All posts by James

Life in the UK test centres locator

Life in UK Test Booking

Life in UK test training

Before you book your test, please make sure that you are ready for it! During the past 8 years, we have seen so many people failing, some people fail by 1 or 2 points šŸ™

A great way to make sure that you pass with minimal time and effort is at http://lifeuk.info/5-hours

With the availability of online test booking, Now You can select a Life in UK Test Centre during the booking process. For example if you lived in Birmingham and wanted to find the life in the UK test centres in Birmingham, then you can just put your postcode into the Box below which says “Enter Your Post Code or Address”. It will then find all places in your area and list them below the map. So you can see the location on the map and also you can get all the details of the centre like the Name, Distance to the place, Address, and also directions to the examination centre. Then select a place from that list and click on that so that you can view it on the map. Now you can see the Address, phone number, opening times, and directions of the test centre.

Below is a list of test centres in Birmingham that you can get from this tool

East Birmingham Community Forum Ltd
1.5 miles
The Jet Shop
Saltley, Birmingham B8 1LY
Directions
Exchange Group Wolverhampton
11.9 miles
c/o Wolverhampton Central Library
Garrick Street, Wolverhampton WV1 3AX
Directions
Numidia Education & Training Ltd
16.7 miles
Coventry Central Library
17 Smithford Way, Coventry CV1 1FY
Directions
Skills for Enterprise learndirect centre
33.7 miles
2-4 Colton Street
Leicester LE1 1QA

If for some reason you are not sure about your postcode, or you prefer to search by the name of the area, then you can use the name of the city. For example if you wanted to find out places in London where you can do the test, then just enter London in to the box.

For more information on how to book the British Citizenship Test online, Please visit Book Life in the UK Test Online

Address 
Radius
Enter Your Post Code or Address Above.

When you book the Life in the UK test, please make sure that you follow the instructions highlighted in that article.Ā  Because if for example you don’t use a valid ID when booking, you will NOT be allowed to take the test at the test centre on the day of you test šŸ™ ! So it really is critical, because I have seen so many people getting this wrong and end up being unable to do the test, even though they have fully paid for it. Also if you have any difficulties at the test centre, like computer failure, unfriendly/ nasty staff at the centre, there are way to complaint.

VERY Critical information!!! Just be VERY VERY careful with this!!!!

Please make sure that the centre you book is close to where you live. For example if you live in London, don’t book a test at a centre in Glasgow because it would look suspicious (They will think that it’s unnatural for you to travel so far, so they will assume someone else is sitting the test on your behalf! which is illegal!). If it is far from where you are then you will not be allowed to take the test at the test centre!!!!
also you will NOT get a refund!!!.

They will give you your 5 closest test centres, then you need to choose one from those.

Please take proof of address that is within 3 months of the day of your test. (that has your name and post code on it) to present to the test centre staff!
This can be in the form of a
1. Utility bill – gas, electricity or water bill
2. Council Tax bill
3. letter from the Home Office with your name and address on it
4. UK photocard driving licence
5. bank or credit card statement – just make sure that these are originals, not what you printed off from online banking. Best option is to visit the bank and ask them to print the statements and MOST IMPORTANTLY ask them toĀ  stampedĀ  the statements officially!!! if they refuse that is usually because they are not aware that they can do that, just ask to speak to the manager or the supervisor ;). So ALWAYS select the closest test centre and then read the below and follow the instructions to make sure that it is still there!!!

Make sure that the test centre is still there!

Another VERY important factor is contacting the test centre BEFORE your test to make sure that the test centre is still there. I have received emails from a lot of students saying that they paid and registered for the test at a test centre, but when they went there on the day of there test, there was no test centre. This is common there days because so many test centres have closed down due to financial reasons or they are not allowed to operate any more because of fraudulent activities!

So always make sure that the test centre is there by, calling or by actually visiting the test centre at least 7 days before your test.

Life in UK Test, FREE Practice Chapter Exams are at

Chapter 1 summary

http://lifeuk.info/new-life-in-the-uk-test-chapter-1-summary-life-in-the-united-kingdom-a-guide-for-new-residents-3rd-edition/

Chapter 1 test

New Life in the UK Test Chapter 1

Life in UK Test Centres locator Disclaimer

This is a Life in UK Test centres locator, and NOT the official Life in the UK Test Booking Facility.

How to save Ā£1320 when Making a Premium Appointment for ILR – Unmarried Partner Visa

 

ILR Appointment for premium service – Online Appointment and ILR Form

ILR Appointment for premium service Angel of the North NewcastleHi guys, I am writing this blog after some time. As my unmarried Partner Visa is nearly expiring and now I am ready to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in few weeks time. Therefore this information can be useful for those applicants who are making their application for ILR in near future.

