From 3 August 2026, a partner granted permission under Appendix FM will normally receive leave ending on the same date as their sponsor’s 30-month protection permission. The change applies where the sponsor has been granted 30 months’ permission on the basis of protection status, generally following an asylum claim made on or after 2 March…
Yes. For EU Settlement Scheme travel permit applications made from 30 July 2026, applicants are no longer required to provide fingerprints. A facial photograph and evidence confirming identity and EUSS status remain part of the process. The change was introduced by the Statement of Changes HC 259, laid before Parliament on 9 July 2026. It…
From 3 August 2026, a child born in the UK while a parent holds Graduate route permission can apply in the UK as that parent’s dependant. Previously, the route generally covered family members who had already been Student dependants and children born during the parent’s most recent period of Student permission. It did not clearly…
It is a criminal offence to provide immigration advice or immigration services in the UK in the course of business, whether paid or unpaid, unless the person is legally qualified to do so. This matters in investor migration because the Tier 1 (Investor) route is still sometimes promoted even though it closed to new applications…
The Tier 1 (Investor) route closed to new applications at 4pm on 17 February 2022. The government has not introduced a replacement that grants UK residence solely in return for passive investment. Existing holders also passed the final extension deadline on 17 February 2026, although qualifying settlement applications can still be made before 17 February…
A UK-France returns arrangement already exists, and both governments are now considering what should follow it. The current “one in, one out” pilot came into force in August 2025. It allows the UK to return some people who arrive by small boat to France and, in return, admit an equivalent number of people from France…
The government’s plan to cut net migration is set out in its Immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025. A white paper is not law by itself, so the detail arrives through changes to the Immigration Rules, regulations and Home Office guidance. Much of the work-route package is…
The UK’s immigration system is now largely digital. For many migrants, the right to live, work, rent and return to the UK is recorded in a UK Visas and Immigration account, rather than shown on a physical card. You usually prove that status by using the online View and Prove service to generate a share…
Good character is a legal requirement for British citizenship, and holding indefinite leave to remain or settled status does not mean you have already met it. Naturalisation is a separate, discretionary application. The Home Office must be satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that you are of good character before it grants citizenship. The requirement…
Free movement between the UK and the EU ended at 11pm on 31 December 2020. The same moment also closed the old Ankara Agreement routes to new applicants. If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was living in the UK by that date, your position now usually depends on the EU Settlement…
