Top 3 Reasons Why You May Need a Private Immigration Lawyer

1. Home Office delays

A backlog partly caused by the Covid-19 and the Ukraine crisis have led to significant delays in the Home Office’s processing times. As a result, it takes significantly longer to get a decision on an application. It can therefore be helpful to have someone to chase updates and to help move things along on your behalf.

2. Confusion over post-Brexit immigration

There is still much confusion over the post-Brexit immigration landscape, with many people who came to the UK under the free movement rules still not having regularised their status. Living in the UK without obtaining status is likely to cause significant issues in the future, particularly when one travels.

The deadline for applying to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021, however there is still some scope to submit a late, discretionary application to the EU Settlement Scheme, or to make an application based on 5 years of historic residence in the UK.

3. Implications of a refusal

A decision of the Home Office to refuse an application will usually need to be declared on any future visa applications and may have a detrimental effect on how the Home Office assesses your application, even where the errors were not the result of any dishonesty. In the worst-case scenario, the Home Office may impose a 10-year ban, if it draws a conclusion that the application involved deception.

Immigration law is constantly changing and can be somewhat of a minefield. Taking advice from a specialist at an early stage of your application will relieve some of the stress of navigating the application process and can save time and expense further down the line.

Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.

The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.

©Gherson 2022