Ā 

With my current experience of making this application, I must say that as compared to two years earlier (When I applied for unmarried Partner visa), things have radically changed at home office. For example now you need bio metrics and ID Cards with your unmarried Partner visa. However it is important to note that you don’t need bio metrics or ID card for ILR application.

Ā 

There are two options for your application,

  1. applying in person (Same day premium application) or
  2. applying through post (14 weeks to 6 months processing time !)

Ā 

With the new rules, you must book your premium appointment either

  1. online at https://ukbabooking.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukba/index.start
  2. by calling home office on 0870 606 7766.

Ā 

I tried both, first called home office and realised that it is becoming impossible to get through to an operator. With different experiments (calling on so many different times) at last I got my call in the early hours of one morning. That means if you want to talk to an operator, call 8:59 or exactly 9:00 o’clock in the morning. However operator told me that there are no available appointments for Corydon for the next two months. However, she asked me to try and check for Sheffield or Glasgow.

Ā 

I was quite confused at that point as living in between Ipswich and London, I felt difficult to make an appointment for Glasgow. With my current job commitments, even going to Corydon was a huge task. So I refused to take any appointment other than Corydon. She advised me to check and apply online. Same day in the evening.

Ā 

I checked online booking system for appointments. I first made an account for me and then for my partner (as I was thinking to take him with me). After fifteen minutes, we both received two reference and Transaction IDs. At this point I logged in to my account and start searching for a convenient date. However, unfortunately system was showing all dates booked for all centres (even including Sheffield or Glasgow).

Ā 

ILR Appointment for premium service – Legal representatives and Same day service

ILR Form England Football ShirtOn that point I was really worried, thinking I could have taken at least those appointments which were available over the phone for Glasgow or Sheffield. Anyway I talked to one of my friends and he suggested ā€œLegal representatives’ same-day serviceā€. It is important to note that with new immigration rules, it is now possible for an immigration firm or solicitors to have some definite number of appointments every week. That means if you have no other option for premium application, you can contact any immigration firm providing this facility. At last I called one of them and they were happy to help, however with an extra fee ofĀ£1320 pounds. That means it is a total bill of Ā£2340Ā  !!! (including home office premium appointment fee 1,020).

so if you are going through an agent

Total cost (Ā£2340) = Legal representatives’Ā  Fee (Ā£1320) + home office premium appointment Fee (Ā£1020)

Ā 

It was quite a big shock as I was thinking that it must be 500 to 600 pounds maximum. Anyway after this eye opening reality I started checking the online system again and again. However there was no luck. At the end I was tired and very worried, thinking about posting my application anyway. Remember a postal application takes from 14 weeks minimum to a 6 months maximum even in a simple case.

One night when I was checking the online booking system, I opened my booking login on Internet Explorer (I mostly use Firefox). I also tried to book firstly myself one only myself and suddenly from nowhere I was able to see a day in my required week of appointment. I didn’t believe on my eyes. I logged out and logged in again to check the system. I realized that when I am including my partners details (as family member), I was unable to see that appointments. Anyway I booked my appointment and than logged in for my partner and also booked a separate appointment for him.

If you are booking, please check all these tricks.

  1. Use Internet explorer, and
  2. When making an appointment, don’t include any person of your family over 18 years old.
  3. I also heard that use one email for all initial registrations and you will be able to include your dependents easily (however I have no experience about it).
  4. Try booking online around midnight (12:00 AM), best if you try on a Saturday !


With luck, now I have booking for me and for my partner and I have saved 1320 pounds. Please feel free to use these tricks and tips to get your required appointment on time.
Good Luck
!

If you have any questions please leave a comment below, I will try my best to answer.

Thanks.

ILR Appointment for premium service – information Disclaimer

This is an article about applying for the British Citizenship. This page is NOT the official Life in the UK Test (Hopefully this fact is fairly evident).

Every effort has been made to make this (ILR Appointment for premium service) Free information on this site as complete and as accurate as possible, so that your experience will be thoroughly enjoyable, but NO warranty or fitness is implied.

If you haven’t completed the Citizenship test yet,
Please visit Life in the UK Test Questions for FREE practice Questions.

For details about Booking the Citizenship Test visit Life in the UK Test Booking

Cookie Policy

In this Cookie Policy we Life in the UK Test, https://lifeuk.info/, (hereinafter ā€œLife in the UK Test siteā€, ā€œweā€ or ā€œusā€) inform you about cookies and ways to manage your consent. respects your privacy and takes the protection of your personal data very seriously. We also inform you about how and which cookies are used on this website and how you can manage your consent to store cookies.

 

For more information about how we protect your personal data, please see our privacy policy.

 

What are cookies?

Cookies are small files that are stored on your computer when you visit a website. The next time you visit, the website can recognise the file. The files are thus typically used to compile statistics or for behavioural advertising purposes. Cookies help us to provide you with our services on our website and are partly necessary for website functionality purposes. The personal data stored in our cookies is encrypted.

