Personal Migration

If you are applying for a UK family visa as a partner or spouse, you will need to meet the eligibility requirements. This includes requirements about finances, living arrangements, English language, and your relationship.  You will usually need to show that your relationship is genuine, ongoing and legally recognised for immigration purposes. You will also need to […]

Whether you can travel while waiting for a decision on an immigration application depends on the application you made, the visa you applied for and if this was done from inside or outside the UK.  Applications made inside the UK If you applied for an immigration application from inside the UK and are waiting for […]

If you have been granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) or indefinite leave to remain (ILR) through a different immigration route, and you want to apply for British citizenship , you will need to meet the residence and absence requirements for British citizenship. The requirements for British citizenship are different to those […]

For people who move to the UK and establish their lives here, a common concern over time is whether an elderly or ailing parent can join them in the UK. With rules becoming stricter, many families question if this is possible. Understand if there is an immigration route for your situation. Adult Dependent Relative Route […]

A new report, Ethnic Minority EU Citizens in the UK (February 2026), highlights the barriers racialised EU citizens are experiencing in post-Brexit Britain. With funding from the EU Delegation the report is a result of a collaboration between academics and organisations working with migrants from racialised communities across the UK navigating post-Brexit systems. Here, we run through […]

What does ILR mean? Very simply, ILR means indefinite leave to remain in the UK. If you hold indefinite leave to remain it gives you the right to live in the UK permanently.  You may have heard indefinite leave to remain referred to as permanent residence in the UK. Both terms are used interchangeably, however […]

As you will likely be aware of, the UK is transitioning into a digital immigration system. We have covered earlier, in 2024, that all physical immigration documents are now being transferred to a digital system called an eVisa.  An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status in the UK. Where earlier you would […]

If you are working towards your Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) UK immigration status, you may already know that time spent outside the UK—even for a holiday or a business trip—might affect your ILR eligibility. The qualifying period for ILR (often 5 years but sometimes 10, depending on your route) requires a certain amount of […]

Understand how to decide between indefinite leave to remain and British Citizenship in 2026.  For many long-term residents the choice between indefinite leave to remain (also known as ‘ILR’ or ‘settlement’) and British citizenship is crucial. At Seraphus, we understand the uncertainties of immigration statuses. This guide explains the differences, highlights the benefits and limitations of […]

Becoming a British citizen can open doors for your child, giving them access to a world of opportunities and the full rights that come with British citizenship. There are several pathways to becoming British, including by birth, descent, or naturalisation. However, if you are not born a British citizen, one of the ways to obtain […]

If you’re planning to visit the UK and you’re from a country that doesn’t require a visa for short stays, there’s an important update you should be aware of; the UK is introducing the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme. This new requirement is part of the UK’s effort to improve its border security and will soon apply […]

Are you a parent in the UK on the 10-year route to settlement or indefinite leave to remain (ILR)? Find out if you can switch to the five-year route in this article. If you are in the UK as the parent of a child settled in the UK and are on the 10-year route to […]

Although there was a highly publicised increase in fees for immigration applications in October 2023 and to the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fees in February 2024, there have been other increases brought in gradually since that time in April and July 2024. Amongst these changes, it is largely underreported that there is scheduled to be […]

If you are looking to have your foreign partner join you in the UK, but worried that you may face barriers because you have never lived together, there is good news for you in recent changes to the Immigration Rules.  The Home Office recently updated the requirements of the Immigration Rules for unmarried partners of […]