INSIGHTS

Here you can find legal insights on the latest developments in immigration law written by your team at OTB Legal. 

Innovator Founder Route
The Innovator Founder Route The innovator founder route was launched on the 13th April 2023, merging and replacing the innovator[...]
Registering as a British Citizen
As you may already know, applications to register as British are often incredibly complex. This is owing to a range[...]
Sponsor Licence Guidance Updates Webinar
Sponsor Licence Guidance Updates Webinar  On Friday 21st April 2023, OTB Legal's Business Immigration team hosted their third webinar. With[...]
Ordinary Residence requirement for BNO Visas
Understanding the Ordinary Residence requirement for the BNO visa. The Hong Kong BNO visa is quite generous compared to many[...]
The Ultimate Sponsor Licence Guide
We've compiled all of the useful resources we've shared throughout 202 to create this comprehensive "all you need to know"[...]
Priority Service for Family Visa Applications
Home Office reintroduce Priority Service for Family Visa applications The priority service for family visa applications was reinstated on the[...]
Curtailment of a Student Visa
What is Curtailment? The Home Office has power to cancel your visa. This is called curtailment of leave to remain.[...]
Naturalisation: Generous approach for ILR
Naturalisation: More generous approach to the lawful residence / good character requirement for those granted ILR The Home Office nationality[...]
3- How to deal with Home Office Delays
This is the third and final instalment in our series about Home Office delays. Over the last few days we[...]
2- Will the Home Office Delays affect me?
How will the Home Office delays affect me? And how should I change my approach to an application? It’s time for[...]
Article 1 – Delays in the Immigration System
One of the main areas of enquiries we are seeing at the moment is applicants worried about delays in receiving[...]
Hong Kong BNO visa expansions
Home Office expands Hong Kong BNO visa for grown up children of BNO nationals: The home office expands the BNO[...]
Reporting Requirements Webinar
Sponsor Duties Webinar : Reporting RequirementsOn Friday 25th November 2022, OTB Legal's Business Immigration team hosted their second webinar. With[...]
When can I get ILR?
When can I get ILR - Our Personal Immigration Team's League Table If you are in the UK with some[...]
Certificates of Sponsorship
Certificates of Sponsorship In this month’s blog, we will consider the type of certificates of sponsorship, that can be assigned[...]
Important change allowing children to register as British
Important change to Home Office guidance allows children to register as British who have completed 10 years residence and who[...]
Deprived Citizenship: Indefinite Leave to Remain
Can I apply for indefinite leave to remain if I have just been deprived of my British citizenship on grounds[...]
Mergers and Acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions are complex matters and this complexity extends to managing a sponsor licence. As responsible sponsors know, holding[...]
The Basics of a Student Visa
The Basics of a Student Visa, Written by a Student... OTB Legal have provided me with an excellent work experience[...]
OTB Awarded Cyber Essentials Plus
What is Cyber Essentials? Cyber Essentials is a government backed certification scheme designed to help organisations to mitigate the risks[...]
Sponsor Licence FAQs
The questions that we as immigration lawyers are most frequently asked about being a registered sponsor. The focus of the[...]
Common problems for sponsor licence holders and how to solve them
Common problems for sponsor licence holders and how to avoid them In this post we focus on three problems for[...]
Immigration health surcharge reimbursement scheme for NHS and care workers
The immigration health surcharge reimbursement scheme for NHS and care workers In October 2020 the Department of Health and Social[...]
OTB Legal’s First Business Immigration Webinar
Sponsor Management System: Licence Holders Webinar : Understand Your Duties On Friday 24th June 2022, OTB Legal's Business Immigration team[...]
Unlawful Detention
Unlawful Detention If you have been subject to unlawful immigration detention by the Home Office, you could be entitled to[...]
Global Mobility Visa
Global Mobility Visa In April 2022 the Home Office scrapped a number of existing immigration routes and replaced them all[...]
Sponsor Licence Reporting Duties
Sponsor Licence reporting dutiesEvery employer knows how hard it is to obtain a sponsor licence. But it can be just[...]