 

Third-party cookies

We collect and process data for the following purposes:

 

  • Optimisation of the website and your user experience
  • Creation of statistics on the use of the website by you and other users
  • Creation of statistics and analyses with the aim of improving our products, services and technologies
  • Advertising purposes, including profiling and behavioural advertising initiatives, so that we can make our product information and offers as relevant as possible to you
  • Compliance with applicable legal requirements (e.g., General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), UK`s Data Protection Act and the Privacy (DPA)and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)), including documentation requirements:
  • Compliance with basic principles concerning the processing of personal data and legal basis for the processing (e.g., obtaining consent)
  • Implementation and maintenance of technical and organisational security measures
  • Investigation of suspected or known security breaches and notification to data subjects and authorities
  • Statistics on the use of the website

 

How long are cookies stored?

Cookies are stored on your computer for different lengths of time depending on their type. From a technical point of view, a distinction is made between two types of cookies:

 

Session cookies: session cookies are used, for example, to temporarily store the items in your shopping cart while you navigate the website. Session cookies are not stored on your device and disappear when you close your browser.

 

Persistent Cookies: Persistent cookies are stored as text files on your device. Persistent cookies allow our server to recognise your device the next time you visit our website.

 

How can I prevent and delete cookies?

When you visit our website, one or more cookies are automatically stored on your device. If you do not want this to happen, it is best to use the following links (depending on the browser you use) to set your browser to prevent cookies from being stored on your computer in the future.

 

 

If your browser is not listed above, it’s best to check your browser’s help menu or search the Internet for “cookies” in conjunction with your browser’s name.

 

Why do we provide information about cookies?

The provision of information about our use of cookies is in accordance with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation on Mandatory Provision of Information and Mandatory Consent in the context of data storage or data access on end-user devices. The legal basis for the collection of your personal data through cookies, including for profiling purposes, is your consent.

 

Who should I contact for more information?

If you have any questions or comments about our Cookie Policy or wish to exercise your rights under applicable laws, please contact us.

 

Why do we use cookies?

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services.Ā 

 

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user’s experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies, we need your permission.

 

This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.Ā 

 

Types of cookies

There are different types of cookies:

 

 

  • Necessary cookies

 

Technically necessary cookies are required for our website to function properly; they enable you to navigate our website efficiently and use its functional features. An example of this is, for example, the reminder of recently performed actions (e.g., entered text) when you return to a page within the same session.

 

 

  • Functional cookies

 

Functional cookies are essential cookies to provide a correct and user-friendly website. Some examples:

  • Storing your language preferences;
  • Detecting abuse or fraud;
  • Storing browser settings to display the website according to the screen size.

 

 

  • Analytical cookies

 

These cookies are typical third-party cookies that we use to collect statistical data about how our website is used, including:

  • Average page load time;
  • Pages visited;
  • Browser data;
  • IP address;
  • MAC address;
  • Duration of a (page) visit;
  • Data about the operating system;
  • Data about the device used;
  • Clicking behaviour and other interactions on one or more pages.

 

The main purpose of these cookies and their statistical data is, after analysis, to optimise our performance, security, usability, content, and services.

 

The Cookies we use

Cookie Type Description Expires
test_cookie Advertisement The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user’s browser supports cookies. 15 minutes
IDE Advertisement Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile. 1 year 24 days
DSID Advertisement This cookie is set by DoubleClick to note the user’s specific user identity. It contains a hashed/encrypted unique ID. 1 hour
__gads Analytics The __gads cookie, set by Google, is stored under DoubleClick domain and tracks the number of times users see an advert, measures the success of the campaign and calculates its revenue. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites. 1 year 24 days
_jsuid Analytics This cookie contains random number which is generated when a visitor visits the website for the first time. This cookie is used to identify the new visitors to the website. 1 year
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary Necessary Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the “Necessary” category. 1 year
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional Necessary The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin to record the user consent for the cookies in the category “Functional”. 1 year
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance Necessary Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category “Performance”. 1 year
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics Necessary Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the “Analytics” category . 1 year
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement Necessary Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the “Advertisement” category . 1 year
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others Necessary Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category “Others”. 1 year
GoogleAdServingTest Advertisement
This cookie is used to determine what ads have been shown to the website visitor.

 

Google Doubleclick

We use the services of Google Doubleclick on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our website offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR) the services of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, (“Google”).

 

We use the online marketing method Google “Doubleclick” to place ads in the Google advertising network (e.g., in search results, in videos, on websites, etc.). Double Click is characterised by the fact that ads are displayed in real time based on presumed user interests. This allows us to display ads for and within our online offering in a more targeted manner to present users only with ads that potentially match their interests. If, for example, a user is shown ads for products he or she was interested in on other online offers, this is referred to as “remarketing”. For these purposes, when our website and other websites on which the Google advertising network is active are called up, a code is executed directly by Google and so-called (re)marketing tags (invisible graphics or code, also known as “web beacons”) are integrated into the website. With their help, an individual cookie, i.e., a small file, is stored on the user’s device (comparable technologies can also be used instead of cookies). This file records which websites the user has visited, which content the user is interested in and which offers the user has clicked on, as well as technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, time of visit and other information about the use of the online offer.

