Ben Xu

Partner, Laytons LLP

Ben has more than 10 years of experience in dealing with UK immigration and nationality matters, particularly matters with complex personal and business immigration issues. As well as high net worth clients, Ben also acted for many corporate organisations, executives, EU nationals, and individuals with human rights claims.

Ben used to practise corporate and commercial law. He finds that his experience as a corporate lawyer gives him a deeper level of understanding of the issues in hand when advising corporate and executive clients and allows him to provide more rounded solutions.

His clients describe him as “a first-rate immigration lawyer...accomplished the “impossible” for” them and a person who has that person touch “in making them comfortable throughout the entire application process”.

Ben is fluent in Chinese and English.

Contributed to

5

Applying for leave as a parent under Appendix FM

Practice notes

This Practice Note provides an overview of the application requirements for entry clearance, limited and indefinite leave as a parent under Appendix FM. It looks at the financial and English language requirements for the five-year route, what a parent needs to show to prove they have a qualifying relationship with a child in the UK and where exceptions on human rights grounds apply for leave on the ten-year route, including under EX.1.

Immigration

Applying under the Graduate route

Practice notes

The Graduate route is an unsponsored immigration route which permits eligible persons with permission in the Student route to undertake full-time employment or self-employment in the UK, at any skill level, upon completion of their studies for up to three years. This Practice Note outlines the eligibility requirements for making an application under the route. It also looks at the suitability and validity requirements, period and conditions of permission and dependants.

Immigration

Best interests and the duty to safeguard child welfare

Practice notes

This Practice Note outlines the legal framework for children’s rights in immigration cases, looking in particular at the best interests principle found in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the child welfare duty set out in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, s 55. It looks at how the welfare of the child can be raised in immigration applications, appeals and judicial review proceedings either on its own or alongside a human rights claim.

Immigration

For entry clearance applications, can you change the country from which biometrics are submitted once the online application has been submitted and paid for?

Q&As

Immigration

Where a sponsored worker would be working on a client site, does each client site need to be included as a 'branch' on the employer's sponsor licence application, or can/should the work location be confirmed to the Home Office in another way at the application stage?

Q&As

Immigration