NHS Charging for Services
Registering with a GP (primary services)If you are in the UK, you can register with a General Practitioner (GP) without[...]
Sponsor Duties for Licence Holders
Duties of a Sponsor Licence HolderIf your organisation gets a sponsor licence, this comes with a number of extra responsibilities.[...]
Right to Work Checks 2022
What you need to know from 06 April 2022 On 17 January the Home Office announced that from 6 April[...]
Ukrainian Nationals for UK Visas
Introduction The current situation in Ukraine is understandably very worrying for people all around the world. As well as the[...]
Business Immigration Updates 2022
Hello from the Business Immigration Team! We’re often asked about upcoming changes in the world of Business Immigration. We thought[...]
Annual Certificate of Sponsorship allocation renewal
Have you started received lots of reminders from the Home Office about your Certificate of Sponsorship allocation being about to[...]
The Scale-Up Visa
As part of the Autumn Budget presented at the end of October, the government formally announced a new work visa.[...]
Sponsoring Care Workers as an Employer
Sponsoring care workers- considerations for employers As the crisis in social care recruitment deepens, many care providers are considering sponsoring[...]
How to Reduce your Carbon Footprint as a Small Firm
According to the British Business Bank, it is estimated that smaller businesses account for almost a third (30%) of all[...]
What type of UK Visa can I get?
What type of Visa can I get? Immigration options for Work, Business and Study: Updated June 2022 We are often[...]
Work Experience at an Immigration Law Firm
COVID-19 and Work Experience It is no secret that professional life is different for everyone in our current, post-covid, UK.[...]
The Innovator Visa
The Innovator Visa route is designed for experienced business people who wish to start or expand their business in the[...]
The new SQE route to becoming a Solicitor
What is the SQE? As of September 1st, 2021, the SQE will be the recommended route to qualifying as a[...]
How to find Skilled Workers as a Tech Start-Up
Skilled Worker Shortages Following the lift of UK COVID restrictions, demand for skilled workers increased at the fastest rate in[...]
Global Talents Visa: Arts and Culture
What is the Global Talent Visa?The Global Talent visa is designed to provide promising and talented individuals from various fields,[...]
OTB Legal obtains landmark ruling for those facing deprivation of citizenship
In an important decision handed down on 2 June 2021, the High Court found that a client, even when facing[...]
Bitcoin usage for immigration applications
Can I rely on Bitcoin to meet the financial requirement?Bitcoin is a digital currency, or cryptocurrency, that never spends too[...]
Sole Responsibility for BNO nationals
We receive a lot of enquiries from couples who want their children to move to the UK with one parent.[...]
Recruiting Personal Immigration Lawyer
Position: Personal Immigration Team Advisor / Solicitor. Location: Creative House, Unit 1 Chase Park, Daleside Road, Nottingham, NG2 4GT. 1[...]
Sponsoring Overseas Care Workers
Recruiting Care Workers from overseas Care Workers and Senior care workers are both on the shortage occupation list making it[...]
Recruiting for Trainee Operations Manager
Position: Trainee Operations ManagerHours: Full TimeSalary - £20-23,000 per annumWe are a leading immigration law firm based in Nottingham. As[...]
Thousands of children in care risk missing June deadline for EU status
One of the consequences of Brexit has been that EU Nationals must apply for permission to stay in the UK.[...]
Skilled Worker Visa: Coming to the UK to work
If you are considering coming to the UK for work, this blog article provides a summary of the requirements for[...]
Hong Kong BNO opens but app delayed
The new Hong Kong BNO visa is now open for applications both inside and outside the UK. However, the launch[...]
Post-Brexit Immigration Rules for Skilled Workers
31 December 2020 saw the end of free movement between the UK and the EU and the new immigration system[...]
Sponsoring a Skilled Chef from Abroad
The new Points Based System – Skilled Worker Route became operational on 1st December 2020.  At OTB Legal, we have[...]
Applying for British Citizenship as a German National
On 31 December 2020, the Brexit transition period will come to an end and the law of the European Union[...]
Comprehensive Sickness Insurance for British Citizenship
If you have Settled Status in the UK and you’re looking to apply for British citizenship, it’s important that you[...]
