Barar and Associates News

After Brexit: EU Settlement Scheme and Pilot Scheme Once Brexit is triggered next year on 29th March 2019, the EU Settlement Scheme will be fully open on 30th March 2019 to EU citizens and their family members will be able to apply to get either settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme. The […]

The Home Office’s new services: What is changing? The Home Office is launching their new services in response to applicants’ needs and criticism. They are introducing new digitalised services for visa applicants called UK visa and Citizenship application services (UKVCAS). From 29th November 2018, existing services and enrolment of biometric information at the Post Office […]

*** UPDATE: The Home Office confirmed on 11th December 2018 that “the Tier 1 (Investor) visa is not currently suspended.  However, the Government remains committed to reforming the route.  A further announcement will be made in due course. Any suspension would be implemented through changes to the Immigration Rules.” ***   The downfall of ‘Golden […]

The parliament has approved the Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2018 on 28th November 2018 and this will be coming into force on or after 19th December 2018. This will effectively mean that the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is currently paid by non- EEA nationals applying for a work, family or study visa to come […]

BREXIT. Yea or nay?   The billion-pound question is whether Brexit will happen. Is it a yea or a nay? Through this article, we will show our views on whether Brexit will happen and explore some of the possible scenarios after Brexit. If a deal regarding Brexit is reached between the European Union (EU) and […]

Making payments internationally, whether for business or personal purposes, can be confusing and costly, but using a currency specialist, such as Barar & Associates FX Partner, Halo Financial, can help you make your international transfers simply, safely and securely. Halo’s Founding Director, David Johnson, gives his ten top tips for saving money, managing risk and […]

The government has announced that they will introduce stricter ‘Life in the UK’ test once Brexit is triggered next year. Life in the UK test is a requirement for people who are applying to settle in the UK or become a British citizen. The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid has announced that the government will enforce […]

Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules on 11 October 2018 The government has published the statement of changes to the United Kingdom’s Immigration Rules on 11 October 2018. The main changes published in the Statement of Changes are as follows: (i)                  EU settlement scheme – A non-EU citizen, family member of a British citizen […]

BREXIT: Right to reside for EU nationals and their family members The situation surrounding Brexit is still unclear and faces uncertainty about its development. Barar & Associates Ltd would like to offer some clarity on the current state of Brexit regarding the right of residence for EU nationals and their family members in the UK. […]

Applying for a Sponsorship (Sponsor) Licence can be a daunting process, especially when you are a newly incorporated company wishing to expand and are not well versed in the law pertaining to Sponsor Licences. The Home Office tends to scrutinise relatively new companies whom are applying for a Sponsor Licence more than they do with […]

This was a case concerning 2 separate applications for leave to enter as a spouse of a British citizen and a settled person where they did not meet the minimum financial income. They subsequently, appealed to First-Tier Tribunal where their appeal was upheld. The arguments and the judgement are outlined below. First Appeal The first […]

The government announced changes to the Immigration Rules for returning residents which came to effect on 6 July 2018. Primarily, returning residents are people who resided in the United Kingdom with Indefinite Leave to Remain and are returning after a period of absence. If you are a returning resident and left the United Kingdom for […]

EU citizens who become British keep free movement rights   In a landmark judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has found that EU citizens who become nationals of another EU Member State retain the right to have a non-EU spouse live with them.   The Court found that the British government […]

  This article explains the major changes from the last version of this guidance published on 4th June 2018.   Amendments have been made to the academic progression section to clarify that students resitting multiple examinations or repeating multiple course modules are still exempt from meeting the academic progression requirements.   The academic progression rule […]

  The Tier 4 differentiation arrangements permit applicants from low-risk countries designated in Appendix H of the Immigration Rules to submit fewer supporting documents with their application.   Requirements for Appendix H nationals To qualify for the arrangements as an Appendix H national, a Tier 4 applicant must: – be sponsored by a sponsor with […]

ILPA (Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association), to whom Barar & Associates is a member, recently sent a letter to the Home Office to raise their concern pertaining to issues faced by EEA nationals, who when either seeking to naturalise as a British national, or upon naturalisation, have faced obstacles to renewing their British passports.   Once […]

The Minister for Immigration, Caroline Noakes MP, responded to a letter from Adrian Berry, a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA), about the Tier 2 cap on skilled migrants. Barar & Associates summarised the content of her response below.   The Home Office has an annual cap of 20,700 places since 2011. The annual […]

UK Visas and Immigration Policy Paper: Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC1154, 15 June 2018 Most of the changes shall take effect on 6th July 2018. Barar & Associates summarised the main changes below. Returning residents For your information, returning residents is a category for people who had previously acquired indefinite leave to […]

UKVI changes to Tier 4 (general) visas for students 11 January 2018 The Government has introduced new options for Tier 4 Students which took effect on 11 January 2018. Students can now undertake part-time study at RQF level 7 or above (postgraduate master’s degrees and doctoral programmes) in the UK for more than 6 months, […]

There is growing discontent about the treatment of the Windrush generation, as the Home Office seek to settle the problem. What is the Windrush scandal? It is the generation of people from the Caribbean who arrived in the United Kingdom between 1948 and 1971. The main purpose of their settlement was to alleviate the labour […]