a half years and can lead to ILR. Family Visitor Visas, on the other hand, are temporary and allow the bearer to visit a UK-based relative for a limited time (up to six months) before returning home.

– Furthermore, each type falls under a different visa category, implying that it has its own set of eligibility requirements. Most Dependent Child Visas, for example, follow the same rules as the parent’s visa. For example, if a parent with a Skilled Worker Visa wished to bring their child to the UK, the child’s visa and criteria would be linked to theirs.

• EEA Family Permit Solicitors

Our specialist immigration solicitors dealing predominantly with EEA/EU immigration applications makes it possible for non EEA nationals to join their EEA family members in the UK.

We are representing clients that are wishing to join their spouses, parents, children, cousins in the UK, but also unmarried partners.

• EEA Family Permits & EEA Settlement Scheme Family Permits.

If you’re a national from a country outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) and you have an EEA family member who is living in the UK, you may be able to join them using an EEA Family Permit.

To be eligible for this, you can be a close or extended relative of an EEA national (not including British) who is currently living in the UK. These are defined as: brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews or nieces.

The EEA Settlement Scheme Family Permit functions in a very similar way to the EEA Family Permit. However, you can only apply for this if you are a ‘close’ family member. This includes brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons.  Both are valid for six months.

To be eligible for an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit, you must demonstrate to UK Visas & Immigration that you:

You are a member of a relevant EEA citizen’s joining family (an EEA citizen with Settled Status or Pre-Settled Status, or who has applied and is awaiting a decision);

Within 6 months of the date of application, you will accompany the EEA citizen to the UK or join them in the UK;

If you are a family member of a British citizen who resided with that British citizen in an EEA country before 1 February 2020 and your connection with them began before 1 February 2020, you have until 29 March 2022 to apply for a family permit to return to the UK. You must have ‘reasonable grounds’ for not returning to the UK by 31 December 2020 if your relationship with them began on or after February 1, 2020. When you apply for your family permit, you’ll have to produce proof of why you didn’t return before then.

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