Gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK is the ultimate aim for many who travel to the country to live, work or to join family members. The process allows you to solidify your position in the UK and means that you are no longer subject to the conditions of a visa. So how, might you ask, do you gain Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK? And what benefits does gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain give you in the long term? Well, in this article we look to give you a guide on the most popular methods of gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, the benefits of doing so and some other information that you may find useful in your path to gaining the ability to live in the UK while no longer being subject to immigration control.
While the benefits of gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain are universal, the routes to eligibility are not. There are various visa routes that give the option to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK after a set period of time spent in the country. There are though some rules that apply across the board for those that are applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain. These requirements are laid out below:
In the vast majority of cases you will need to wait until you have been in the UK for 5 years on a visa that allows you to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (Spouse Visa, Tier 1 Visas, Tier 2 General Visa etc.). There are exceptions to these; so below we have laid out the criteria per visa to make it easier to see which time period will apply to your situation.
The Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa entitles holders to set up and run a business in the UK. The visa route gives the holder an initial right to stay for 3 years and 4 months. Before their initial period ends, the visa holder will need to apply to extend their visa for a further 2 years (or 3 years if you are switching to it from an alternative category). This extension will then allow the holder (as long as they match the eligibility criteria to do so) to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. If they are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, they will become free of their visa conditions.
The Tier 1 Investor Visa is a fantastic option for individuals with a high net worth to move to Britain in order to invest. The criteria for those on a Tier 1 Investor Visa, where it is relevant to gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain, will depend upon their level of investable assets. While you will require a minimum of £2m in order to gain the visa in the first place, this will only entitle you to an initial period of 3 years and 4 months. If you have a higher level of investable assets, you will be able to reduce the time needed to wait for Indefinite Leave to Remain from the usual 5 years (initial 3 years 4 months plus an extension). Below there are the two alternative shorter options for gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain. If you have the level of funding required by either, then you can shorten your time from 5 years to the time specified.
For those who cannot hit the shorter options, you will need to extend your visa in order to hit your 5 year stay in the UK to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain.
The Tier 2 General Visa is by far the UK’s most popular visa route. This is likely due to the easier nature of the eligibility criteria. Like the vast majority of the visas on this list, the time needed in the UK to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain from a Tier 2 General Visa is 5 years. Your initial period will depend largely upon your work circumstances (your period is defined by your work), but you can receive an initial visa period of upto 5 years and 14 days. You can extend the Tier 2 General Visa, but only upto a maximum stay of 6 years in the UK. The extension can be used to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
The Spouse Visa offers spouses or partners of British citizens and those with Indefinite Leave to Remain the opportunity to move to the UK to live and work. You will be given an initial period of 2.5 years which can be extended to get you to the 5 year mark required. There is also the option to settle at short notice on a Spouse Visa if you have the visa and one of the following happens:
If you are in this situation, you will need the help of immigration solicitors such as ourselves to help present your case in order to give you a swift and favourable conclusion.
The main benefit of gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain is the option to stay in the UK free from visa restrictions. Another major benefit is that Indefinite Leave to Remain is a step on the way to British citizenship for those who desire it as a long term goal. Whatever your goal, our team of immigration specialists can help you to realise it. So for more information on Indefinite Leave to Remain or indeed any other immigration subject, please call today and our team will be more than happy to help get you started.
Tier 1 Investor Visa - Business Immigration
Investing
over 2 million pounds is defintely not a routine decision. We had to make sure that the Tier 1
investor immigration lawyers that we'd be picking
has to be one of the best within the Tier 1 investor category. We contacted Reiss Edwards and they
were able to get us not only the Tier 1 investor visa but
also suggested profitable investment portfolios in addition to what we already had in mind.
Indefinite Leave to remain - UK Settlement and
Naturalisation
I am glad that i instructed Reiss Edwards on my visa matter. It started with a 20 minutes free
immigration advice. I met with Amar to discuss my ILR refusal. He gave me a great deal of
quality advice and decided to take on my messy case. I had doubts on the merits of my case by he was
relatively convinced
he could win it. That made me quite secure. To be honest, things did not start as quick as I would
have wanted, but they kept on communicating the process and state of things
to me.A big thank you to Verusha and Foram. They were also very helpful. Brilliant and informative.
Their fee was fair and reasonable, especially if you compare them to other law firms and immigration
law firms in London; some of whom even told me that i would not be able to get an indefinte leave to
remain in this country.
The process was long but was worth it. In the end, a big thank you to Reiss Edwards.
Citizenship Application - UK Naturalisation
TI have just had British Citizenship application approved. Prior to making the application, i was not
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Spouse Visa - Appeals and visa refusals
Fantastic Solicitors!!!
My wife's spouse visa extension application was refused by the Home Office and they gave her 14 days
to leave the country.
We contacted Reiss Edwards and they said "OK don't worry we will sort this out". They put together the
list of documents
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Immigration Visa - Citizen of United Kingdom
The team of lawyers at Reiss Edwards are very professional and friendly people. Their experience in
and around UK immigration law is quite extensive; be sure that you application is in safe and
competent hands. My immigration matter was an indefinite leave to remain application based on Tier 1
on a self-employment basis. The immigration lawyers at Reiss Edwards made sure that the application
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UK Settlement Visa
I contacted Reiss Edwards to help me with my wife�s UK settlement visa. They acted with utmost
professionalism throughout the entire application. I spoke with Joe Dinh, he is an immigration
solicitor and he is one of the best solicitors out there. He ensured that there was little to no room
for error. At some point I thought he was over cautious. He remained calmed and continued to assure us
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Cheap Immigration Lawyers in London
I have been using Reiss Edwards for three years now for my family's immigration application. Both for
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Top Notch Immigration Service
Reiss Edwards is a top notch immigration service company. The way they handled our documentation and
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Best Immigration Solicitors
I used Reiss Edwards� immigration lawyers to assist with my immigration matter and that of my family.
It was an EX1 application. They dealt with the matter properly and even when complications were coming
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Indefinte Leave to remain - Individual Immigration - UK Settlement
visa
It's a shame that you dont have an 'Excellent' star rating on here, as my experience with Reiss
Edwards is nothing short
of an excellent rating. They handled my application for an Indefinite Leave to remain in April 2014
and did my husband's one
very recently including my daughter. Every time i have approached them, they have continued to treat
me with courtesy,
respect and patience. Amar was indeed a very thorough and professional gentleman. He is very
knowledgeable, corporative and
engaging. He responded to my emails, calls and enquiries promptly. He was always reassuring. I could
not have asked for a better
Immigration service. I would recommend them over and over again for anyone looking for an immigration
advice.
They gave me a free immigration advice when i called them, and the quality of the advice was something
other charge thousands for.
If you need a particular, name, Amar would be it. He exemplifies, for me, the true, professional
gentleman.
He is a valuable asset to Reiss Edwards.
Tier 2 Visa application - UK Work Visas
This is the only firm that i spoke with that didn't ask for money before listening to me, will be
using them again.
I used Reiss Edwards for my Tier 2 visa application and it was successful. The team was ever present
and happy to answer my question. The caseworker that dealing with my case went on holiday yet by case
did not suffer one bit. Another lawyer stepped and took
over the case without any hassle.
Tier 1 Investor Visa - Business Immigration
My Tier 1 Investor Visa was dealt with quickly and without issue. Would recommend Reiss Edwards as an
Immigration law firm in London. Thank you to the team.
info@reissedwards.co.uk
