Challenges of moving from the Italy to the UK involve complex immigration laws and visa applications. Just one misstep — delay or even denial of entry could affect your personal and professional plans. Let an expert team of immigration solicitors help you with your relocation. Leave all your worries behind and rest assured regarding having every aspect of your move managed efficiently and in compliance with UK regulations. From securing an appropriate visa to enter the country to understanding the minutiae of residency in the UK, our services help you to move seamlessly.
The Success Story: Read about how A Y & J Solicitors helped this Italy client relocate to the UK and made the process easy, ensuring timely entry into the UK.
At A Y & J Solicitors in London, we've helped thousands of new and experienced business owners move to the UK from around the world. We understand the typical challenges that come along with your visa application for self-sponsorship UK and know how to mitigate them. We walk you through step by step, showing you how to self-sponsor a work visa in the UK. Instead of going it alone, let our lawyers take the weight off your shoulders, so you can rest easy knowing you'll be able to bring your business (and family) to the UK.
Kate Corey, Founder of 6 Degrees
We are specialists in immigration law and have supported more than 4,000 business owners and professionals around the globe to successfully navigate the British system. We work quickly, always responding to any queries within 24 working hours. And we work closely with the Home Office to pre-empt issues before they jeopardise sponsorship applications or breach compliance. We manage all United Kingdom immigration matters including visa applications under the new points-based immigration system, Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Spouse Visas, nationality and more. We also handle complex cases of appeal, administrative reviews, judicial reviews and the many immigration challenges involving European Union law and human rights.
A Y & J Solicitors has more than 1,200 positive client reviews across Google and Trustpilot and is listed in The Legal top 500 best UK law firms, so you can rest assured your immigration challenges are in safe hands when you take these three simple steps:
"Outstanding Service. Specifically Thanks to Diana And Ikra Ahamed."
"We engaged with AYJ solicitors in summer to apply for Sponsor license followed by application for HSW visa. Our matter was handled by Raj Kaur who was very thorough in explaining us the process, providing us the complete list of requirements and clarifications if required. Whenever she didn’t have confirmed information she spoke to the seniors lawyers at the firm and provided us timely response. In the end, she helped us the prepare the application and CoS which was submitted and the application was granted. Raj also helped our employee submit their application and went beyond her role to support the application process as the applicant was for a family member and had other minor complications. I would highly recommend to use Raj and AYJ’s services."
"I am writing this review with the hope that it may be helpful for anyone else considering enlisting the services of AY&J specifically for a Standard Visitor Visa to the UK. I am British and my partner is not. We both live in his home country, and we enlisted the services of AY&J Solicitors to help us reapply for a Visitor Visa for my partner to visit the UK after one failed application. The original application was denied not for a specific reason but because we did not provide enough evidence and information, and we therefore went to AY&J with the hopes of having guidance in navigating the opaque visa application process. Communication with AY&J was very smooth, everyone was responsive to our emails and the process was clear. However, we were ultimately unsuccessful in obtaining the visa. Although I do not hold AY&J accountable for the visa outcome, on reflection I wish that they had advised us differently and this is the reason for my review. Our visa application made with the support of AY&J was denied due to the fact we did not provide sufficient information in the category related to financial records. We were aware that this may be an issue before making our application, but we were advised to go ahead and make the visa application under the impression that we had provided enough other supporting evidence to mitigate this. The visa was ultimately rejected due to lack of sufficient financial information. Although my partner’s financial situation is sound, systems in his home country (a cash based economy) mean that he didn’t have all the paper evidence of his finances at the time of making the application, and the UK visa application typically requires 6 months of financial records. If we had been advised to delay making our application for 6 months, we would have been able to ensure he had paper trails and provide 6 months of paperwork of his financial records and I believe we may have had our visa accepted (although I can’t say this with certainty). We went ahead and submitted our application, which was denied as we didn’t have 6 months of paper trails of my partner’s savings and income. As a firm specialized in visa applications, I would have expected AY&J to advise us to withhold our application until we had 6 months of financial documents. We were instead under the impression that everything else we provided was sufficient to mitigate this. If we had been advised to delay or postpone our visa application, AY&J would not have collected their fee from us, which is something I am left wondering about. Overall, it was an expensive process, we were denied the visa but also each denial makes obtaining a future visa harder. I am left wishing we had been advised not to submit at the time we did so that we could have made a stronger application, and I question whether we were encouraged to supply without all the necessary paperwork as this ensured AY&J their fee. Therefore my overall review and advice is that although AY&J were supportive and communicative, I feel disappointed that we were advised to go ahead and submit a visa application without sufficient documentation, which we could have easily gathered if we were advised to wait 6 months in order to obtain this. For others considering using AY&J to apply to a Visitor Visa for the UK, I hope this review is helpful."
"I had an amazing experience with AY&J SOLICITORS from the very first consultation, they were professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring about my case. They explained the process in detail, kept me informed at every step, and were always quick to respond to my questions. Their attention to detail and personalized approach made me feel confident throughout. Thanks to their expertise, my application was approved! I highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable immigration services. My Special Thanks to Diana, Ashu & Puru."
