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Citizenship & residency

Eligibility and Documentation Assistance

Assessment against published criteria, and preparation of the document set — the stage where most applications are actually won or lost.

Who it is for

Anyone approaching an application, and particularly clients with a circumstance that needs care: a name that appears differently across documents, a gap in employment history, a business sale, inherited funds, a prior visa refusal, or documents issued by a state with limited civil registration.

Also suitable for clients working with another advisor who want the file independently reviewed before it is lodged.

What it covers

Most refusals and most delays trace back to documentation rather than substance. A file that is complete, internally consistent and properly legalised is the single biggest controllable factor in an application.

Eligibility assessment

Your circumstances tested against the published criteria of the specific programme: age, nationality, character and criminal record requirements, health declarations, source and provenance of funds, residence history, and the eligibility of each dependant you intend to include.

Where something in your history is likely to attract scrutiny, we would rather surface it now than have it surface during due diligence.

Documentation

Programmes differ substantially in what they require and in what form. Typically this involves civil documents, police certificates from every jurisdiction of residence over a defined period, evidence of the source and path of funds, professional and financial references, medical declarations, and proof of relationship for each dependant.

Each document then has its own requirements: which authority must issue it, how recently, whether it needs apostille or consular legalisation, whether a certified translation is required and by whom, and how long it remains valid. A document that is correct but expired at the point of submission is a refused or delayed file.

Source of funds

This is where files most often stall. Authorities increasingly expect a documented path, not a balance: where the money came from, how it was accumulated, and corroboration at each step. We identify what will need evidencing and in what form, early enough to obtain it.

What is included

  • Itemised criteria map for the specific programme

    The published requirements, broken down.

  • Eligibility assessment for applicant and every dependant

    Tested individually, since dependant rules differ.

  • Early identification of issues likely to attract scrutiny

    Raised before cost is incurred rather than during due diligence.

  • Complete document schedule

    Issuing authority, legalisation, translation and validity window for each item.

  • Source of funds evidencing plan

    What needs documenting, in what form, to show the path rather than the balance.

  • Collection guidance

    Including for jurisdictions with limited or difficult civil registration.

  • Consistency and completeness review before lodgement

    Cross-checking names, dates and figures across the whole file.

How it works

  1. Criteria mapping. The published requirements of the specific programme, itemised.
  2. Eligibility assessment. Your circumstances and each dependant's tested against them.
  3. Issue identification. Anything likely to attract scrutiny, raised early.
  4. Document schedule. Every document required, its issuing authority, legalisation requirement, translation requirement and validity window.
  5. Collection support. Guidance on obtaining each item, including from jurisdictions with difficult civil registration.
  6. Quality control. Consistency checks across the complete file before submission.

Timelines differ by programme and by the authority reviewing the file. We do not publish indicative durations we cannot source.

Scope and limits

Not included in this service

  • Obtaining documents that require you in person Many registries and police authorities require the individual.
  • Certification or translation services We specify the requirement and check the output; the work is done by the appropriate certified party.
  • Any ability to accelerate an issuing authority Civil registries and police authorities work to their own timelines.
  • We assess against published criteria. An authority may apply discretion or unpublished policy, and may request documents beyond the published list.
  • We cannot obtain documents on your behalf where the issuing authority requires you personally, and we cannot accelerate a civil registry.
  • We do not certify or translate documents ourselves; we specify what is required and check what is produced.
  • A complete file improves the odds. It does not guarantee an outcome.

Questions

What usually goes wrong?

Documentation, overwhelmingly. Inconsistent name spellings across documents, a police certificate from a jurisdiction the applicant forgot they lived in, a document that expired between collection and submission, or a source of funds narrative that cannot be corroborated at every step.

What does "source of funds" actually mean?

Not a bank balance. Authorities expect a documented path showing where the money originated and how it accumulated, corroborated at each stage — a business sale with contracts and tax filings, employment income with payslips, an inheritance with probate documents. We identify what will be needed early, because some of it takes months to obtain.

I have a prior visa refusal. Does that disqualify me?

Not automatically, but it is material and must be disclosed where asked. Non-disclosure is far more damaging than the refusal itself. We will assess how it bears on the programmes you are considering.

Can you review a file another advisor prepared?

Yes. An independent review before lodgement is often worthwhile, particularly where the file is complex or the stakes are high.

My documents are in another language. What is needed?

That depends on the programme: usually a certified translation, sometimes by a translator approved by the receiving authority, and often with the original apostilled or consularly legalised first. The order matters, and doing it in the wrong order means paying twice.

This page describes an advisory service. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice, and nothing here is an offer or a guarantee of any outcome. Green Apple Consultants is not a government body and does not grant citizenship, residence or any immigration status — every application is decided solely by the competent government authority.

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