I came to the UK to improve my skills and continue my education. It was a good opportunity for my career and I decided to find a job here. But I missed my children who had stayed behind in my home country Uzbekistan. I didn't know how to bring them to the UK. Imperial & Legal’s immigration advisors helped me arrange that and obtain visas for them.
Many people come to Imperial & Legal with different problems. We take care of each client and choose a visa that suits their case.
Yulduz needed help to prepare applications for her children to relocate to the UK where she was getting a second degree. However, there was a special factor. She was a single mother divorced from the children’s father.
Yulduz is a talented pharmaceutical chemist from Uzbekistan. She had built a very successful career there. She got a reward for one of her developments and decided to spend it on education. She went to the UK to get a second degree in Corporate Management.
Yulduz has two children, a 13-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. They live in Bishkek with their grandmother. She missed her children so much while studying abroad that she decided to bring them to the UK.
To collect all the required documents for her children, including their father’s consent for their relocation abroad, and apply for dependant visas.
After her UK student visa expires, Yulduz wants to switch to a UK Graduate Visa to stay and work in the UK for another 2 or 3 years. However, there is an important thing to remember. If you want to add dependants to your application, you can do so only if they are already your dependants on the student visa. Once you obtain a Graduate Visa, you cannot add new dependants.
We had to collect evidence to prove that Yulduz was fully responsible for her children. First, we needed a notarised consent from the children’s father confirming that he takes no part in their upbringing and Yulduz is bringing them up by herself. However, he supports her decision to live with them abroad and is happy for them to have new opportunities in life. Besides, Yulduz got a bank statement to show that she had the necessary amount of money to support herself and her minor children.
Imperial & Legal’s immigration advisors prepared the documents for the children and submitted two separate applications for dependant visas, based on the student visa. The applications must be submitted in the country of residence, so they were submitted in Uzbekistan.
Yulduz was to finish her course in February, so our specialists applied for dependant visas in January. The children got their visas at the end of February and in March, they were added to their mother’s student visa.
After graduation, Yulduz wanted to apply the skills she had learnt and find a job in a UK-based international company so she could stay here. Since the degree she was studying met the requirements, Imperial & Legal suggested that the young woman switched to a UK Graduate visa after graduation.
There are only a few restrictions on this visa, and one of them is that you cannot claim public support and benefits. It meant Yulduz would have to support her children on her own. However, the children are entitled to alimony from their father, and Yulduz has sufficient savings in a bank account.
After two or three years on a UK Graduate visa, you must switch to another one, for example, a UK Skilled Work visa or visa, or leave the country. You should keep in mind that a UK Graduate visa does not lead to settlement, or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
After the children received dependant visas, the whole family switched to a UK Graduate Visa in May. Yulduz and her children rented a small flat, the children are going to school in autumn, and in the meantime, they are learning English and are very good at it.
As a professional herself, Yulduz understands that only an experienced specialist, who keeps up to date with all changes and nuances in the legislation, can solve a challenging issue. She is happy she contacted Imperial & Legal because they helped her obtain visas quickly without any issues.
We will work with you to find a customised solution for your immigration, second citizenship, business, tax and other needs.
UK Student visas
UK Graduate Visa
UK Skilled Worker Visa