Obtaining a residence permit in England for a Russian citizen when purchasing real estate, a pensioner in 2021

A residence permit in the UK opens up a lot of opportunities. Thanks to him, you can legally stay here for a long time without fear of problems with the authorities. This status also allows you to officially find a job or register as an entrepreneur. Registration of a residence permit has become especially relevant due to the fact that the country is leaving the EU.

Residence permit is officially called provisional status. In English documents it is recorded as Pre-Settled Status. This status precedes a permanent residence permit (PR). But regardless of what kind of status you decide to apply for, you must have reasons for this. For temporary status there are no restrictions on the period of stay in the country. For a permanent one, as a rule, you need a minimum of 5 years.

Many people like the UK, but living here is expensive. And not everyone can afford it

It should be noted that the above statuses are all types of residence permits. They just differ in their characteristics, which is worth taking into account. However, everything in one way or another gives the right to stay in the country and earn income.

Temporary status based on investment

To obtain temporary status, you need a visa that will correspond to the purpose of your stay. One option for wealthy individuals is an investment visa. To do this, you need to invest an amount of 2 million pounds sterling. It is assumed that you will invest either directly in the country's economy through shares or bonds, or by investing in the development of a British company.

The corresponding application is considered for 3 weeks. Initially, the visa is issued for 40 months. Then it can be extended for 2 years. When investing in the state’s economy, you can count on permanent residence within 5 years. However, if the investment is 5 million, then the period of residence required in this case is reduced to 3 years. It can be reduced to 2 years. In this case, you need to invest another 2 million.

If only there was money, there is always where to invest in the UK

A number of points should be noted:

1. England does not agree to raise funds from any sources. The country is quite sensitive to its own reputation. Therefore, funds used for investment must come from a transparent source. It is important that the investor has evidence of the legal receipt of such funds.
2. You cannot invest money in companies that engage in real estate or construction.
3. Investing through offshore companies is prohibited.
4. To maintain resident status, you can stay outside the country for no more than 180 days a year.
5. You can study and work in almost any field. Nevertheless, there are still certain restrictions. In particular, you cannot engage in sports professionally or be a sports coach on such a visa. You also won't be able to work as a doctor.

Validity period and grounds for loss

The residence permit is issued for a period of 5 years with the possibility of its further extension. After 10 years of permanent residence in the UK, a foreign person has the right to obtain permanent residence for an indefinite period, and subsequently citizenship.

As for the grounds for the loss of a residence permit by a foreigner, this mainly includes a serious violation of the norms of current legislation or non-compliance with the rules that exist for migrants. Also, if a person receives 12 months in prison, obtaining citizenship can practically be forgotten.

Those Russians who have left the country for more than six months may also lose their residence permit in England.

Obtaining temporary status in connection with engaging in entrepreneurship

Another common option is entrepreneurship. In this case, to legalize a long stay, you need to apply for a special visa. It requires starting capital from 200 thousand (in national currency) most often. The visa is issued for the first time for 40 months. Then it will need to be extended. This can be done for another 2-3 years. If you stay in the UK on the basis of this visa for 5 years, you will be able to apply for permanent status.

It should be noted that representatives of foreign corporations can also obtain a status that allows them to officially reside in the country. For this you need to provide justification. As a rule, this is usually done by the company itself.

Permanent residence in the UK: what is it?

Permanent status gives many more rights. And it implies stability. This status is most often referred to in documents as ILR.

You can apply for registration in the UK only if you stay in the country for at least 5 years legally. However, this is a standard rule, to which there are exceptions:

1. An investor can stay in the UK for 2, 3 or 5 years. The specifics directly depend on how much you decide to invest.
2. An entrepreneur can also invest, albeit in his own business. To stay in the state, you need to prepare other documentation, as discussed above. The required period is 3 or 5 years. The specifics in this situation depend on the scale of the enterprise.

The most popular schemes for obtaining a permanent residence permit are described above. However, this is not all. Other grounds include family ties, wedding (or civil partnership).

Moving to this amazing country is not so easy

Important: if a migrant is simply staying in the country legally, but there is no official employment, then it will take 10 years to stay in this case.
And only after the expiration of the specified period will it be possible to obtain permanent residence. But this is an option if there are no other reasons.

Procedure for obtaining a residence permit in the UK in 2021

It is required to prepare documentation for registration of resident status at least 3 months in advance of the date of expected submission of papers to the authorized authority. If the application is submitted later, there is no guarantee that the visa will be issued on time. Candidates for an English residence permit need to fill out the following forms:

• application form;
• three photos measuring 3.4 by 4.5 cm;
• civil passport of the country of citizenship - Russian or other;
• a passport valid for at least 3 months from the requested date of entry into the UK;
• a bank statement on the movement of funds in the account to confirm the material base of a foreign person;
• confirmation of a hotel reservation in any city in England;
• in case of travel to relatives or spouses, you will need an invitation issued by the migration department in the UK, the same for business trips - you need a document with a guarantee of financial assistance and accommodation from a foreign partner;
• a receipt for payment of the consular fee for consideration of the issue, the cost is determined by the type of visa.

