Family Policy Concessions – COVID-19 Update
The UK Home Office has revised its rules and regulations to display the promise it made to make sure that family and private life applicants are not wrongly affected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UK Home Office rules now approves that whilst in usual conditions there is no flexibility to use discretion, in the present situation , discretion may be applied in order to permit a visa applicant to “start, stay on (extend – apply for further leave) or accomplish a route to settlement”.
This Family Policy Concessions may be applied to the following applicants:
- Applicants who are in the UK as visitors;
- Applicants who are in the UK with leave of six-months or less;
- Applicants who spent a short period of time in the UK without leave or;
- Applicants who spent a short period of time overseas.
If the visa applicant falls into one of the afore mentioned categories, they will be obligated to prove to the UK Home Office that they were not able to travel or make the compulsory application due to COVID-19 between March 2020 and 31 August 2020. In cases where the visa applicants were compelled to spend a short period of time outside of the UK (usually as they were not able to travel), the Family Policy Concessions guidance specifies an application for entry to the UK should be made as soon as “practicable”.
In these conditions, discretion may be utilized to ignore a break in continuous residence which will get around excessive delay in an applicant becoming eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement).
This update explains initial information published on our channel, specifically concerning those in the UK on visit visas or those visa applicants who possessed leave of 6 months or less.
Please note that if you have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and have questions regarding your current status in the UK or want to talk about your eligibility for settlement in the UK especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, contact us by commenting below or via our website.
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