New Tier 1 General Rules from 6 April 2014 - no more endless extensions and ILR applications in April 2018.

By 1st 4Immigration - #1 UK Immigration Experts -
New Rules come in force on 6 April 2014. There will be no more endless extensions in Tier 1 General category. Last extension will be on 5 April 2015 and last ILR application (permanent residency) on 5 April 2018.

If you don’t qualify by 5 April 2018 you won’t be able to settle in the UK!
The main problem tends to be absences from the UK, mainly because of working abroad. At the point of qualifying for an ILR the main Tier 1 General applicant must have maximum 180 days outside the UK in each of his/her 5 years which led to an ILR.
If your visa expires in 2014 but you’d like to have extension for as long as possible then it may be worth to extend again in April 2015. You may lose some time on your current visa, and you’ll pay the money again for an extension, but it will give you the maximum time allowed on Tier 1 General and more flexibility to qualify for an ILR.
Other reasons preventing from applying for an ILR are not passing a Life in the UK Test or having a criminal conviction, most commonly a driving offence. Or a spouse not meeting the residential requirements, which should not stop the main applicant because there are rules for dependants in such cases.
If you’d like to have an advice and plan your dates now - book our advice session, over email or at our office, which is now in the City of London, near Monument station. We charge £70 for an advice and count it towards application in the future if you apply through us. In case of email advices we respond by next working day.
We would advise to plan at least 3 months in advance if you’d like to use same-day service. Like with any new rules, there will be a last-minute rush for appointments.
For an individual advice or to make an application please contact us: info@1st4immigration.com or visit www.1st4immigration.com 

If you are an Immigration Adviser or a Solicitor please visit our immigration Training and CDP website: www.1st4immigration.com/training

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