Important: To obtain a UK visa, you must undergo fingerprinting. Fingerprints are taken at UK missions.

Question answer

Question: I have lived in the UK for 4 years. I moved in with relatives and received a residence permit. After the permit expires, do I need to apply for an extension or do I need to get a new visa or can I apply for permanent residence?

Answer: Having relatives in England is one of the grounds for obtaining a residence permit. The validity period of the permit is 5 years. After this, the validity period of the document can be extended. If no violations of migration, administrative or other procedures are recorded during the period of residence in the country, then a residence permit will be issued almost automatically. It is necessary to take into account whether the foreigner traveled abroad to live in another country for a period of more than 2 years. To obtain permanent residence, you must reside permanently in the UK for at least 10 years, then you will receive the right to naturalization. Therefore, you will need to contact the English Migration Authority to apply for an extension. It is better to do this in advance, at least 3 months before the expiration of the residence permit. Since the paper review process takes some time and you will not need to leave the country.

What documents do I need to provide to obtain a residence permit?

The speed of resolving the relevant issue directly depends on whether you can immediately collect all the necessary documents and in what form they will be. If everything is done promptly and competently, then there should be no unnecessary delay. So, to obtain the proper status you will need:

1. Write a questionnaire. It must be submitted in English. Currently, electronic submission is permitted, but in general a paper document can also be submitted. The questionnaire is checked very carefully. Therefore, if you are not confident in the level of your English, it is best to order a test from a native speaker or from professionals who can help with migration issues.
2. Provide a valid passport. Please note that if this document does not contain pages translated into English, then you will need to provide such a translation and have it notarized. But there is no need to carry out consular legalization of the translation of the certificate or put an apostille on such a translation.
3. A certificate that confirms knowledge of English, as well as an understanding of the realities of public life. In terms of the first, a fairly advanced confident level. Moreover, both oral and written language proficiency, understanding, ability to explain clearly, and reading are tested. As for knowledge of the realities of life in the UK, we are primarily talking about how well the applicant understands politics and social issues. A person may also be asked about cultural characteristics or traditions, holidays and simply major annual events of the area in which he lives.
4. A resident card, which confirms that the applicant has stayed in the country for the required amount of time. Please note that the deadline must not be interrupted. This is also carefully checked. However, if everything is in order with the indicated points, then the check will be symbolic.
5. Documents that confirm the fact of marriage or the presence of family ties (with British citizens). This is optional and is available upon request and subject to appropriate grounds.
6. Documentary evidence of trustworthiness (for example, a police clearance certificate). This official paper is also not always provided, but in cases, for example, when certain doubts arise.
7. A document that shows that the availability of the necessary start-up capital when engaging in investing or making investments. This is also not necessary - confirmation of these facts is required when applying for temporary resident status. However, the UK migration authorities may additionally request such papers if they have any questions about issuing you a visa.

Please note that all documents must be valid at the time of submission. They also need to be translated into English, and the translation itself must be notarized. If any documentation is subject to consular legalization or apostille, then the following procedure must also be carried out.

When preparing documents, it is worth considering the following points:

1. It is very important to avoid blots, typos, and clerical errors.
2. It is necessary to strictly define the rules for transcribing your full name. If they have already been translated into English and appear as such in at least one document, at least of an international standard, then in this case, for this transfer option, full name. and you will need to navigate. It is very important to observe the principle of uniformity when preparing documentation. But if you violate it, your documents may not be accepted.
3. All official papers must be written in British English.
4. If you send documentation electronically, you must first figure out exactly how you can confirm its authorship. The best way to find out is on the website of the relevant UK department. There should be fresh and relevant information.

Not only the person who has the appropriate grounds, but also members of his family can apply for a permanent resident permit. A period of 5 years will also apply to them. The registration fee is £1,875. Moreover, you will have to pay separately for each family member.

Let's look at legal ways to immigrate to the UK

1. On a Tier 1 Investor visa

One could consider this option the easiest, if not for one “BUT”. This visa does not require knowledge of the language, but requires you to invest £2 million in government securities or shares of British companies. It doesn’t matter whose money it will be - personal, your spouse or partner. Initially, a three-year visa is issued, which can be extended for another 2 years. After 5 years you receive an ILR - permanent residence permit. You can then sell the securities and get your investment back. It is possible to reduce the time required to obtain permanent residence, but for this you need to invest even more.

If you have family members with you, they have no restrictions in choosing a job.

