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UK visa Q&A during coronavirus

Due to COVID19, there are many people with questions about their visa. This is advice for clients applying for visas who are affected by the COVID19 pandemic.

 

For those who needs make/submit application:

Q: During COVID19 outbreak, can I still apply for a UK visa?

A: Currently, applicants can still make/submit applications online. Many UK Visa Application Centres (VACs), either in the UK or overseas have suspended their service (closed) and are not accepting any appointments. According to the UK Visas and Immigration website, the earliest available appointment at the Hongkong VAC is 1st June. All submissions, including initial applications, renewals, and Indefinite Leave to Remain applications will be delayed. There is no indication when the VACs will be re-opened.

For applications submitted in the UK:-

  • If you have already made your appointment before the VAC closed, your appointment will be postponed for 6 weeks.
  • If you have not made an appointment, you will not be able to make appointments until the VAC re-opens.

For application submitted outside the UK:-

  • If you have already made your appointment, the VAC will contact you once they have re-opened.
  • If you have not already made an appointment, for some countries, you will not be able to make an appointment, or you can book for months later. Different countries will have different options.

For those who are in the UK:

Q: During the COVID19 pandemic, I been requested to do my biometric enrolment, (enrol my fingerprint) are there any changes?

A: Applicants from China, HK, USA, Australia, India, Taiwan, and many other countries will not know when they will be able to enrol. The general advice is – so long as applications were submitted on time, you SHOULD be able to enrol your fingerprints when the visa centre re-opens. You will be able to walk in without having to pay for the additional walk in fee.

Q: My visa is expiring, and I can’t leave the UK because of COVID19. Will I be consider an overstayer? What can I do?

A: According to the UKVI, if you cannot leave the UK because of travel restrictions or self-isolation related to COVID19, your visa can be extended to 31 May 2020 but you must contact the Coronavirus Immigration Team (CIT)  to update your records and to explain why you can’t go back to your home country. The CIT will contact you when they have received your email and reply you when your visa has been extended.

CIT E-mail: CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk

CIT Tel: 0800 678 1767 (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm) – The line is very busy (or understaffed – we have tried calling on a number of occasions and have been on hold for more than an hour without getting through). It is recommended that you to email them.

If you’re a doctor, nurse or paramedic working for the NHS, your visa will be automatically extended by one year if it is due to expire before 1 October 2020. The extension is free and you will not have to pay the immigration health surcharge. Family members with a visa due to expire before 1 October 2020 will also have their visa extended.

Q: I am in the UK but my visa application has to be done from my home country. During the COVID19 pandemic, what can I do?

A: According to the UKVI, you’ll be able to apply from the UK to switch to a long-term UK visa until 31 May. This includes applications where you would usually need to apply for a visa from your home country. You’ll need to meet the same visa requirements and pay the UK application fee. This includes those whose leave has already been automatically extended to 31 March 2020.

Q: I’m on the T1 Entrepreneur Visa and I’m unable to employ 2 people for the ongoing 12 consecutive months because of disruption caused by COVID19 outbreak. I won’t meet the visa requirement then. What can I do?

A: According to the UK government guidelines, if you are on a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa and your business has been disrupted by COVID 19, the 12-month period you are required to employ someone for can be made up of multiple employees across different months, instead of employing at least 2 people for 12 consecutive months each. If you have not been able to employ staff for 12 months in total by the time your visa expires, you will be allowed to temporarily extend your stay to give you time to meet the requirement.

 

For those who are outside the UK:

Q: During the COVID19 pandemic, can I still travel to the UK?

A: The border has not been closed for the moment. All holders of a British passport, permanent residence, and any valid visa can enter the UK freely.

Q: I am currently outside the UK, and my visa has been granted. However, I would miss my UK visa entry date because of the disruption (flight cancelation) caused by COVID19 outbreak. What should I do?

A: According to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), for those who wish to change the date on their visa vignette so they can still enter into the UK on future dates, it will cost them £169/person to apply for new vignette (30 days vignette).

Q: Because of the COVID19 outbreak, I can’t travel back to the UK as planned. Consequently, I will spend more than 180 days outside the UK in the last 12 months. I can’t meet the permanent residence application requirement. Will UKVI assess it discretionarily?

A: According to the UK Immigration rules, before the application for permanent residence/indefinite leave to remain, applicants should stay no more than 180 days outside the UK for every 12 calendar months, unless it is an international humanitarian crisis (e.g. Ebola in 2014).

