UK Residence Permits From Ghana
A UK Residence Permit is an immigration permission to stay in the UK on a long-term or permanent basis. In most circumstances, UK residence permits allow foreign nationals to lawfully reside, work and settle in the United Kingdom with their families, as well as gain access to public funding.
If you are a Ghanian citizen and wish to live in the UK for longer than a six month period, you will need to apply for a residence permit. We know that applications can sometimes be tricky, particularly for those with more complicated circumstances. Total Law can help. Contact us today online or call us on +44 (0)333 305 9375.
What is a UK Residence Permit?
Residence Permits are permits that prove your right to remain in the UK for an extended period.
The type of residence permit that Ghanian citizens are entitled to is the biometric residence permit (BRP).
The permit is a laminated card that includes your personal details, biometric information (such as your fingerprints and image of your face), and your immigration status in the UK.
BRPs are usually applied for as part of the application process for a long-term visa, and will be referred to on the application form.
You must be in the UK when you apply for a BRP.
Page Contents
- What is a UK Residence Permit?
- Am I eligible for a Residence Permit?
- How To Get a UK Residence Permit from Ghana
- What Documents Do I Need to Apply for A UK Residence Permit?
- How to Apply for a UK Residence Permit from Ghana
- How Much Does a UK Residence Permit Cost?
- How Do I Extend My Visa from Ghana?
- How Total Law Can Help
- FAQs
Am I eligible for a Residence Permit?
In order to be eligible for biometric residence permits, you will need to meet at least one of the following criteria:
- You are applying for a visa that allows you to stay in the UK for longer than a 6 month period
- You are extending your visa for longer than a 6 month period
- You are applying for settled status/indefinite leave to remain
- You are transferring your current visa to a new passport
- You are applying for a Home Office travel document, usually issued to those who:
- are living in the UK with permission to stay as a refugee
- are in the UK under humanitarian protection
- are considered a stateless person
- have a settled status in the UK but are unable to apply for a passport or travel document from their country of origin.
How To Get a UK Residence Permit from Ghana
Overview
If you wish to spend an extended period of time living and working in the United Kingdom (i.e. longer than six months), you will need to apply to the Home Office for a long-term visa or immigration status.
Generally, most Ghanians will need to apply for either:
- Leave to Remain, or
- Indefinite Leave to Remain.
A third residence option called ‘leave outside the rules’ is also available to those with exceptional circumstances.
Those who are granted residency via this route are usually people whose application does not meet the requirements of British residency, but whose personal circumstances related to their family, private life, experiences of inhumane treatment or other compassionate grounds grant them long-term residency arrangements in the UK.
If you are unsure which immigration permission is the best option for you, you can get in touch with us to discuss your situation with our expert egal team and we can guide you through the different options and help you with your application. Contact us online or call us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375.
Leave To Remain
Leave to Remain is automatically granted to anyone who applies for a long-term visa. It is also offered to those who extend their short-term visa to a long-term option, or who change their visa status to a long-term visa.
The types of visas that will give you leave to remain status include:
Leave to Remain means that the permission holder must stay in the UK for a specific period of time, depending on the type of visa or permit they have.
People who have leave to remain status have conditional residency status, and must abide by the immigration rules set out by their visa and/or residence permit.
If you have leave to remain status, you must ensure that you follow all procedures to re-apply or extend your stay in the UK before your leave to remain permission expires, or you must leave the country before re-entering on a new visa.
Most long-term visas give you the eventual opportunity to apply for indefinite leave to remain. To be eligible for indefinite leave to remain, you must meet all the relevant criteria, have not broken any immigration or national laws or overstayed past your visa expiry date, and must have spent at least five years in the UK (in most cases).
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is also known as ‘settlement’, and is granted to those who settle in the UK on a permanent basis. If you have ILR, you will be eligible for a UK permanent residence permit.
Foreign nationals with ILR status do not have limitations or restrictions with regards to their immigration status and can travel in and out of the country as often as they wish, without needing to stay for a specific number of days or months.
ILR allows you to rent or buy in the UK, work, study, and start or conduct business in the country. You are also entitled to state benefits and will be eligible to apply for British citizenship and a British passport.
Most applicants for indefinite leave to remain will need to have lived in the UK for at least five years on a long-term British visa. Some examples of common eligible visas include:
- Long-term work visas
- Business and investment visas
- Family visas, including spouse, child or parent visas.
What Documents Do I Need to Apply for A UK Residence Permit?
The documents you will need to apply for a BRP will vary depending on which long-term visa you are applying for.