 

The IP address of the user is also recorded, whereby this is shortened and only in exceptional cases is transferred in full to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. The aforementioned information may also be combined on the part of Google with such information from other sources. If the user subsequently visits other websites, he may be shown ads tailored to his interests based on his user profile.

 

User data is processed pseudonymously within the Google advertising network. This means that Google does not store and process the name or e-mail address of the user, for example, but processes the relevant data on a cookie basis within pseudonymous user profiles. I.e., from Google’s perspective, the ads are not managed and displayed for a specifically identified person, but for the cookie holder, regardless of who this cookie holder is. This does not apply if a user has expressly allowed Google to process the data without this pseudonymisation. The information collected by Google marketing services about users is transmitted to Google and stored on Google’s servers in the USA.

 

For more information about Google’s use of data, settings and opt-out options, please refer to Google’s privacy policy ( https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads ) as well as the settings for the display of advertisements by Google ( https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated ).

 

Cookie Consent manager

We have integrated the consent management tool “GDPR Cookie Consent” from Mozilor Limited trading as WebToffee, on our website in order to request consent for data processing or the use of cookies or comparable functions. With the help of “GDPR Cookie Consent” you have the possibility to give or refuse your consent for certain functionalities of our website, e.g., for the purpose of integrating external elements, integrating streaming content, statistical analysis, coverage measurement and personalised advertising. You can use “GDPR Cookie Consent” to give or refuse your consent for all functions or to give your consent for individual purposes or individual functions. The settings you have made can also be changed by you afterwards. The purpose of integrating “GDPR Cookie Consent” is to allow the users of our website to decide on the aforementioned matters and, in the course of further use of our website, to offer them the opportunity to change settings they have already made. In the course of using “GDPR Cookie Consent”, personal data as well as information of the end devices used, such as the IP address, are processed.

 

The legal basis for the processing is your consent in conjunction with our legitimate interest. Our legitimate interests in the processing lie in the storage of user settings and preferences in relation to the use of cookies and other functionalities. “GDPR Cookie Consent” stores your data as long as your user settings are active. After two years after the user settings have been made, you will be asked again for your consent. The user settings made will then be stored again for this period.

 

You can object to the processing. You have the right to object on grounds relating to your particular situation. To object, please contact us.

 

Does this policy change?

We may update our Cookie Policy from time to time. This might be for a number of reasons, such as to reflect a change in the law or to accommodate a change in our business practices and the way we use cookies. We recommend that you check here periodically for any changes to our Cookie Policy.

 

Privacy Policy

In the following we inform you about the collection of personal data when using our website https://lifeuk.info/. Personal data is all data that can be related to you personally, e.g., name, address, e-mail addresses, user behaviour.

 

Data ControllerĀ 

The person responsible pursuant to Art. 4 (7) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK`s Data Protection Act 2018 is

 

Life in the UK Test

Web: https://lifeuk.info/

Email: james@lifeuk.info

 

Contact us

When you contact us, the data you provide (your e-mail address, name and telephone number, if applicable) will be stored by us in order to answer your questions. We delete the data accruing in this context after the storage is no longer necessary or restrict the processing if there are statutory retention obligations.

 

If we use commissioned service providers for individual functions of our website or would like to use your data for advertising purposes, we will inform you in detail about the respective processes below. In doing so, we will also state the defined criteria for the storage period.

 

Your Rights

You have the following rights with regard to personal data concerning you:

  • Right to information (Art. 15 GDPR),
  • Right to rectification or erasure (Art. 16 and Art. 17 GDPR),
  • Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR),
  • Right to object to processing (Art. 6(1)(e) or (f) GDPR),
  • Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR).

 

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. Alternatively, you can also contact the UK`s supervisory authority, which is: The Information Commissioner`s Office (ICO) located at Wycliffe House, Water Ln, Wilmslow SK9 5AF, UK (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO.

 

Relevant legal basis

In accordance with Article 13 of the GDPR, we inform you of the legal basis for our data processing. If the legal basis is not stated, the following applies:Ā 

 

  • the legal basis for obtaining consent is Art. 6(1)(a) and Art. 7 GDPR,Ā 
  • the legal basis for processing in order to fulfil our services and carry out contractual measures and respond to enquiries is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR,Ā 
  • the legal basis for processing in order to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR, andĀ 
  • the legal basis for processing in order to protect our legitimate interests is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. In the event that vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Art. 6 (1) (d) GDPR serves as the legal basis.

