What is a settlement visa in the United Kingdom?
A UK settlement visa enables you to live, work, and study in the country with nearly no further restrictions. Permanent settlement status in the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as indefinite leave to remain, is the most extensive and long-term type of status available.
Permanent settlement applications can be complicated. However, our skilled immigration lawyers are on hand to assist you throughout the process.
When may you apply for settlement in the United Kingdom?
If you have been in the UK for five years or more on a different form of visa, such as a work, study, or business visa, you may apply for a UK settlement visa. You may also apply for settlement if you are a citizen of the European Economic Area or Switzerland and have lived in the country for the equivalent period of time.
How long can you be a resident of the United Kingdom?
The UK settlement visa permits an individual to reside in the UK indefinitely. Due to the lack of restrictions, these visas are frequently requested by anyone who has previously held a long-term visa.
After spending at least a year in the UK on a settlement visa, you are able to apply for British citizenship. Our solicitors have a proven track record of success in acquiring both settlement status and British citizenship.
Who is qualified to apply for residency in the United Kingdom or to settle in the United Kingdom?
Settle on the basis of continuous residency for an extended period of time
If you have been lawfully residing in the UK for ten years or more, you may be able to apply for a UK settlement visa based on your ‘long continuous residency’ in the country.
Additionally, you may be eligible for long continuous residency if you have been in the UK for 20 years or more, even if some or all of that time was spent unlawfully in the UK.
Join your partner permanently in the United Kingdom
If you and your partner are in a genuine relationship and your partner is a British citizen, an EEA national living in the UK, or a holder of “indefinite permission to remain,” you may be able to join them permanently in the UK on a UK settlement visa.
Join your parents permanently in the United Kingdom
If you are the child of a British citizen or a settled person, you may be eligible for a visa to live in the United Kingdom.
As long as you are under the age of 18 and a dependent of a parent or parents who presently reside in the UK, you should be allowed to settle with them as well on the UK settlement visa.
Join your parent or partner permanently if they have established themselves in the UK on a point-based visa
If your partner is a migrant worker in the United Kingdom, you may apply to join them under the points-based system. You may do so only if you intend to live with them and have a true relationship with them.
Submit a request for humanitarian assistance and asylum
If you already possess a residence card, you may be eligible to apply for a settlement visa in UK indefinitely in one of the following categories:
- A refugee
- A person who has been granted humanitarian protection
- Acquaint yourself with the concepts of humanitarian protection and asylum.
Submit an application for British Citizenship or Naturalisation
- You may be eligible to apply for British citizenship if you meet the following criteria:
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You have a good character.
- You intend to remain in the United Kingdom.
- You meet the English language and pass the life in the UK test.
- You satisfy the requirements for residency.
- You have been a resident of the United Kingdom for at least five years and spent less than 450 days outside the country during that time.
If you are an EEA national, you must have held indefinite leave to remain for a minimum of 12 months before applying.
How Henleaze Law can help you
Henleaze Law can assist you in applying for a UK settlement visa. Your current visa status will dictate when you may apply for settlement. As you may understand, this is a one-of-a-kind service for each and every client.
Our immigration lawyers have the knowledge and experience to customize their advice to fit your unique circumstances. To ensure that the procedure is as stress-free as possible for you, we present all of our immigration guidance in an easily-understandable manner.
After a number of years in the UK on a settlement visa, we can also assist you in obtaining British citizenship and a British passport. Our immigration is here to assist you in applying for a UK settlement visa, making the procedure as simple and painless as possible.
We are highly qualified and experienced in the field of immigration law, and we are fluent in a number of languages. The process of settling in the UK can be complicated, and some individuals face major barriers. If you and your family are unable to meet the government’s standards for indefinite residence in the UK, you and your family may qualify for discretionary leave to remain.
To learn more about whether you are eligible to settle in the United Kingdom and how we can assist you, contact our helpful immigration team now.