There is no confirmation as of today whether COVID-19 would be defined as an international humanitarian crisis nor how to deal with applicants who have failed to return to the UK temporarily and failed to meet the residence requirements.

Q: I’m applying for the Start-up visa. My endorsement letter is expiring. I can’t travel to the UK because of disruption (flight cancelation) caused by COVID19 outbreak.  What should I do?

A: According to the UK government guidelines, if you are applying for a Global Talent, Start-up or Innovator visa and your endorsement from an endorsing body has expired because you have not been able to travel to the UK, you should make the application as planned and UKVI will consider all applications on a case by case basis. You may still be eligible for a visa. If your endorsement was still valid on your date of application (the date that you submit your application online), you will not require to get a new endorsement letter from endorsing body.

Q: I am under Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa, my business has been disrupted, what should I do if I cannot meet the extension requirement?

A: If you have not been able to employ staff for 12 months in total by the time your visa expires, you will be allowed to temporarily extend your stay to give you time to meet the requirement.

You no longer need to employ at least 2 people for 12 consecutive months each. The 12 month period you are required to employ someone for can be made up of multiple jobs across different months.

Q: My business has been disrupted, my staff are on furlough, will that be count towards the 12 month period?

A: No, employees were furloughed will not count towards the 12 month period.

 

Hope all is well. Stay safe, and keep happy!

One Immigration Solutions is a UK based company established to assist in specialist advice on immigration and provide first class representation at affordable rates.

We represent and advise private individuals, corporate and business bodies, students, educational institutions, and charities. We believe in professionalism and jargon-free advice that is tailored to your circumstances.

Immigration law is turbulent and subject to change – we are always up to date and ensure we represent you within today’s legal framework.

We assist with all visa applications, work permits, and advise on succeeding in the UK Points-Based System (PBS). We help with student visas, investor and entrepreneur cases, and business enquiries.

One Immigration Solutions are also experts in assisting with matters of personal immigration. We give professional but affordable advice and representation on the transfer of relatives to the UK.

Student, worker, employer, or looking to bring your spouse to this country, we can assist. Much of our representation can be agreed on a fixed fee basis, helping you to keep costs low.

Take a look below at just some of the services we provide and contact us for a free, no obligation consultation.

At our office you’ll find help with:

  • UK Points Based System (PBS), specialising in Tier 1 (Investor and Entrepreneur), and Tier 2 (General).
  • British Citizenship & Naturalisation
  • British registration for children
  • Further Leave to Remain
  • Indefinite Leave to Remain and Permanent Residence
  • EEA and non-EEA family member applications
  • Visa applications, (fast, same-day visa applications).
  • Family and spouse visa cases.
  • For other issues regarding immigration, just call and ask if we can help you.

One Immigration Solutions fosters a friendly team who welcome you to the office.

We help submit online and paper documents quickly and securely.

Our history is testament to our continued success.

We offer a FREE initial consultation, explaining your case clearly and outlining any future costs.

Take a look at our reviews and contact us for help with your case. You can also book a free consultation directly from our website where you’ll be able to choose a date and time that’s convenient for yourself.

 

Jacqueline Ma
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List of Endorsing Bodies for Start Up and Innovator Visas

List of Endorsing Bodies for Start-Up Visa

These are Higher Education Institutions (HEI).

Start-Up list last updated 19th September 2019.

Check and see if your HEI participates in the Start-Up visa programme.

 

