If immigration officers have reasonable grounds to believe that an employer is flouting the law, they could close the business for up to 48 hours to carry out a full investigation. ...
Following Byron Burger's arrests by the Home Office, the chain has been hailed by the Home Office for its full compliance with ‘immigration and asylum law in its employment practices....
Employers can now be penalised if they have reasonable cause to believe that an employee does not have the legal right to work in the UK....
Employers wishing to employ skilled non-EEA workers must have a sponsorship licence. It is vital that sponsors comply with record keeping duties, produce documentary evidence on request, and follow the correct recruitment processes....
Employers must understand and articulate the reason for an employee’s treatment in a potential direct discrimination claim and should think carefully about why they might be treating a member of staff differently. ...
Despite the UK voting to leave the EU, the impact of Brexit on employment law still remains uncertain; it is likely that the UK will remain part of the EU for at least two years after notice has been served. ...
Immigration is never far from the headlines and never has it been so widely discussed as in the lead-up to the EU referendum. There is much debate over whether leaving the European Union would mean that nationals of the European Economic Area (or EEA, being the EU member states plus Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland) would lose their visa-free access to the UK....
Employers who receive a “Information Request: Illegal Working Civil Penalty”must provide the necessary evidence within the set time frame if they are to have a statutory excuse against a civil penalty. ...
On 12 May the Immigration Bill received Royal Assent and will now be implemented as the Immigration Act 2016. The Act seeks to address issues around illegal migrants living in the UK....
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has released a consultation outlining Government proposals to increase immigration appeal fees with the aim of making the immigration tribunal entirely self-funded by fees....
In Nayak v Royal Mail Group, the EAT upheld the tribunal’s decision that an employer’s genuine and reasonable belief that an employee was no longer permitted to work in the UK was sufficient to show that he had been dismissed for some other substantial reason (SOSR)....
Employers who hold a Tier 2 sponsor licence can sponsor employees who are from outside of the European Economic Area by assigning a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) to them....
Last year we blogged about the £35,000 earnings threshold for Tier 2 migrants wishing to apply to settle in the UK. This change is due to come into force from 6 April this year and will apply to all non-EEA migrants who came to the UK on a Tier 2 visa after 6 April 2011, unless they have worked in an occupation on the shortage occupation list....
UK Visas and Immigration have confirmed that later this month (or next month in the case of the Isle of Man) there will be a rise in the cost of visa application fees for many migrants wishing to come to the UK....
The Immigration Bill 2016, which is working its way through Parliament, contains a requirement on public authorities to ensure that their workers (including agency workers) who are in customer-facing roles speak fluent English (or Welsh in Wales). Customer-facing roles are described as those which require workers to speak to members of the public (both face to face and on the telephone) as a ‘regular and intrinsic’ part of their role....
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics last week, show that annual net migration to Britain (i.e. the number of individuals immigrating to Britain less those migrating from Britain) was at a figure of 323,000 for the year ending September 2015, 13,000 less than the figure reported three months prior. When compared with figures for 2014, net migration is on the increase, however this drop is the first time the net migration figures have fallen in 2 years. The small drop predominantly arose through a reduction in the amount of non-EU individuals immigrating to Britain....
In October 2015 the Government consulted on proposed changes to the “Conduct Regulations”, which govern the recruitment sector. The response to the consultation was published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) last week and confirms the Government’s intention to proceed with the majority of the proposals within the consultation....
The Government has announced that from 6 April this year Australians and New Zealanders who spend more than 6 months in the UK will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)....
In the immigration team we help people who are applying for many different kinds of visa – from students to skilled workers, visitors to spouses. But what do all visa applications have in common?...
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which advises the government on migration issues, has published areview of Tier 2. ...