 

Collection of personal data when visiting our website

In the case of merely informative use of the website, i.e., if you do not make a booking or otherwise transmit information to us, we only collect the personal data that your browser transmits to our server. If you wish to view our website, we collect the following data, which is technically necessary for us to display our website to you and to ensure its stability and security (legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR):

 

  • IP address
  • Date and time of the request
  • Time zone difference to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
  • Content of the request (specific page)
  • Access status/HTTP status code
  • Amount of data transferred in each case
  • Website from which the request came
  • Operating system and its interface
  • Language and version of the browser software.

 

In addition to the aforementioned data, cookies are stored on your computer when you use our website.

 

Cookies

We use cookies on our websites. Cookies are small text files that are assigned to the browser you are using and stored on your hard drive by means of a characteristic string of characters, and through which the body that sets the cookie receives certain information. Cookies cannot execute programmes or transmit viruses to your computer and therefore cannot cause any damage. They serve to make the Internet offer as a whole more user-friendly and effective, i.e., more pleasant for you.

 

Cookies can contain data that make it possible to recognise the device used. In some cases, however, cookies only contain information on certain settings that cannot be related to a specific person. However, cookies cannot directly identify a user.

 

Any use of cookies that is not strictly technically necessary constitutes data processing that is only permitted with your explicit and active consent (by accepting our cookie banner) pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. Furthermore, we will only pass on your personal data processed by cookies to third parties if you have given your express consent to do so in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. For more information about which cookies, we use and how you can manage your cookie settings and disable certain types of tracking,

Please see our

Cookie Policy

Cookie Policy

Other features and offers of our website

In addition to the purely informational use of our website, we offer various services that you can use if you are interested. In order to do so, you will usually have to provide further personal data, which we use to provide the respective service and to which the aforementioned data processing principles apply.

 

Comments and contributionsĀ 

When you leave comments on our website, your IP addresses is stored for 7 days on the basis of our legitimate interests. This is done for our security in case someone leaves unlawful content in comments and posts. In this case, we can be prosecuted for the comment or post and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.Ā 

 

You may be able to display certain personal data, share certain details, engage with others, exchange knowledge and insights, post and view relevant content. It’s your choice whether to include sensitive personal data on your comment and to make that sensitive information public. Please do not post or add personal data to your comment that you would not want to be available.Ā 

 

Note on data transfer to the USA

Among other things, tools from companies based in the USA are integrated on our website. If these tools are active, your personal data may be transferred to the US servers of the respective companies. We would like to point out that the USA is not a safe third country in the sense of UK/EU data protection law. US companies are obliged to hand over personal data to security authorities without you as a data subject being able to take legal action against this. It can therefore not be ruled out that US authorities (e.g., intelligence services) process, evaluate and permanently store your data located on US servers for monitoring purposes. We have no influence on these processing activities.

 

Objection or revocation against the processing of your data

If you have given your consent to the processing of your data, you may revoke this consent at any time. Such a revocation will affect the permissibility of processing your personal data after you have expressed it to us.

 

Where we base the processing of your personal data on the balance of interests, you may object to the processing. This is the case if the processing is not necessary, in particular, for the fulfilment of a contract with you, which is shown by us in each case in the following description of the functions. When exercising such an objection, we ask you to explain the reasons why we should not process your personal data as we have done. In the event of your justified objection, we will review the situation and either discontinue or adapt the data processing or show you our compelling legitimate grounds on the basis of which we will continue the processing.

 

Of course, you can object to the processing of your personal data for advertising and data analysis purposes at any time.

 

Liability For Contents

The contents of our pages were created with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of the content. As a service provider, we are responsible for our own content only and are not obligated to monitor transmitted or stored third-party information or to investigate circumstances that indicate illegal activity. Liability in this regard is only possible from the point in time at which a concrete infringement of the law becomes known. If we become aware of any such infringements, we will remove the relevant content immediately.

 

Data Security

We secure our website and other systems through appropriate technical and organisational measures against loss, destruction, access, modification or distribution of your data by unauthorized persons. However, and despite regular checks, complete protection against all dangers is not possible.

 

Passing on of data

Your personal data will only be passed on to third parties,

  • if you have given your express consent to this;
  • if the disclosure is necessary for the fulfilment of contractual obligations;
  • if we are legally obligated to disclose the data;
  • if the disclosure of the data is in the public interest;
  • if the disclosure of the data is necessary for the protection of our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, unless your interests in the protection of your data override these interests.

 

Third Party Recipients

In order to be able to process your requests satisfactorily, we may have to pass on your personal data to third party recipients. Third party recipients may be our suppliers, service partners and our trading partners as described in this policy or for the enforcement of a lawful order issued for example by a court, the police, or a regulatory authority.

 

Duration of storage of personal data

Your data will be stored by us for as long as it is needed for the respective purposes underlying the processing. Beyond that, we only store data insofar as we are legally obligated to do so, e.g., due to statutory retention obligations.

