What is Long Residency?
In some cases, it is possible to have a visa granted to a person if he or she has been living in the UK for an extended period. A long residency visa is possible if the person has been living legally in the UK for a period of ten years or longer. Once a person has a long residency visa, the person will be able to apply for settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain. If the person intends to apply for permanent residency in the UK, long residency visas are often the best path to take. Long residency can be granted to a person with ten or more years of lawful, continuous residency. This means that the person has stayed in the UK without leaving to live in another country during the ten-year period. (Leave is granted to certain approved durations.) This visa will be granted in most cases as long as the person has a sufficient understanding of the English language, is compliant with his or her current immigration status, and it is in the public interest to award the visa.
Advancing to the status of indefinite leave to remain follows after the long residency visa. This is granted to a person that has intentions to settle in the UK. After the person is awarded indefinite leave to remain, it can be considered a permanent residency in the UK. If a person remains in indefinite leave to remain for a continuous 12 months, he or she has the opportunity to apply for British citizenship. Further, indefinite leave to remain allows a person to work, live, and study freely in the UK. Based on the person's migrant status, a person generally has access to the British health care system and may be eligible to partake in certain elections. Working through the immigration process of obtaining a long residency visa and indefinite leave to remain is a long and tedious process, but ultimately can be easier and cheaper than applying for naturalization outright. The team at Immigration Services Provider is able to help answer any questions regarding immigration and can help make sense of the various requirements for each stage of the immigration and visa process.
For a more detailed discussion regarding your case, please book an appointment or call us now on 07835601240