At LWG we specialise in the business and investment aspects of UK immigration. We advise and guide our professional clients through the regulations on establishment in Britain; we have fixed fees, and are here to make your plans a reality.
LWG regularly acts for clients from all sectors of business, from leading firms of London City solicitors, large international corporations, and private entrepreneurs to individual private clients – all come to ask advice on how particular projects may realised.
Change is a feature of the Government's plans for controlling UK immigration. LWG keeps abreast and, we trust, ahead of these changes. So, starting in May 2008, we will be improving the way we work so as to concentrate our advice and representation on the key areas of :
i) Entry Clearance Applications overseas including applications under Tier 1 of the Points Based System
ii) Applications for Tier 1 applicants and those here before the introduction of Tier 1 (30 June 2008) to continue to live and work in Britain and for applications from such qualified perons to settle in the UK.
iii) Representing Clients Before The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal
iv) Providing Training and Information for Employers
LWG already has established links with many Visa Offices overseas,. We will be seeking to consolidate our presence, and effectiveness on behalf of all our clients, so that the standard of service which our customers have come to expect, is still readily available in the light of the 'roll out' of The Points Based System.
At LWG we aim to provide up-to-date, clear and relevant information so as to empower our clients and assist them in the decision-making process. You are free to peruse this site where you will find answers to many of your questions. If you would like further advice please e-mail us with your specific queries and we will do our best to provide reliable answers. But we ask anyone who uses this site to respect the fact that LWG is a commercial entity - a for-profit business. After giving a considered response to initial enquiries, we will invite you to become a client, and meet our costs for consultation, or kindly to refrain from seeking further clarification or more detail by supplementary e-mail or telephone requests.
We suggest that you start by consulting Visas and Staying where we advise on some of the fundamental points applicable to most applications for visas or continuing permission to stay (and work) in Britain. If you are an employer or are considering employing a foreign national or someone whom you believe might need extra permission to work in Britain, then we suggest you visit our Employers' Page
The basis for Britain's system of regulating who comes to Britain is The Immigration Rules, approved by the UK Parliament, and which give requirements to be met in a large number of categories. These Rules are subject to very frequent change, often at short, or in some instances, no prior warning. The Government has already announced a fundamental change in the way, for example, workers and investors will, from 2008, be assessed. The proposal is for a 'Points-Based-System' and for the decision-making process to be undertaken, not by officials in the UK, but by Visa Officers (in Britain called 'Entry Clearance Officers') overseas. Many workers and also students who are not EEA Nationals, or spouses of EEA Nationals (EEA Nationalsand Family Matters) will need a UK sponsor. Full details of the changes, when they come into force, or as the British Government makes relevant announcements, will be available on our Breaking News Pages.
The tendency over the past 10 years has been for the Government to bring into the Rules, previously operated 'concessions' - statements of Government policy in given situations - for which the Rules did not cater. There are still some concessions in current operation, for example, in respect of the families of children who have spent at least 7 years in Britain. Full details are available from LWG.
Changes in the Immigration Rules (HC321 and HC 607) effective respectively from 29 February and 1 April 2008 , mark a departure from previous Government policy of permitting those persons who had transgressed in the past to regularise their position at a later stage - usually by obtaining a visa for Britain in a recognised capacity which would lead to legal settlement later on - to a system of penalising such persons with an automatic ban on returning even where the offender has a wife/husband/partner ( and children or other very close family members) legally resident in the UK, or who would qualify to return as a Work Permit Holder, Businessperson, or Entrepreneur. There are concessions to those who have worked in breach of conditions of stay, or who have otherwise become 'immigration offenders' such as those who remain beyond the time limit granted for, for example, visits,but only if they leave voluntarily by 1 October 2008 and then qualify to return under the normal Immigration Rules.
Information on how Entry Clearance Officers have been issued with instructions rigidly to enforce the new bans are available here.
At the same time as these new measures are introduced, side-by-side is going to be a new, and much harsher regime of fines and possible imprisonment for up to 2 years, for employers who flout the law, or who fail to comply. Please visit our pages Points Based System and The Employers' Page
At LWG, we believe that up-to-date knowledge of the Rules and the Law is an important base from which we can help you develop your own ideas. LWG’s clients have come to value our practical approach to finding ways in which persons, who qualify for entry into Britain, do so using the most appropriate route.
LWG cannot help everyone. For example, the terms of our licence prohibit LWG’s becoming involved in representing or advising Refugees or Asylum-Seekers.
If we cannot realise your plans, it may be because what you desire is simply not possible, or perhaps you have aspirations, which are unattainable. But we will give you an honest assessment if you tell us, in confidence, what you desire and how you believe that you may be able to achieve you goal.
It's Your Future ! Start The Right Way - Consult LWG!