 

Automated Decision Making

Automated decision making is not used at Life in the UK Test.

 

Processing of special categories of data

No special categories of data are processed at Life in the UK Test.

 

Changes to this privacy policy

Life in the UK Test reserves the right to change this privacy policy. The current version of the privacy policy is always available on the Life in the UK Test website.

 

high risk Visa applicants

UK deters applicants

A new policy introduces mandatory interviews for potential students who seek Visas from ‘high risk’ countries

This comes after a plethora of ‘substandard’ cases of Visa application were unearthed by the a watchdog. Investigation into these cases resulted in findings that over 30% of cases lacked legitimacy under thorough scrutiny.

The government will launch this system at the end of the month, forcing thousands of students to travel to UK centres where their case, intentions and plans will come under intense questioning.

This is in further effort to reduce the amount of fraudulent cases of government-sponsored financial support, which is very high, and has been put PM David Cameron under intense pressure to calm the swelling of the situation.

His plans to reduce immigration by the “tens of thousands” has begun to take shape as new policies make news regularly.

Cameron has been subject to flak from MP Ed Miliband for not acting fast enough about the issue.

A spokesperson for the scheme suggested there would be perhaps 14,000 interviews this year.

He went further, saying that “dedicated students” would not be affected; more average students who were not fully committed toward the idea of seeking education in Britain, which is becoming harsher on immigration.

Officers will have the power to deny applications after the interview, as long as they provide fair reason as to why they have taken the action.

High risk Visa applicantsWhich countries have been targeted?

It is predicted that the system will be placed into parts of the world such as the Indian subcontinent, some parts of Asia as well as Middle Eastern countries and some countries in Africa. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, Nigeria and the Philippines will be affected!

Some pilot studies have shown large rates of rejection, with Burma being the highest, along with Nigeria, India and Bangladesh, all of which summed to roughly a 60% rate of Visa rejection.

Many students who aim to reach a place of higher education within Britain have shown concern and ultimately disinterest toward not only the policy, but in a large amount of cases, rejection of British education due to feelings that the process would take too long, or that they are beginning to feel unwelcome.

Controversy toward the issue is mainly directed toward the fact that only selected states are subject to interview, leading to many feeling that their nationality may be the deciding factor in the quality of their education, instead of intelligence or drive.

There are several countries who have been granted immunity toward this policy:

Argentina, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, South Korea and Taiwan to name a few.

A British spokesperson said that they were open to students, yet they must have a clear set reason and goal as to being in the country; that they did not want people to enter the country, leave education and find themselves claiming unemployment benefits.

A huge Visa crackdown has been the recent flagship of Cameron’s new effort to gain voters back from opposing parties Labour and UKIP, both of which have been gaining lost voters due to differing polices and views.

Photo by West Midlands Police

High UK Visa Rejection Rate

Harsher Visas stump students

Britain yet again tightens it’s grip around immigration, international students recoil.
As of November, Great Britain will harden the shell of it’s countries further, shaving the education of many valued international immigrants who make up a large percentage of the schooling system’s economical worth.

Decisions within the government have ruled that places of higher education such as universities and colleges who sponsor non European Union international students will have to strengthen their choices of risk losing an important title.

The Highly Trusted Sponsor is a title which allows schools to offer scholarships to international students of potential. At this moment, an institution may don the title if the rate of Visa rejection is 20% or less.

Main Reasons for High UK Visa Rejection Rate

Visa rejection may be due to many reasons, ranging from suspicious activity to lack of documents to a weak story as to why they are applying.
From November, the percentage of rejection must be no more than 10%. UK higher education exports were worth £10 billion as of 2011-12.
We can expect to see that figure drop dramatically as students around the world slowly seem to be changing their minds about scholarship within Britain.
London alone has over 100,000 international students living within it’s quarters.

This comes in a time of great change for Britain, where a determined government aims to change the way the borders of the country work completely.

High UK Visa Rejection RateTeresa may commented that the government will:
“Make British a less attractive place for those who come here for the wrong reasons.”
However, an inefficient system has of late, began to show how deeply the cracks lie within the fractured system of deciding who to keep and who to reject.
The international (non EU) tuition contribution is worth upwards of £3 billion, which is roughly 30% of tuition in total.
Being such a large percentage of what is a sector which is regularly criticised for being underpaid due to budget cuts, many have expressed concern as to whether parliament considered the true implications of this situation as fully as it could have when it began the process.

Is Britain becoming a place that is harsher to immigrants?
Or is this just par for the course as we reform our country?

There is stacking evidence that suggests that international individuals and families that would have first considered immigrating have now been staved off for many reasons which have recently emerged from both the populace and parliament. Accusations of bias, harshness and a changing way of running the country have been flowing through social networking.
However, we must remember, there are always issues when something as huge as a country attempts to reform a whole sector of the way it is run, backlash is inevitable. Look back into history and there has always been controversy toward acts such as this.
Is this different?