Generally, in order to be able to apply for a UK residence permit, most visas will require the following documents:
- A valid passport or approved travel document with at least one blank page
- A Certificate of Sponsorship from your employer (if applicable)
- Your job details, including title, salary, and occupation code
- Financial documents (such as a bank statement) proving you have savings to support yourself and your family whilst in the UK
- Birth or marriage certificates if you are applying for a family visa, or are including your family in your application
- Ghanians are required to take a tuberculosis test if they are travelling from Ghana
- A criminal record certificate if you are working in the education, healthcare, therapy or social services sectors.
How to Apply for a UK Residence Permit from Ghana
Overview
In order to obtain a UK Biometric Residence Permit, you must apply for either a long-term visa or, if you have been in the UK for five years or longer and are eligible, indefinite leave to remain.
Applying in the UK
You can apply for limited or indefinite leave to remain online, where you can also pay your visa fee, and may need to make an appointment at your local immigration centre. Please note that the application process varies according to which visa you are applying for, how long you intend to stay in the UK, and your personal circumstances.
You will be required to submit all relevant and valid documents with your application, including your family member’s relevant documents if applicable.
Applying from Ghana
Depending on the type of visa you are applying for, you will need to collect all the relevant documents required for your application and submit accompanying documents at the British High Commission in Accra:
British High Commission Accra
Gamel Abdul Nasser Ave,
Accra,
Ghana
If you have any documents that were issued in a language other than English or Welsh, or were issued from another country (for example, your place of birth was not in Ghana so your birth certificate is from another country), you may need to translate your documents or provide further evidence of your identity and background.
Applying for a Biometric Residence Permit
Once you have received approval for your immigration status, you can then apply for a biometric residence permit. This should be done online and will require you to include your personal details, passport and visa details, and any other accompanying documents that are required depending on the type of visa or immigration status you are applying for.
You can also apply with us at Total Law – we can help navigate you through the process and ensure that you don’t miss any important steps. We can also help you to submit your information online in order to receive your Biometric Residence Permit. Contact us online or call us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 to discuss your application for a UK residence permit.
How Much Does a UK Residence Permit Cost?
A biometric residence permit costs £19.20. Please note that you will also need to pay for your long-term visa or for your indefinite leave to remain application, and may be required to pay additional fees such as document retrieval or translation, printing, and travel, depending on where you apply from.
How Do I Extend My Visa from Ghana?
Some, but not all, visas allow you to extend your stay in the UK by extending your visa. For example, the Graduate visa, Youth Mobility visa and Start-Up visa are not renewable.
Depending on your visa, you will need to:
- Ensure that you are still eligible for the visa you are extending – sometimes terms of the visa can change, or your circumstances could change meaning you are no longer eligible, or should be applying for a different visa instead
- Ensure you have all the required documents for your application – such as a valid passport and any certificates from sponsors, such as:
- Certificate of Sponsorship from your employer
- Certificate of Acceptance from your educational institution
- A sponsorship letter from a family member
- Complete the visa renewal form online
- Pay for your visa extension and healthcare surcharge
- Apply for your BRP.
How Total Law Can Help
Many Ghanian citizens choose to move abroad to the UK to live and work on a permanent basis. The UK offers a great education system, a high standard of living and is a country full of history and beautiful landscapes to explore.
There are many routes for applying to remain in the UK on a long-term or permanent basis for Ghanian citizens, and as a result we understand how difficult it can be to make sense of which option is the best for your personal circumstances. Applying for UK residence can be even more complicated if you wish to bring your family with you from Ghana, have issues accessing certain documents, or if you have a criminal record.
That’s why Total Law is here. We are a team of immigration lawyers with expert knowledge on the topic of UK residency and can guide you through every step of the way. Whether you are just looking for advice or wish to have full legal support or representation with your application, Total Law can help.
Call us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or contact us online.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
FAQs
A UK residence card is also known as an EEA biometric residence card (BRC). BRCs are no longer available to apply for and cannot be used as evidence of living, working or renting in the UK, unless you have pre-settled or settled status in which case you can use the card until it expires.
A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is a residence permit usually offered to those who have applied to be in the UK for a period of 6 months or more through various methods such as applying for a visa extension, or applying for settled status. BRPs do not need to be applied for as a separate process.
BRPs can be used in order to confirm your rights to study or access public benefits in the UK. You cannot use it as proof of right to work or rent in the country – you must complete a separate online process to do this.
A Biometric Residence Permit is a standard residency permit for those who have been approved to spend six months or longer working and living in the United Kingdom. You can get a Biometric Residence Permit if you have received approval for a long-term visa for work, studying, or other types of long-term visas.
A Permanent Residence Permit is also known as indefinite leave to remain (ILR). ILR is a route to permanent UK residence and eventual citizenship, and usually available to those who have been living in the UK for at least five consecutive years.
