Changes to the Immigration Rules - Leave To Remain & Settlement

This appeared on our corporate website at work today.

Changes to the Immigration Rules - Leave To Remain & Settlement

Important changes in Immigration Rules have been announced which will affect people applying for leave to remain, and indefinite leave to remain (or settlement), in the UK. The changes, which will take effect from 3 April this year, are:

For all employment-related categories of entry to the UK, and those who have entered under the Ancestry category, the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (settlement) is now 5 years.

As from the 3rd April 2006, all Work Permit holders, Highly Skilled Migrants and persons residing under the Ancestry Category, will therefore be required to complete 5 years in the UK before they will be eligible for indefinite leave to remain (settlement).

If you believe you would qualify for indefinite leave to remain under the old 4-year rule BEFORE the 3rd April 2006 please feel free to contact the Global Mobility department.

i saw this posted on the immigration links page earlier this week.  i guess i should have accepted that immigration laws can and do change but this blows.  i way planning on getting my ILR in Sept 07 and starting school soon after.  but now it looks like school will have to wait until sep 08 at the earliest.  oh well.

It makes me think that perhaps I ought to get a spouse visa if I marry R...cause then it'd take less time to get ILR.  Bugger...an expense I didn't want.  But I love my job and hope to have it for a while, so perhaps not.  But it is a pain...if you are over here it makes sense that you'd be grandfathered in...but no.  Annoying!

as my boyfriend and i are talking marrigae i thought about doing this.  but i'd need to get married b/f sep 06 to justify switching from FLR work permit to FLR marriage.  but i would be eligable for citizenship earlier if i switched to a marriage visa (i think) my schedule worked out like this:

sep 03 2 year work permit
sep 05 3 year work permit
sep 08 ILR based on 5 years work permit
sep 09 citizenship

vs. marriage...
sep 03 2 year work permit
sep 05 3 year work permit
sep 06 2 year FLR based on marriage
sep 08 ILR based on marriage
oct 08 citizenship

the other reason i think i'll keep on the work permit path is that my work currently pays for my visa stuff b/c it's work related.  if I switch to visas based on marriage, i don't know if work would necessarily pay for it all

I think I remember Garry saying something about not having to do the two years wait to get the IRL after marriage for us due to the fact that we'll have been here for a while beforehand...but I could be wrong!  But I'm with you on the not paying thing - my work pays for my visas as well...

Unfortunately not...she will still have to wait the 2 years for ILR.  I think Garry was saying that she won't have to wait for 1 year after ILR to apply for citizenship.


Victoria

anybody know what the cost of ILR is this year? i'm applying in late June but am assuming that like years past, it will go up in April?