In a changing world, the government is attempting to answer to demands by voters. Are these actions too harsh?
We are certainly damaging both our economy, and social diversity. Only time will show the true repercussions of what seems currently to have been a self destructive move.

Benefits for New immigrants

Benefits for New immigrants limited to 3 months of welfare

A new policy headed by the Tory party seeks to defend against the “magnetic pull” benefit system
New immigrants who have just entered Britain will only be able to claim 3 months of benefits, says David Cameron.
The PM says that this is in an effort to reduce the amount of immigrants in the country who have the ‘wrong reasons’ to be there.
He stated that the “magnetic pull of Britain’s benefit system” pulls people from countries within the EU to stay unemployed.

The party has come under fire recently over Cameron’s pressure to reduce the immigration rates by “tens of thousands” – chiefly from opposition party member Ed Miliband, who was scathing of the PM’s attempt to match the rhetoric of the UKIP party, who have been slowly gaining votes as the decade grows in age, mainly due to what was an admittedly relaxed view of immigration by both parties.

However, many have accused Cameron’s attempts at limiting immigration a way of ‘hiding’ the fact that he possess only a small amount of control over the immigration system due to EU laws which allow free movement within all membership states.

Benefits for New immigrantsThe pressure to live up to his own words is increasing as the Tory party seems to lose votes in every direction, making Labour, for the first time, not the only true competition.
During one of his speeches, Cameron promised to “reduce immigration by the tens of thousands”

EU policy has made this more easily said than done, with the PM sternly stating his agenda as not anti European Union, he suggested curbing immigration in other ways before offering a referendum to the public if he is voted in again in the next general election.

An “increasingly generous, no questions asked welfare system” has been under pressure to be reformed for a long time now, Labour leader Ed Miliband says, reminding the public that he had highlighted the issue months ago.

There has not been much talk about what the immigrants will do when the benefits come to a close, with special cases such as disability or young or ill children being ignored for the moment.

For some, the statement seems still like a pipe dream – taking no exact form at the minute.
Cameron has been criticised for being slow to act upon this issue, however, much has been happening in the last months, with wars raging across the world, the PM has had to spend time within the world community as the frontman of the EU, actively taking an aggressive stance against the Putin-backed Ukraine crisis and the Syrian civil war, in which he suggested more action be taken in both situations, working in close partnership with US president Obama, who is being faced with what seems closer to Cold War behaviour than modern society.

Nonetheless, internal affairs need take priority in many cases, and although his decisions are being criticised by many parties for being too soft, some migrants who honestly need the system will no doubt suffer.

Immigrate to Germany

Immigrate to Germany the new immigration hotspot

New studies show that Germany is the second most popular immigration destination

After months and months of rhetoric and negativity from Britain’s government, the spotlight has shifted to it’s kinder neighbour…
Germany?

Powerhouse Germany?

Yes, reports are coming in fromĀ  all quarters of the country that not only are immigrants welcome, they’re wanted.
Births in the nation have slowed and slowed to the point, where, like Japan, they are wondering where on earth they are going to find the people to look after the countries they’ve brought to riches.

While the UK has been excessively complaining about immigration, Germany has slowly been gaining higher and higher levels of immigration, overtaking many countries to rest at second place behind the Americans, who sit angrily at the top.

Immigrate to GermanyThe immigration debate within the United States is as fiery as ever, with extreme views throwing angry words toward each other constantly, Obama blocked at every turn by Republicans who seem to hold the opposite view of just about everything he thinks or says.

Maybe this is a good turn, with migrants arriving to newly opened welcome centres, comprehensive language courses and some cushy benefits, maybe the more right-winged parties of the UK will be quieter, knowing that there really is somewhere better that the immigrants will find themselves drawn to, with a change in the amount of people trying to enter our country predicted to follow suit, as opposed to the fire and brimstone that Britain seems to currently be offering, along with a steeply curbed benefit system and a potential referendum over European Union membership as a whole.

However, pro-immigration view-holders have shown some deep concern that the highly skilled immigrants that bring economic gain will now bring that wealth to Germany instead.
While our levels of higher education attended by non EU nationals are dropping, Germany is trying hard to pull our losses inward, promising easy Visa service to many who have degrees from across the globe.

Perhaps this marks a real shift, as now the spotlight on EU immigration policy is no longer on the UK, and we can all take a break.
In the UK, debate is rife, with the opposition parties competing for what seems to the toughest immigration policy, Labour and the Conservatives may no longer need to consider referendum.

Then again, acting in haste about anything at this time may be a bad move, with the situation within both Germany and Great Britain still ongoing, the exchange and filing of immigrants still seems to see them as more statistic than human.
The Germans have been using foreign talent to help build and support it’s lumbering, massive industry, with new projects allowing for both specialised and non specialised migrants to contribute to the country.
We are yet to see the lasting effects this boost to migration, both EU and international that Germany has received, but we are guaranteed to see something sooner or later.