"A big Thank You to Rajvinder Kaur for her assistance and guidance in our extension for spousal visa application. Raj provided us with accurate and timely information making the application to confirmation experience easier. She was always readily accessible and prompt in her actions towards the case. The journey of a visa application can be emotionally and mentally draining...Thanks Raj for helping us sail through. We have used the services of AY & J Solicitors previously for my entry visa application and Thank You Diana for leading us in the right hands. Deepali & Tapan Chavan."
"A Y & J Solicitors made my visa process smooth and hassle-free. They were supportive, detailed, and incredibly quick to respond. Highly recommend their professional and efficient service!"
For Italians, the UK has an enormous amount to offer. The strong economy provides a wealth of job and business opportunities that may not be available to the same extent in Italy. The UK is also known for its diversity, history, culture, and beautiful villages, mountains, hills, lakes, and countryside. Citizens of Italy are also drawn to the UK because of its excellent and renowned education system, including our world-class universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, St Andrews, and University College London (UCL).
The following section sets out just some of the many visa options available for Italians planning to emigrate to the UK (it is by no means exhaustive), as well as the key legal requirements for each.
The UK offers a wide range of visa types catering to different needs and long-term plans. To fully understand the UK immigration routes available to you as a national of Italy, it may be extremely beneficial to discuss your case with an immigration Solicitor based in the UK. They will take the time to understand your situation and that of your partner and children and recommend the most suitable visas for your needs.
The three biggest costs of moving from the UK are a) immigration fees, b) removal costs, and c) the cost of setting up home. Immigration costs include the application fee and the healthcare surcharge (which provides access to the NHS). Because these fees and surcharges are paid for each person and for each year upfront, the total cost can be considerable. In terms of removal costs, if you plan to bring your personal items, we recommend getting more than one quotation from reputable international removal companies that can handle the process for you. And finally, to set up a home in the UK, you will need to consider the cost of paying a property rental deposit, your travel costs to the UK, purchasing a UK-registered car, and buying new furniture in the UK.
We recommend setting up a new UK bank account when you arrive in the UK. To do so, you will need a permanent address and your passport to prove your identity. You will also need to apply for a national insurance (NI) number, which is a prerequisite to working in the UK. Taxes are extremely straightforward in the UK, especially if employed. Your employer will simply deduct any tax owed at source from your wages and pay this directly to HM Revenue & Customs automatically on your behalf through the UK’s ‘Pay As You Earn’ (PAYE) system.
Citizens of Italy have a proud history of emigrating to the UK since the 14th Century when merchants and businessmen originating from the North of Italy docked in the port of Southampton and settled in London. While the estimates vary considerably, it is believed that there are up to 500,000 Italians living in the UK. Italians are drawn to the UK for a number of reasons, including the vast work opportunities available and the opportunity to join family members who already live here. In this guide, we will provide the legal requirements that Italians moving to the UK should be aware of, the cost of living in the UK, a checklist for Italian citizens emigrating to the UK, and why people from Italy should move to England, Northern Ireland, Wales, or Scotland.
You will no doubt be aware that the UK left the EU at the start of 2021, formally ending the free movement of citizens between the UK, Italy and other countries in the union. Italian citizens and other EU nationals who lived in the UK prior to 31st December 2020 were able to apply to settle here, either by applying for pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Those who were not living here before this time now require a visa to emigrate to the UK.
The cost of living in the UK is higher than in Italy, according to the cost of living website Numbeo. The price of consumer goods in the UK is around 8.3% higher compared to the UK, but when rent is included, they are 20.5% higher, driven by the fact that rents here are much more expensive (nearly 60% more). That said, the salaries on offer in the UK are often higher, but this will depend on your occupation and the rate offered by your employer. Given the higher cost of living in the UK, it is important to consider where you will live before you make the move here.
To make sure that your move from Italy to the UK is as smooth and seamless as possible, we recommend taking the following steps as early as possible in the relocation process:
Self-sponsorship is an often overlooked way for citizens of Italy to make the move to the UK without needing to get a job here. Instead, you set up your own company here and work for yourself. Once in the UK on the self-sponsored route, you will later be able to apply for permanent settlement and, ultimately, British citizenship.
Since Brexit in 2021, EU and non-EU nationals require a visa to reside, work, and study in the UK. The type of visa that you need will depend on what you would like to do when you come to the UK. If you are unsure which visa route to apply for as a non-Italian national, we recommend speaking to an immigration Solicitor in the UK who will recommend the best way given your circumstances and that of your immediate family.
If you have an immediate family member (i.e. partner, spouse, parent or child) who lives in the UK, you may be eligible for a family visa. To be eligible, your family member must be a British national, a person with permanent settlement, an EU/EEA national who started living in the UK before 1st January 2021, or a person with refugee status in the UK. If granted a family visa, you will be able to join your loved one and, after five years, apply for permanent settlement and, one year later, citizenship in the UK.
A Y & J Solicitors is a specialist immigration law firm with extensive experience with all types of visa applications. We have an in-depth understanding of immigration law and are professional and results-focused. For assistance with your visa application or any other UK immigration law concerns, please contact us on +44 20 7404 7933 or at contact us today. We’re here to help!