Hong Kong BN(O) visa rules and prices revealed
Hong Kong BNO Visa - The Basics The Hong Kong BNO visa is for people who registered as BNO nationals[...]
Meet the Team – Rachel Whickman
As the legal team at OTB legal continues to grow, we are proud to introduce our latest team member, Rachel[...]
Meet the Team – Lydia Watkinson
As our team at OTB Legal expands we would like to introduce you to a new member of our legal[...]
New Student Route Opens Early
This year has seen a significant reduction in the numbers of international students coming to the UK, due to the[...]
Immigration Health Surcharge Increase
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is set to increase to £624 per year for most visa applicants. The increase will[...]
Hong Kong: New UK Immigration route for British Nationals Overseas (BNO)
From January 2021, Hong Kong residents who hold British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status can apply for a visa to live[...]
Coronavirus UK Immigration Rules Update 6
The UK Home Office are continually reviewing their guidance on the immigration rules as the situation in relation to COVID-19[...]
Changes to the Immigration Rules June 2020
The Home Office have recently published a statement of changes to the immigration rules which affect various immigration categories. Our[...]
Coronavirus UK Immigration Rules Update 5
The UK Home Office are continually reviewing their guidance on the immigration rules as the situation in relation to COVID-19[...]
Sponsor Licence – Why companies should be applying now
The UK government maintains that the transition period for the UK leaving the EU will end on 31 December 2020[...]
Coronavirus UK Immigration Rules Update 4
The UK Home Office are continually reviewing their guidance as the situation in relation to COVID-19 changes, and they have[...]
Coronavirus UK Immigration Rules Update 3
The UK Home Office are continually reviewing their guidance as the situation in relation to COVID-19 changes, and they have[...]
Coronavirus UK Immigration Rules Update 2
Following unprecedented action taken by the UK government to delay the spread of coronavirus the Home Office has updated its[...]
Coronavirus and the UK Immigration Rules
The spread of Coronavirus is having a significant impact on all aspects of life globally, and the UK is no[...]
OTB Legal: Coronavirus Update
Coronavirus - Our PrioritiesWith the current Coronavirus on everyone’s minds, we want to reassure everyone that the health and wellbeing[...]
How Client Care Helped Us Win Award
We put our client care at the heart of everything we do here at OTB Legal and we’re dedicated to[...]
Paralegal Positions Available
Position: Paralegal x2Location: Creative House, Unit 1 Chase Park, Daleside Road, Nottingham, NG2 4GT. 1 mile from Nottingham City Centre.Hours:[...]
Free movement to be replaced by the UK’s Points-Based Immigration System
The Home Office have published a policy statement today which sets out plans for a dramatic overhaul of the UK’s[...]
Treble Award Recognition for OTB Legal
After the end of a successful launch year for OTB Legal which saw us ranked in the top 10 solicitors[...]
Challenging a decision by the Passport Office to refuse to issue a British passport
As an immigration lawyer I am used to challenging decisions by the Home Office to refuse my non-British clients permission[...]
OTB Legal Immigration Solicitors – A Review in Numbers
OTB Legal are now proudly 6 months old. We thought it would be interesting to give a review of how[...]
EU nationals should apply for Settled Status before 31 October
How applying for Settled Status can make EU nationals living in the UK better prepared on the 31st October 2019[...]
Choosing an Immigration Lawyer – 10 Questions to Ask
Choosing an immigration lawyer can be a difficult task. Once you have made the decision to get specialist help with[...]
Post-Study Options for International Students
Graduation Season is upon us, and many international students will be wondering what their Post-Study options for remaining in the[...]
Top 3 Immigration Solicitors in Nottingham
OTB Legal are very proud to have been externally assessed and ranked as one of the top three immigration solicitors[...]
Right to Work. Is your business at risk?
400% increase in Home Office issued fines shows importance of Right to Work checks.The latest Home Office report confirms that[...]
What does the Home Office mean by this?
The UK Immigration System is well known for becoming more complicated year by year. The Immigration Rules started as 20[...]
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