UK Losing Foreign talent

Why is the UK Losing Foreign talent and by how much?

Studies published today by officials have recorded a massive drop in international students and workers who have high levels of promise and education.
This comes as a result of much more exclusive Visa laws imparted within the last few years.
The exact drop was 39%, which is a massive amount to see, and predictions toward the harm this will impart on the UK economy are negative almost unilaterally.
This news leaves many businesses angry, as they rely heavily on well qualified people of international states, leading to concern whether these tighter non EU Visa laws are actually doing more harm than good.

The students produced by these countries are very highly held by prestigious business schools across the nation, who have noticed a differentiation in attendance that they find worrying as a large percentage of their attendance is foreign.

UK Losing Foreign talentMore work and effort to apply and receive a UK Visa have made the country less advertising toward external nations, with stricter regulations and policies making it very difficult for graduates to find employment after finishing school, something that for a long time was very easy due to the high level of qualification and skill these candidates tend to own after attending the schools.

Undoubtedly, events here will have a distinct imprint upon the recovering economy of the country, a worrying prospect after a triple dip recession, that we are now, while in recovery – losing potential moneymakers.
Furthermore, these transfers were good for international relations, as the newly qualified students would go on to work for sometimes massive international companies which would provide income to a large selection of nations.

The effect of talented foreigners leaving the UK

Many modern technology companies rely heavily on qualified international students which have graduated from the UK businesses schools to provide valuable services in many sectors.

This heavy hitting loss in the stream of these individuals could stress the companies who are involved as much as it is damaging the UK.
However, recent news of more streamlined Visa processing services, starting with China, may provide a way out for this downward spiral which we face although, damages has already been done toward the economy, leaving a bitter taste in many high level employers of profitable industries.
Commentaries on the issue highlight the general consensus within the business community that they are now losing a lot of potential along with many already highly talented workers that could be contributing heavily to the nation and international horizon.

Who is responsible?

The government imparted these harsher Visa policies in an effort to curb indecent behaviour and large losses that are accounted toward some immigrants.
Some may argue that the situation is unfair on those who had huge potential to succeed in the UK that have been undeservedly rejected by the border agencies.
However, others argue that this is part of the process which is still very flawed as it involves many new polices that were put forward within the last couple of years.
The situation presents many moral questions.

Is it fair to bias toward talented, qualified individuals in the immigration sector?

How to get EU citizenship through ancestry

Are you missing out on EU citizenship through ancestry ?

While it is often checked whether somebody has relatives of UK origin, many people are forgetting that there are many other nationalities which they could benefit from by checking.

If one had grandparents which originated from many European countries, they would be entitled citizenship and the resulting E.U membership.
However, many states have their own conditions toward citizenship, including but not limited to marriage, naturalisation, relatives of said nationality.
Most E.U countries are notoriously difficult to attain citizenship for, this is due mainly to the influx of fraudulent behaviour of many unmonitored individuals.
Conversely, there are many highly qualified immigrants who do not originate from EU membership states that attain a permanent Visa considerably easier than that of somebody who is not as well qualified.

These members of the nation they immigrated to, and their resulting European Union membership allow for unparalleled rights such as free movement between the involved states, free residence, freedom to work and diplomatic protection in non EU states.

EU citizenship through ancestry There are restrictions for new members, designed to prevent and avoid damaging or fraudulent behaviour within the Union.
If one possessed parents of even grandparents in some cases which originated from a nation which participates in such conduct, they would be given the opportunity to become a citizen of the nation which is involved, however, there are many behaviours and past events that could prevent this from happening.

It is worth remembering that while the candidate is eligible for citizenship, they are not guaranteed it, so good conduct is absolutely vital for the process to go ahead smoothly.

Attaining Visas for said countries can be equally complicated, as the process is not particularly designed to be easy, as the state will still have policies which will usually involve screening for the safety of the nationals which intend to immigrate toward the country.
As usual, clear and well organised documentation as well as solid evidence of the relationship toward the relation who was part of the nation will make the process faster for both you and the state involved.

Making enquiries as to these things can be useful as to understanding personal heritage.
There are many websites which will help track one’s heritage many generations back, but most of the time, this policy is only extended as far as either the parent or grandparent, as there were large influxes in worldwide immigration that would make tracking all origins and citizenships incredibly hard, so keeping the process within 3 generations prevent the system becoming clogged.

If you are in doubt or are considering enquiry, try visiting the .gov webpage of the nation you are planning on querying, or visit the embassy in the nation in which you live. Do not expect the process to be fast, but with the correct lineage, one should be able to attain correct rights and citizenship to the state which they are applying for.
Check the immigration and citizenship polices of the nation you are planning, as many vary to differing degrees.