It may surprise you to learn how many different services fall within immigration law – and the situations where an immigration solicitor can help you.
You might be thinking of moving to the UK or you are connected with someone who is. Or perhaps you’ve already moved and are looking to extend your stay. If so, having an expert to guide you through the process – which is often complicated – can make a massive difference.
But it’s not just individuals who can benefit from immigration law advice. Businesses which are interested in overseas recruitment can have their chances of success greatly increased by having an expert immigration solicitor on their side.
So in this article, we’ll give you an idea of the services a specialist immigration solicitor – such as those in Truth Legal’s dedicated immigration team – can provide.
Moving and staying in the UK
If you are looking to move to the UK for an extended visit or for work, you will need to apply for a visa. This is effectively your permission to enter the country and stay for a certain amount of time. It will also set out what you are allowed to do, such as whether you are allowed to work in the UK during your stay.
An immigration solicitor can assist you in your application – giving you the best possible chances of success.
And similarly, this expertise can be help if:
- You have family members overseas who are hoping to join you in the UK
- You wish to extend your visa
- You wish to apply for ‘indefinite leave to remain’ in the UK
It can also be helpful to seek legal advice if you ever need to challenge a decision made by the Home Office in relation to a visa application or concerning another immigration matter.
Immigration services for businesses
If you run a business which wants to take on skilled workers from overseas, you can sponsor those workers to help them through the immigration process. To do so, however, you will need to apply for a sponsor licence from the Home Office.
The licence application can be involved, and experienced legal advice can often mean the difference between a successful application and a lot of wasted time and money.
But even when the application is successful (and your prospective worker has been granted their visa) you may still require further legal support. The sponsorship scheme involves a number of ongoing obligations for the sponsoring business. And here guidance from expert immigration solicitors can also be invaluable. It can help your business to stay on top of its responsibilities and ensure that your new skilled worker is able to continue working for you.
How to choose your immigration solicitors
Immigration law is a complex area and choosing which solicitors to instruct is an important decision.
You have to be sure that your lawyers have the skills and experience to be able to help you – but they also need to be people whom you can trust. Looking at reviews from former clients of the firm can give you a good sense of this.
You should also pick a firm which has a dedicated team of immigration lawyers – not just an all-round firm of solicitors who happen to take on immigration cases. For example, at Truth Legal, the immigration team is full of experienced immigration lawyers who only do immigration work.
