This week, hundreds of South Asian highly skilled workers protested outside Parliament claiming they are the victims of the next Windrush scandal. The protest comes after Sajid Javid was appointed Home Secretary after Amber Rudd resigned for misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee over targets for removal of migrants during the Windrush scandal. ...
Whilst the process of assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is straightforward, it’s useful for sponsors to know what validates a CoS. If a CoS is not valid at the time the Tier 2 worker submits their visa application, the application will be refused resulting in delays to start date....
In recent days, the government has faced criticism of its treatment of people from the so-called Windrush Generation. Those who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries have been labelled the Windrush generation, after the ship which brought them here as a response to post-war labour shortages in the UK. Almost 500 migrants from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados came to the UK at the invitation of the British government....
The Tier 2 visa cap has been reached for the fourth month in a row resulting in sponsors being unable to employ workers under the Tier 2 General category from overseas. UKVI data shows that the minimum points required to be successful was 56 – a stark contrast to the usual 21. Many businesses have been trying to secure Restricted CoS since December....
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its interim report on its assessment of the UK labour market after the UK leaves the EU. Whilst the final report is expected to be published in September, the interim report summarises over 400 responses from businesses, industry bodies and government departments. ...
New fees for immigration and nationality are to come into effect on 6 April 2018. The changes include increases to Tier 2 work visa fees, indefinite leave to remain and naturalisation applications. ...
On 11 January 2018, the immigration rules were amended and new provisions were introduced which affect how the Home Office assesses continuous residence for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) applications. Whilst the changes affect all Points Based System migrants, we will be focusing on Tier 2 General workers. ...
Campaign groups are continuing to increase pressure on the government to reconsider the ‘immigration exemption’ in the Data Protection Bill which could prevent people from gaining access to immigration data held on them. The Bill had its second reading in the House of Commons yesterday where Tory MP Matt Hancock confirmed that the exemption was necessary, so the government could “properly police [its] borders”....
The Government intends to double the Immigration Health Surcharge in the near future. This is a charge paid by non-EEA nationals (main applicants and dependents) who are applying to work, study or join their family in the UK for more than 6 months....
The non EEA skilled worker cap has been hit again this month, now for the third month running. Many Tier 2 sponsors have seen their Restricted CoS applications refused causing delays to new recruits start dates. ...
Last month, we posted an article on the role of the Authorising Officer and explained that this person does not have access to the Sponsorship Management System (SMS) unless he/she is a Level 1 or 2 user. Since then we’ve received enquiries from HR staff wanting to know more about the SMS, who has access to it and the differences between a Level 1 and 2 user....
Tier 2 sponsors should have by now received an email from UK Visas & Immigration reminding them that the CoS annual allocation process will soon begin and any unused unrestricted CoS in the SMS will expire on 5 April 2018. Sponsors should start thinking about how many unrestricted CoS they’ll need from 6 April 2018 to 5 April 2019....
Tier 2 sponsors will be pleased to hear that rules which came into effect from 11 January 2018 now allow Tier 4 Students on non-PhD courses to switch to a Tier 2 General visa when they have completed their course....
A few weeks ago we wrote about how the Home Office’s Restricted CoS limit was reached in December and many employers saw their applications refused. ...
Businesses with sponsor licences have a huge responsibility to ensure that the points based system is not abused. The role of the Authorising Officer is to effectively manage the licence and ensure the employer is not in breach of its sponsor duties. ...
For the first time since July 2015, the Home Office’s monthly Restricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) limit was reached and many employers saw their applications refused. Data published on the government’s website shows that 1,527 applications were granted. Successful applications had to score a minimum of 55 points as opposed to the usual 21 points (see data for previous months)....
In 2017, we saw the government push ahead with its policy to reduce net migration to “sustainable levels.” Businesses saw the introduction of the Immigration Skills Levy, the closure of the Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer (ICT) route and an increase to the minimum salary threshold for skilled workers. ...
Last year, UK Visas & Immigration launched the Tier 2 and 5 priority change of circumstances service for business sponsors. UKVI’s current processing time for requests via the SMS is 18 weeks – which as our clients know is 18 weeks too long....
The Home Office has recently published its quarterly figures for the number of illegal workers identified between April and June 2017. The figures show that illegal workers are not just isolated cases....
The London Mayor has kicked off a week long trade mission to India and Pakistan by criticising the British government’s current stringent visa policy. Speaking in Mumbai, Sadiq Khan said he was “lobbying” with the government to change its visa policy and it was in London’s best interests to keep Britain open to highly skilled workers....