The increase in the UK Immigration Health Surcharge will come into effect on 6 February 2024.

Breytenbachs strongly recommend that applicants who are eligible and wish to apply for a UK visa do so promptly to avoid the significant fee increase. Any upcoming extension applications should also be made if your current immigration status and route to settlement will allow for this. Your Breytenbachs consultant will be able to advise on whether you are eligible to apply for your visa extension at this stage.

If you have not already contacted us regarding your UK visa application, we kindly request that you do so without delay.

Breytenbachs will host a further free webinar on 7 February 2024.

Senior Immigration Consultants from Breytenbachs will discuss the latest developments in UK Immigration law in their respective fields of expertise and how clients can benefit.  There will also be a Q&A session after the discussion.

7 February 2024, 18h00 SAST / 16h00 GMT  

Register here

Talking Points

• Developments in the Skilled Worker Visa Route, Updates on the Care Worker Route, Returning Resident Visa updates and Student Visas.
• Developments in the EUSS that might affect EEA Nationals, remedies available, appeals and reviews.
• Update on the British Nationality Law, remedies available to clients, appeals and reviews.
• Global Business Mobility Routes, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, and other business routes available to entrepreneurs.

Breytenbachs are pleased to inform clients that the Home Office have recently amended their caseworkers’ guidance on late applications under the EU Settlement Scheme.

According to the amended guidance, published on 16 January 2024, the Home Office recognised that there may be circumstances in which a person has provided information and evidence that they had a reasonable belief that they did not need to apply earlier to the EU Settlement Scheme or a reasonable basis for being unaware that they needed to apply. In either case, they now have to apply without further delay.

Fortunately, there are now many new relevant factors that will be considered based on credible information and supporting evidence.

If you believe that you might qualify under the new rules for a late application under the EUSS, we strongly recommend that you book a consultation to receive proper legal advice.

If you emigrate to the United Kingdom with minor children, and you are divorced from their biological mother or father, you will need to prove that you have sole responsibility in respect of the minor children.

Sole parental responsibility means that one parent has abdicated or abandoned parental responsibility. The remaining parent is exercising sole control in setting and providing the day-to-day direction for the child’s welfare. It is important to note that sole parental responsibility is not the same as legal custody, and significant or even exclusive financial provision for a child does not in itself demonstrate sole parental responsibility.

There are many ways one can assess whether the parent has sole responsibility. This assessment is a crucial part of any child-dependent application. Failure to meet this requirement will result in a visa refusal.

Breytenbachs often deals with cases where a parent must prove sole responsibility for a minor child. To navigate these complex immigration applications, it is advisable that you speak to a Breytenbachs consultant.

As any UK sponsoring organisations know, holding and maintaining a valid Sponsor Licence can incur a great deal of administrative burden. As such, Breytenbachs is happy to report that the Home Office has announced it will be removing one element of bureaucracy from its usual processes and removing the requirement for sponsors to renew their Licences. 

Historically, Sponsor Licences were valid for 4 years from the date of issue, at which point the sponsoring organisation was required to pay an additional processing fee to the Home Office to renew the Licence for a further 4-year period. The Home Office has now confirmed, however, that from 6 April 2024, they will remove the requirement to renew sponsor licences. This means that no renewal process or renewal fee will be required.

Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants have a FREE online assessment form.

Are you dreaming of living and working in the United Kingdom? Wondering if you qualify for a UK permit or visa? Look no further. Breytenbachs has got you covered.

By simply filling out our user-friendly online assessment form, you can get closer to finding out whether you qualify to live and work in the UK.

Our team of experienced consultants will provide you with a short answer or telephone call within two working days. 

With the recent changes in British Nationality law, many clients who are in the UK on Ancestry Visas may be eligible to apply for British citizenship. This means that they do not have to wait five years to acquire Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and then another year for British Citizenship.

If you are successful, your children may be able to register as British citizens, and your partner can apply for ILR immediately, i.e. without having to wait to fulfil the five-year residence period.

Expediting your route to citizenship has many benefits, including saving you time and money. Check with our experts whether you can qualify for British citizenship now by filling out our free UK Citizenship Questionnaire below.

If you are the visa-dependant (spouse or partner) of a British citizen or a person settled in the UK, your visa status will only be valid while you are still in the relationship with this person. Fortunately, UK immigration rules allow domestic violence or abuse victims (who are visa dependants) to settle in the UK. Thus, they do not need to stay in an abusive relationship to remain in the UK.

The Home Office has now also gone one step further, and victims of domestic abuse and their dependants can now apply for entry clearance from outside the UK, where they have been abandoned overseas, and it is accepted that the abandonment overseas is part of the domestic abuse.

"The most effortless experience of my life.

Immigration applications can be a nightmare at the best of times, using Breytenbachs clarified and simplified the process leaving no room for confusion. They are professional, caring and felt like friends to lean on."

Vaughan William

At Breytenbachs, we guarantee our work.

In the unlikely event of the permit or visa not being granted, we will not charge our fees. However, this is subject to certain terms and conditions. We will inform clients if we do not guarantee their application. For example, we do not extend this guarantee to overstayers or persons who have contravened the immigration rules.

Please speak to you Breytenbachs consultant, to find out whether you qualify for our No Visa, No Fee guarantee.

The South African Study Visa offers many benefits to overseas students. Several international students and scholars are studying in South Africa with the Long-Term Study Visa.

South Africa’s popularity as an education destination is no surprise. The country boasts universities that rank relatively high in international standards. The university system in South Africa is considered to be the strongest on the continent. The favourable exchange rate also makes it easy for international students to study in South Africa.

South Africans are allowed to hold more than two nationalities. It is, however, crucial that persons protect their South African citizenship before taking on any other nationality through naturalisation. Should you fail to do so, you will automatically lose your South African citizenship.

In June 2023, the Democratic Alliance achieved a court victory in the SA Supreme Court of Appeal. The court struck down a loss of citizenship law. South Africans who unknowingly lost their SA citizenship will be able to regain their SA citizenship in the future. However, this ruling must first be confirmed by the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Until the Constitutional Court make its decision, the current status remains unchanged. Breytenbachs thus still recommend that clients protect their SA citizenship.

JP Breytenbach, director of Breytenbachs was recently interviewed on the RSG radio station on the issue. Our Afrikaans-speaking clients are welcome to listen to a recording of the interview below.