Frequently asked questions about immigration

This information applies to England, Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland.

I'm a British citizen, and I want to marry my girlfriend who is from abroad and in the UK on a student visa. Do we need to do anything special about her status in this country?

I came to the UK on a visitor's visa and would like to stay here to do a degree. Will I be allowed to do this?

My mother is not a UK citizen and lives abroad. She lives alone and is getting quite frail and elderly. I’ve supported her for many years. Can I bring her to live with me in the UK?

My uncle lives in a country where there is a lot of political unrest and violence. He says he’s getting afraid to leave the house, and wonders if he could come to the UK for a while until things calm down a bit.

I'm a British citizen, and I want to marry my girlfriend who is from abroad and in the UKon a student visa. Do we need to do anything special about her status in this country?

If you marry, your new wife should ask for permission to stay in the UK as your spouse. There are strict requirements that she will have to meet to satisfy the immigration authorities that your marriage is genuine and that she should be allowed to stay. She will also have to show that she didn't intend to deceive the authorities when she entered the country as a student and that as a couple, you can support yourselves without help from the state once you get married. Permission to stay as your wife will initially be given for two years. Towards the end of the two year period she can apply to stay permanently.

UK immigration law is complex and getting it wrong has serious consequences. It is always advisable to consult a specialist adviser.

I came to the UKon a visitor's visa and would like to stay here to do a degree. Will I be allowed to do this?

When you came to the UK, you were allowed to enter on the basis that you left the UK when your visitor's visa ran out. Under Immigration rules, you will not be allowed to stay here to study. If you want to become a student you will have to leave the UK and re-apply to return as a student at a future date. If you stay on in the UK beyond the date of your visa you will be in breach of your conditions of entry. This is a serious offence and you can be prosecuted and deported.

My mother is not a UKcitizen and lives abroad. She lives alone and is getting quite frail and elderly. I’ve supported her for many years. Can I bring her to live with me in the UK?

You may be able to bring your mother to the UK but, in most circumstances, there are strict conditions that you and she will have to meet. Most importantly, you must have permanent rights to live here yourself, and your mother must be financially dependant on you and have no close relatives to turn to in her home country.

My uncle lives in a country where there is a lot of political unrest and violence. He says he’s getting afraid to leave the house, and wonders if he could come to the UKfor a while until things calm down a bit.

The UK has signed a United Nations Convention on refugees, which means that it is committed to offering asylum to people who are at risk of persecution in their own country. The process of applying for asylum in the UK is extremely complex and you should seek specialist advice to find out whether your uncle might qualify for asylum at the present time. Only a small proportion of asylum applications are successful, so you should also consider whether your uncle could come to this country in another capacity. He may, for example, have family links with the UK that could give him rights to be here while things are unsettled in his home country.

To get information about applying for asylum in a language other than English, visit the Refugee Council's website at: www.languages.refugeecouncil.org.uk.