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| Fri, 22/8/2008 | ||
Entry clearance - this is the formal permission granted by the British High Commission authorising a person to travel to the UK in a specific capacity. The entry clearance certificate is commonly and incorrectly referred to as a visa and will be in the form of a vignette or a stamp in your passport. This entry clearance certificate will tell the immigration officer the purpose of your travel, how long you can stay in the UK and the latest date you may enter the UK.
This entry clearance could for example be as a two-year working holidaymaker, a student or on the basis of UK ancestry. Entry clearance, where required, should be obtained prior to travelling to the UK. Normally you may enter and leave the UK as many times as you like during the validity of your visa.
Note that all nationals of non-EEA member states who wish to go to the UK for more than six months will need to obtain an entry clearance from a British diplomatic mission before travelling to the UK.
Passport control - this is the term describing the process where an immigration officer decides whether a person entering the United Kingdom at a British airport or port has a valid UK entry clearance or for example in the case of a non-visa national visitor to the UK (see the sections on visitors), whether the immigration officer is satisfied that such a person is a genuine visitor. The immigration officer will, based on this information, decide whether a person can enter the United Kingdom. If your documents are in order, you will not normally be refused entry to the UK on arrival, unless your circumstances have changed, you gave false information or you did not tell the entry clearance officer important facts when you applied for your entry clearance.
Indefinite leave to remain or ILR - this is the expression confirming the fact that there is no limit to the leave period you can stay in the UK. This is also often referred to as permanent residence. This status is granted to a person on the basis that they are settled in the UK. If a holder of indefinite leave to remain spends a continuous period of two years or more outside of the UK, at any time, there is a substantial riks that it is deemed that the person is no longer settled in the UK and the status of indefinite leave to remain could be withdrawn from them.
indefinite leave to remain can be achieved in a number of ways. We list only some of these circumstances, as there are various ways by which this status can be obtained:
Citizenship - After obtaining indefinite leave to remain you can qualify to apply for British citizenship. To qualify you normally need to have lived in the UK for six years. However the spouse of a British citizen may qualify for citizenship after three years. If successful in this application a person will have the same rights as a person born as a British citizen.
Dependants - Your spouse and children under the age of 18. Many visas and permits allow a person to apply for dependency visas for dependants to accompany him/her to the UK. In exceptional cases children over the age of 18 might also be granted entry clearance to accompany a person as dependants. Children of EC nationals qualify for dependency up to 21 years of age and older if they are still dependant.
Public funds - this is a term used as a restriction placed on holders of many UK visas and permits. Usually, the restriction states that a person should accommodate him/herself and any dependants without recourse to public funds, i.e. a person should not claim certain state benefits. These public funds include:
Citizens from the following countries are visa nationals and require a visa for every entry to the UK.
| Afghanistan | Gambia | Palestinian Authority |
| Albania | Georgia | Philippines |
| Algeria | Ghana | Qatar |
| Angola | Guinea | Romania |
| Armenia | Guinea Bissau | Russia |
| Azerbaijan | Guyana | Rwanda |
| Bahrain | Haiti | Sao Tome & Principe |
| Bangladesh | India | Saudi Arabia |
| Belarus | Indonesia | Senegal |
| Benin | Iran | Serbia & Montenegro |
| Bhutan | Iraq | Sierra Leone |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | Ivory Coast | Somalia |
| Bulgaria | Jamaica | Sri Lanka |
| Burkina Faso | Jordan | Sudan |
| Burma (Myanmar) | Kazakhstan | Surinam |
| Burundi | Kenya | Syria |
| Cambodia | Korea (Dem. People's | Taiwan |
| Cameroon | Rep) | Tajikistan |
| Cape Verde | Kuwait | Tanzania |
| Central African Republic | Kyrgyzstan | Thailand |
| Chad | Laos | Togo |
| China, People's Rep. of | Lebanon | Tunisia |
| Colombia | Liberia | Turkey |
| Comoros | Libya | 'Turkish Republic of |
| Congo, Democratic | Macedonia | Northern Cyprus' |
| Republic of | Madagascar | Turkmenistan |
| Congo, Republic of | Mali | Uganda |
| Croatia | Mauritania | Ukraine |
| Cuba | Moldova | United Arab Emirates |
| Djibouti | Mongolia | Uzbekistan |
| Dominican Republic | Morocco | Vatican City |
| Ecuador | Mozambique | Vietnam |
| Egypt | Nepal | Yemen |
| Equatorial Guinea | Niger | Zambia |
| Eritrea | Nigeria | Zimbabwe |
| Ethiopia | Oman | |
| Fiji | Pakistan | |
| Gabon | Peru |
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| Breytenbachs South Africa |
| To contact Breytenbachs SA to apply for a working holiday visa, please phone (+27) 12 460 9959 |
| Ask the Expert |
| 'I heard rumours that the two-year
working holiday is going to be replaced by a new scheme
and that South Africans will no longer be eligible to
apply for the new scheme. Is this true?' Read all the answers on the latest questions asked by our clients. |
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| What our clients have to say |
| I would like to thank Breytenbachs for their excellent service It is worth every penny! It can't get any easier with Breytenbachs! Absolutely no hassles at all, so if you are thinking of applying for a visa or work permit I would recommend them anytime! Thanks again!. Michiel van der Walt Do you want to know whether you qualify for a UK work permit or visa? Click here! |
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