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Frequently asked questions

Why choose ICS Legal?

We specialise in Immigration Law, Human Rights Law, British Nationality Law & European Law. Our lawyers provide honest, exceptional service to our clients. We believe that our service starts when we submit your application and we want our client to know we will keep them informed, answer there questions and your case worker will be just a phone call away.

What is the benefit of using our legal services when you want to come to the UK or extend or switch?

Our speciality lies in the field of Immigration, Nationality and EU Law, so it means we always are dealing with this side of the law. We are able to support you in making a correct decision, avoid delays on your case, save money and time, not forgetting the stress of any doubts with your application.

There are many routes available to come to the UK, extend or switch, some of them do not allow extension or even switching. Knowing what is right can be a difficult task and this is why we are here. Simple task of not using the prescribed forms can mean your application is invalid, which means if you have no valid stay, you would have to return back and there is no appeal rights.

Our initial consultations are a chargeable service. We initially discuss the requirements of the application to ensure you meet the requirements and have the documentation required at hand for the submission. It gives you an opportunity to meet us and ask questions.

Each case will be checked thoroughly, everything will be cross referenced so guidelines are met and we will also add our legal document which would outline the Immigration Rules and how the client has satisfied the rules. We use documents that are used by Home Office case workers, so we know exactly what they would look for in your case.

The most important fact is that law constantly changes, policy guidelines and requirements are always changing, so it is best that you always use specialised services to support you. We never compromise our services, our fees remain very competitive but our expertise is at the very highest standard.

How can I trust your service?

We are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). OISC is the government regulated body and it is a criminal offence if someone is providing Immigration advice without being regulated by the OISC. We are also members of Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI). JCWI is an independent national voluntary organisation, campaigning for justice and combating racism in immigration and asylum law and policy.

What happens in the initial consultation?

Your case worker would take some background information regarding yourself. Relevant questions would be asked to ascertain whether your case can be handled by our team. You will also be able to ask questions, understand what is required to meet the Immigration Rules, Nationality Law and EU Law where relevant. Should we be able to provide assistance, your case worker will give you a customer care letter whereby it would outline the service agreement and the cost associated.

What happens after the consultation?

After each consultation we aim to provide a consultation report which would outline what was discussed, the action plan and what to do next.

When I meet the caseworker and I disclose personal information, would this be disclosed to anyone else?

We have a procedure in place for ensuring client confidentiality. We keep the affairs of our clients and all information relating to our clients confidential, except where we are compelled to disclose information by reason of a legal or regulatory obligation.

What is a customer care letter?

A customer care letter from us will ensure that we outline the service we would be providing, it would also provide a break down of the costs associated so you can rest assure that there are no hidden charges and that fees do not go up unless changes are made (i.e. Home Office fees etc).

Once I sign the customer care letter and my case would possibly fail, do I still have to pay your fees?

We place our clients first, so when you sign the customer care letter and we go through your case file, and we believe that the case would not be successful, we will terminate the agreement and return your documents. We will also provide alternative solutions with no added costs. We also have a cancellation period should you feel you want to withdraw your file.

Please note that all cases cannot be guaranteed as circumstances depends and whether you met guidelines, however the Home Office caseworker can still refuse cases on the balance of probabilities and other factors. Our job would be to prepare your case in the best possible way.

Do you provide one day Premium Services?

Yes, we have a special provision with the Home Office and majority case decisions are made on the same day.

Do you do “No Win No Fee”?

As a private legal firm, we want to ensure we can provide the service you want. Our fees are very competitive and that is why we do not provide a No Win No Fee service as we do not feel the need to over charge our clients with such schemes.

How is the fees paid and are there any surprises?

With us, you will know exactly what we would be charging. The fees are to be paid through cheque, cash or bank transfer. Home Office fees can be paid to us and we can make the payment on behalf of you. If there is any changes in Home Office fees, we will let you know immediately.

How often would I get updated once my case have been submitted?

Our commitment to our clients is that we will update you every time we get an update from the Home Office. The waiting period can be a very daunting time as decisions can be life changing however the Home Office do set some guidelines on waiting times, but we intend to keep you updated throughout the process.

Can you guarantee an application?

No, and this is the same even if you use a no win no fee service, it would be impossible for anyone to guarantee a successful application. The likelihood of an application being successful can be given based on previous cases or success rates, however we do not operate such a policy of selling our services based on previous applications.

What is your aftercare service?