1. For Tier 2 General work visas

This type of emigration is the most popular, as it does not require financial investments. You are only required to show small funds for yourself and your dependents (those who are traveling with you). You can start working after moving. After 5 years, you can obtain permanent residence, and after another year, citizenship. That is, after 6 years you are obliged to either obtain permanent residence or leave the country. At first glance it may seem that this option is simple - but it is not.

The employer company must have a special sponsorship license and receive a quota for each foreign worker (their number is limited). Also, the employer must, within a month, with the help of an advertising campaign, prove that he did not find the necessary specialists in the local market. Therefore, only large companies have such licenses.

The employer will go through all these bureaucratic delays only if he is very interested in you. You will have to take the IELTS exam to prove your English language proficiency is at least B1 level according to the CEFR.

There are minimum candidate salary requirements (£30,000 and above). To conduct an interview you will need to travel to the UK (maybe more than once), and the result may be negative.

And the most important condition is that while you are in the country on this work visa, you do not have the right to change employer.

1. On a Tier 4 Student visa with transfer to another visa

It is quite easy to enter the country with this visa. You will have enough time to find a job, and you will also receive an English education. You receive a visa for the entire period of study, with a reserve of several months.

Graduates of British universities have the opportunity to obtain a simplified regime for obtaining work visas, and a potential employer will not have to obtain a quota and conduct an Iabour market test.

This option also has disadvantages. Firstly, significant financial resources are required to pay for studies and for living (it is not a fact that you will be lucky with a job).

You will have to prove knowledge of English at levels B1 or B2. The opportunity to take students with you only appears if you study in a program of at least masters. This category of visas is non-immigrant. This means that after graduation you will have to leave the country or switch to another visa.

Years of study can be counted only after ten years of “studentship,” but this is unlikely. If you were unable to find an employer or switch to a work visa, then your remaining option is to apply for a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa.

It can be issued if your educational institution receives quotas for this type of visa, and you were able to prepare and present a solid business plan. If you successfully transfer to this visa, you will have two more years to stay in the country.

Then you can try to switch to an entrepreneur visa. The investment will require £50,000.

1. For Tier 1 Enterpreneur visas

This visa can be used if you want to do business in the UK. You can organize it with a partner, thereby splitting the costs in half. This category of visas belongs to immigration, and accordingly, after 5 years you can obtain rights to permanent residence, and after another year to citizenship.

If you manage to organize at least 10 jobs for the local population, you will receive permanent residence within three years. It is allowed to move with dependents.

This visa will require a minimum investment of £200,000 or £50,000 from a UK seed fund. You will have to collect a lot of supporting documents to demonstrate the seriousness of your intentions to start a business (genuine enterpreneur test), so it is better to hire an immigration lawyer to obtain this visa.

You will also have to confirm your language knowledge at level B1.

You will only be required to engage in business; other work activities are prohibited. For a period of at least two years, it will be necessary to organize 2 jobs.

1. On a family member visa, including partners in same-sex marriages

With this visa, you have the right to work and financial support from the state - benefits.

After living for 5 years, you will be able to obtain permanent residence, and after another year, citizenship. When moving with a Briton, you can enter without a marriage certificate if you prove two years of cohabitation. This visa gives the right to work without restrictions.

When entering with a British citizen you must show an annual income of at least £18,600. If you have children, the amount increases. Knowledge of English in this case must be at level A1 when applying for a visa for the first time and at level A2 when extending the visa after two and a half years.

1. On a Tier 2 Intra - compani Transfer with a transition to another visa category

This visa is issued for employees of international companies to work in the English branch of the company. For a salary of up to 120,000 pounds per year, the visa is issued for 5 years and 1 month, and for a salary of more than 120,000 for 9 years.

This visa category has a Graduate Trainee subcategory. Visa for 1 year for university graduates and those wishing to gain work experience in the UK.

The advantages of this visa are that you do not need to look for an employer, confirm your knowledge of English, and the ability to bring dependents.

There are the following barriers to this type of visa:

~ availability of employer sponsorship license

~ At the time of obtaining your visa, you must have worked for this company for at least 12 months, and your earnings must be at least 73,900 pounds.

~ the visa is not an immigration one.

1. For Tier 4 Child Student and Parent of 4 Child Student visas

With this visa you can send your child to study in the UK. Must be between 4 and 18 years of age.

Education in a private English school costs from 8,000 pounds per year. Upon completion of studies, the child automatically receives the right to permanent residence under long residence, and after another year to citizenship.

The child may be accompanied by one parent. He does not have the right to work, but after 10 years he can apply for permanent residence and then citizenship. The second parent can stay in the country no more than 180 days a year.

We will not consider special options for emigration, since they are very rare.

These include: refugee visas, visas for priests and athletes, for descendants of British citizens, for exceptional talents.

Another permanent residence permit can be obtained after 10 years of legal residence in the country.

This is called Long residence.