Dual and multiple citizenship is permitted under both UK and US law. US citizens are required to enter and exit the United States using a valid US passport and you should use your UK passport to enter and leave the UK.

To apply for British citizenship, you will need to obtain permission to remain in the UK until your application is granted. You will also need to pass requirements such as the Life in the UK test, which assesses your knowledge of UK life, history, and current affairs.

To employ workers who aren’t settled in the UK, in most cases you will need to sponsor them for a work visa. The Skilled Worker visa replaced the Tier 2 visa in 2020 as Britain’s most common work immigration option. As well as a work permit it is a five-year route to settlement.

We have an impeccable track record of successful applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship as well as for other lesser-used immigration options for working in the UK.

Immigration advice should feature early in the process to avoid inadvertently losing access to visa routes or running into delays at critical junctures down the line. Current UK immigration changes may change your options, so the UK’s immigration rules should be a consideration at a very early stage of the process.

Some visas may require a sponsor licence or endorsement first, which is why it is crucial to always plan ahead. Understanding our visa routes is essential – especially as some such as Skilled Worker or Scale-up, are only available once a company has begun trading in the UK, while the Expansion Worker route is an option if you are not.

Most applications are processed within eight weeks. Paid priority services are available to reduce this to 10 working days.  Decisions may be delayed if the Home Office decide to conduct a pre-licence audit on your business, though this is unlikely in most sectors.

Allow time to prepare supporting documents and information to support your application.  For example, if you create a new company, it can take a while to establish a UK bank account. 

We are renowned for our swift turnaround and have a great track record with urgent applications.

You can request an allocation of ‘undefined’ CoS when making your sponsor licence application based on how many you anticipate needing so that the certificates are ready when your licence is approved. These may be used to sponsor immigrant workers already in the UK. 

For new hires from overseas, you must apply to the Home Office for ‘defined’ CoS – specific to the role you want to fill with a sponsored worker. These ‘DCoS’ applications are decided on a case-by-case basis and usually within two days unless the Home Office has further questions about the role.

For workers applying from overseas, standard processing is three weeks. For workers applying to extend visas or switch employers, standard processing is eight weeks. Paid priority services are available from the Home Office and their commercial partners overseas which can expedite the process down to one to five working days.

Until recently, sponsors had to renew their licence every four years, but this is no longer necessary as they no longer have expiry dates.

However, Scale-up and UK Expansion Worker licences are only valid for four years because these are time-limited and cannot be renewed. (The UK Expansion Worker licence can only be actively used for two years). We advise on when it is prudent to apply for more than one sponsor licence and when to add other licences to your existing one.

If you are facing revocation or downgrading of your sponsor licence, we encourage you to instruct us as soon as possible so we can assist with the next critical steps you take.

We will review the grounds of any decision, challenge any factual errors, advise you on required supporting evidence and support you with presenting a response to the Home Office. 

Refusal or revocation unenviable situations to be in, but we have a lot of experience in helping sponsors who come to us in such trying situations.

Applicants need to be leaders or potential leaders aged 18 in academia, research, digital technology or arts and culture. To be eligible to apply for the visa you must either be endorsed by the relevant endorsing body for your field by fulfilling their requirements or have won qualifying awards on the Home Office’s list of prestigious prizes. 

Endorsing bodies typically take between four and eight weeks. After that, visa decisions are usually about three weeks outside the UK or around eight weeks in the UK. Paying extra for priority applications can speed up a visa decision to five working days or next working day for super priority. 

For science and research: the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, British Academy and UK Research and Innovation. 

Arts and culture: Arts Council England, Producers’ Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact), Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and British Fashion Council.

Digital technology: Tech Nation. 

Five years on most work and family visas will currently allow an application to settlement, subject to all the eligibility requirements being met, though some routes are shorter and in certain cases, it can be ten years. However, the UK government is currently holding a consultation on increasing the current five years in more cases. 

We pride ourselves on our impeccable client care, swift results and tailored, boutique immigration advice. Our attorneys have experience across various sectors, including technology, manufacturing, engineering, energy, finance, media, entertainment and sports and will diligently support your business needs.

We offer a partner-led service, where you will be in the safe hands of senior immigration practitioners with decades of successful advice and a wealth of established contacts within the Home Office. Led by founder Vanessa Ganguin, our team of specialists are highly responsive and take a focussed approach to each case, prioritising clear communication and practical guidance for you and your teams.