We aim to ensure that this service is not used by any of our clients, but there are times where even with the best possible applications are unsuccessful. As we take our clients cases personally, we would like to provide a helping hand. We have designed an aftercare service whereby if your case fails, then your case worker would be able to help you look at other formalities of staying in the UK should you have valid leave still remaining or help you make an out country application. Please note should you require appealing on your matter, we can only deal with the initial appeal and your application will be straight away referred to an advisor who deals with representations.

Can I give you feedback on your service?

It is vital that all our clients can provide honest feedback, we would encourage this and this helps us to become better on our service delivery.

Can you help me find a UK Employer to sponsor a work permit or find me work?

No, we are a law firm which provides support in UK Immigration, Nationality and EU Free Movement Rights. However we have a subsidiary company which is jobslibrary.co.uk whereby you can look for work, apply and discuss with potential employers. We cannot influence any decisions and finding work is not something our team deals with.

How we deliver service

1) You contact us through e-mail or phone.

2) We take some basic information, we ask some relevant questions to understand the type of query and what type of support is required.

3) Your case then gets passed to a case worker.

4) Case Worker would contact you to set up an initial meeting.

5) You attend a consultation, an action plan is drawn up and we find out whether ICS Legal can support your case. A report would be sent where there is a requirement to outline what was discussed and what to do next.

6) You authorise us to be your legal representative by signing our customer care letter.

7) We will then start to request documents and information about your case this will build up your case pack.

8) We will then write our legal report and use Home Office caseworker’s documents to ensure everything has been checked and all requirement have been met.

9) Where possible we will go through every aspect of your case before case submission.

10) We will continue to update you throughout the case life cycle .

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Table of Contents

UK Government Has Announced Two New Immigration Routes

The UK is an Island country and consists of Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. The UK is the northwest country in Europe. The UK is one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Therefore, most of the peoples are highly interested in coming to the United Kingdom and leading a better life. The UK government offers overseas people to come to the UK in various ways to contribute to the UK economy. There are different types of UK visa routes the overseas people can come to the UK by fulfilling their required visa requirements. The UK government has announced two new immigration routes after the Brexit. Those visa routes will be launched in 2022, such as the scale-up visa route and the High-Potential visa route. Scale-up route means that those who are very talented and skilled on any specific route. Such kinds of people are offered to the UK to join and work on the sponsor license company or organization, which is called the Scale-up route.

What is Scale-up route?

The scale-up route is one kind of the UK visa route, whereas highly qualified and graduate persons are offered to the UK to live and work on a long-term basis. The scale-up visa is also available for migrants also. The scale-up can demonstrate the employee annual average revenue or demonstrate three years' period employment growth. The scale-up route will be open in 2022, which will be open from the UK government to offer individual person to come in the United Kingdom by the UK skilled job offer with a high salary range. If they want, they can extend their visa period and switch to another potential job in the United Kingdom.

How Scale-up route work?

Scale-up visa route allows the individual person to come to the United Kingdom on the skilled job offer from outside the UK. It is a long-term visa route, and you have a chance to extend your visa before expiring your current visa period. If you have a Bachelor's degree or Master's degree and have high skills in any specific field, you can apply for the scale-up visa route. The scale-up route work process is almost the same as UK skilled work visa, but minimum salary will be provided to the scale-up route applicants threshold to the scale-up visa.

Basically, the scale-up visa route is a new innovation and design for well-educated persons. For this reason, salary is very high than the UK skilled work visa, and you will be given a minimum salary at the threshold in the UK than that of a UK skilled work visa. There are some requirements for the scale-up route visa. Therefore, if you would like to apply for the scale-up route you should comply with the scale-up route requirement. These are given below.

Age limit more than 18 years old.
Fill up the online application form.
Provide your required documents.
You have to provide a valid passport.
You have to give your recent photograph.
Medical test report.
Meet the English language requirement.

The scale-up route Processing time 2021 is not very high. However, if you apply online for the scale-up route, you may require eight weeks to get a decision on your visa. Basically, visa application processing time depends on documents and country. Because if you provide false documents and if the UK Home office finds it wrong, then your application process may be delayed, or your online application may be cancelled. Basically, UK visa cost depends on the UK visa category, and it starts from £93 to £3,250.

