If you sponsor overseas workers, the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is the point where “we’ve made an offer” turns into “we can actually get you a visa”. It’s also where a lot of otherwise solid hires get stuck — not because the role isn’t eligible, but because the CoS type is wrong, the allocation hasn’t…
If you hold a sponsor licence, your day job isn’t just hiring and retaining staff — it’s also keeping the Home Office in the loop when your business changes. And the annoying bit is this: plenty of business changes that feel “purely commercial” (new trading name, office move, restructure, acquisition) can become an immigration compliance…
If you’ve just lodged an immigration appeal (or you’re thinking about it), one of the first practical choices you’ll face is whether you want the Tribunal to decide your case on the papers or at an oral hearing. That decision shapes everything: how your evidence is presented, whether you’ll be questioned, how you prepare, and…
Getting an appeal decision can feel like the finish line — but in UK immigration, it’s usually the start of the “what happens now?” stage. Whether you’ve won or lost, what you do in the next few days can make a real difference to your options, your timeline, and (crucially) your lawful status. This guide…
A UK Ancestry visa is one of the more flexible long-term routes for eligible Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent. It allows the holder to live in the UK for 5 years, work (including self-employment), study, and bring eligible dependents. Home Office guidance suggests a decision is usually made within 3 weeks for applications made…
UK Student visa applications can be refused for reasons that feel frustratingly minor, especially when the applicant genuinely has the money available. The financial requirement itself is strict, but what catches many students out is the evidence: the dates, the format, the account details, and whether the balance meets the rules for every single day…
A UK Ancestry visa is one of the more flexible routes to living and working in the UK, but the “easy” part can end when the visa is close to expiry. This is the point where many applicants realise they need to make a strategic choice: apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain, or ILR),…
Bringing family members to the UK while studying is one of the most emotionally loaded parts of any Student route plan. It is also one of the areas where otherwise straightforward applications get refused — not because the relationship is not genuine, but because the rules are tighter than many people expect and the evidence…
UK immigration decisions rarely run on a neat, predictable timetable. Even when an applicant does everything “right”, delays can still happen because of biometrics backlogs, verification checks, digital system issues, or shifting Home Office priorities. Garth Coates Solicitors often sees that the biggest practical risk is not the delay itself, but the knock-on effect: missed…
A Home Office refusal can feel like a verdict on someone’s honesty. The language often lands hard: “not credible”, “inconsistencies”, “not satisfied”, “little weight”. But credibility findings are not always the result of dishonesty. In many cases, they are the product of casework mistakes, missing context, or evidence that was not properly understood. Garth Coates…