Though the scale-up route is a long-term visa route, the Healthcare Surcharge will be included with Scale-up route fees 2021. It is noted that you have to provide Healthcare Surcharge each year to cover your medical cost. There are more benefits of the scale-up route in the UK. If you come to the UK on the scale-up route with a high-skill job offer, then you will be provided with a very high salary, you can live in the UK for at least three years, you have a chance to extend it. It is noted that the scale-up route is the easiest way to get settlement status in the United Kingdom. If you get settlement status after five years, and 12 months later, you will be eligible to apply for British citizenship.

What is High-Potential Individual route?

The UK government has announced two new immigration routes those visa routes will be launched in 2022. One is a scale-up route, and another one is the High-Potential Individual route. We already discussed above in detail the scale-up route, and we will let you know details about the High-potential individual route in UK. the High-potential individual route is designed for the most talented and well-educated persons.

The UK government looks to the world's talented persons to share their knowledge and contribute to the UK economy. This visa route allows the world entrepreneur and creative innovators to set up their businesses in the United Kingdom. If you would like to come on this visa route, you don't need any sponsor. You can work, travel, and attend other activities without a UK Immigration limitation. In addition, you will have a chance to switch to a high-potential visa route.

How High-Potential Individual route work?

The High-potential individual route is issued for the most talented persons who have completed graduation from world reputed university. The high-potential individual route is also easier for the world's top talented persons. They can come to the UK without a job offer. Tier 2 or skilled work visa is the graduate route. If you have high skills and merit, you can apply for a tier 2 visa route to your required field, but you need a sponsor. Whereas if you apply for a High-potential individual route, you don't need a sponsor, or you can freely come to the UK.

You have to apply online and fill up the online application form by providing your authentic documents. It is a long-term visa route if you want, you can extend it, and five years later, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or permanent residence (PR). After approving UK settlement status, you can apply for British citizenship. It is noted that if you would like to apply for British citizenship, you have to wait for 12 months after approving ILR or settlement status. All of the UK visa holders follow their specific visa requirements. If you would like to come to the UK on the High-potential individual route, you must follow the High-potential individual route requirements such as

Age limit at least 18 years old.
You have to fill up the online application form for your required field.
You must be completed graduation from a top world university and provide your certificate (if required).
No sponsor is required on this new route.
You need experience in any specific field and provide your experience document (if you have one).
Provide your medical test report.
Meet the English language requirements or prove that you have good proficiency in English.
Pay your visa cost.

All of the UK visas take some time to be processed finally, but UK visa processing time also depends on the documents, because if UK Home Office found that you have provided the wrong documents, then your application can be delayed or cancelled. The High-potential individual route processing time 2021 usually takes four to eight weeks. It is noted that the High-potential individual route processing time 2021 is usually faster than some other UK visa route. The UK visa cost depends on the individual visa route. The UK visa cost becomes different based on the different visa routes.

The UK visa cost is started from £93 to £3,250. If you live in the UK for more than six months (without any extension), then you have to pay Healthcare Surcharge, and this cost will be added with High-potential individual route fees 2021. It is noted that the Healthcare Surcharge cost will cover your medical cost. All of the UK visa routes have their own benefits. If overseas people live in the United Kingdom properly by following the UK immigration rules, they get more benefits. The High-potential individual route benefits are given below.

If you come to the UK on this route, you don't need a sponsor, or you are free to come to the UK (if you have the right to come to the UK).
You can freely work in the UK.
You can switch to another job or another visa route.
You can live on the long route.
You can apply for UK settlement status and British citizenship.

EU citizens' free movement already ended from 31st December 2021. The UK government has announced two new immigration routes, like the scale-up and high-potential individual routes. These two new or innovative visa routes will be launched in 2022. Basically, a UK government is highly interested in higher overseas most talented persons in the United Kingdom to contribute to the UK economy. Those are the EU citizens, EEA, and Swiss citizens. They can also apply for such new innovative visa routes if they can meet the qualification or visa requirements.

ICS Legal deals with immigration law, European law, British national law, and we also provide limited Asylum support. We have very professional immigration lawyers or solicitors who always solve different kinds of immigration issues. We provide 15 minutes free consultation service, and you can consult with our immigration lawyers about your UK visa issue. If you would like to know about your global talent visa, you may contact our immigration lawyers, and they will provide your expected solutions.

UK Visas And Immigration UK spouse visa UK Immigration Lawyers UK Fiance Visa

Call us today on 0207 237 3388 or e-mail us your circumstances to info@icslegal.com when you. You are strongly advised to take legal advice prior to applying for the Invitation Letter for UK Visa. This page is for information purposes only.