Endorsing Body Notes
Anglia Ruskin University Applications are welcome from ARU students. We regret non-ARU students cannot be considered.
Arts University Bournemouth Endorsing business in the creative arts industries.
Aston University For those who have completed a course of study at Aston University in the last 5 years and have had a business idea accepted by BSEEN.
Bangor University Bangor University only endorses Bangor Graduates on this visa and they must have graduated within 12 months preceding the application.
Bath Spa University Bath Spa University will only accept endorsement applications from Bath Spa students and our recent graduates (up to 2 years).
Birmingham City University
Bournemouth University They support Bournemouth University international alumni start-ups and innovators across the UK, and exceptional UK HEI international graduates looking to start businesses in Wessex.
BPP University Limited BPP University will only endorse its own graduates in the Start-up route. We will not endorse external candidates or in the Innovator route.
Brunel University London Brunel University will only endorse its graduates in the Start-up route. They will not endorse external candidates or in the Innovator route.
Cardiff Metropolitan University International Entrepreneurs Programme runs intensively for 6 months from the centre for Entrepreneurship incubator and includes workshops, mentoring, office space and general support. Cardiff Metropolitan University is currently endorsing its own students and graduates only.
Cardiff University Cardiff University are only able to consider endorsement requests from our graduate students or any of our students who have completed their studies and are approaching their graduation date
City, University of London
Contemporary Dance Trust
Coventry University Open to Coventry graduates only.
Cranfield University Supporting entrepreneurs every step of their journey, they accept applications from students and alumni of Cranfield.
De Montfort University
Derby University
Durham University They provide opportunities for start-up visa endorsement to eligible graduating students and graduates of Durham University.
Edinburgh Napier University Providing opportunities for Start-up Visa endorsement to eligible graduating students and graduates of Edinburgh Napier University.*
Falmouth University School of Entrepreneurship Creating a unique environment to build sustainable businesses with high growth potential in one of the UK’s leading creative tech hubs.
Florida State University International Programs Assocciiation UK They accept applications for start-up visa endorsements only from graduates of FSU or US Universities with whom they have existing affiliations.
Girne American University Canterbury
Glasgow Caledonian University
Goldsmiths University of London
Guildhall School of Music & Drama Guildhall Creative Entrepreneurs is an incubator to help people in the performing arts launch and advance their own enterprises. Guildhall School will only endorse graduates from Guildhall School.
Heriot-Watt University
Hult International Business School
Imperial College London
Keele University Keele Business School Smart Innovation Hub, and the Research & Innovation Support Programme will support selected Keele students and alumni.
King’s College London The Entrepreneurship Institute at King’s College London will support Start-up visas that meet UKVI criteria from current and former King’s students.
Kingston University
Lancaster University
Leeds Arts University
Leeds Beckett University
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Liverpool John Moores University
London Business School They accept applications from students and alumni, as well as co-founders working with LBS students or alumni.
London Metropolitan University
London School of Economics and Political Sciences For LSE students – with the exception of non-LSE applicants who are key members of an LSE team only.
London South Bank University They can only endorse applicants who have graduated from LSBU within the last 2 years and have not started a business in the UK before.
Loughborough University Endorsing body for Loughborough University graduates.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Middlesex University
Newcastle University They will only endorse graduates from Newcastle University. They will consider applications from graduating students and recent graduates (up to 3 years).
Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Norwich University of the Arts
Nottingham Trent University They are only open to students and recent graduates of Nottingham Trent University (within the immediate 2 years preceding date of application).
Oxford Brookes University
Plymouth College of Art Plymouth College of Art welcomes endorsement applications from graduates and alumni of the college.
Queen Mary University of London Open to Queen Mary University of London graduates only
Queen’s University Belfast They only accept applications for endorsement from Queen’s graduates and applicants must have completed a degree within the last 12 months.
Ravensbourne University London
Regent’s University London
The Robert Gordon University
Roehampton University
Royal Academy of Music
Royal Agricultural University
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Central will only accept endorsement applications from their current students and our alumni (within 2 years of completing studies).
Royal College of Art
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College
Sheffield Hallam University
SOAS, University of London
Solent University
Swansea University
Teesside University
University College London They will only consider applicants who have graduated from UCL in the last 12 months.
University for the Creative Arts
University of Aberdeen
University of the Arts London University of the Arts London offers endorsement exclusively to UAL graduates within 2 years of graduating. The scheme is delivered by careers and employability.
University of Bath
University of Birmingham
University of Bradford
University of Brighton
University of Bristol The University of Bristol will consider endorsing their students for Start-up following a rigorous application process.
The University of Buckingham
University of Cambridge They consider endorsement for those who are graduating or have graduated from the University of Cambridge.
University of Central Lancashire
University of Chester They will only endorse start-up applications from Chester students who graduate in the same academic year and who possess an outstanding, genuine and credible business idea in line with the university’s criteria.
University of Dundee
University of East Anglia
University of East London They only accept applications from UEL Students or Graduates. Our programme is competitive with limited endorsements therefore align your application to the criteria.
The University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh endorses Start-up applicants who have a close demonstrable relationship with our institution (students and alumni).
University of Essex
University of Exeter They will only consider endorsements for students and graduates of the university who engaged with entrepreneurship activity during their studies.
University of Glasgow
University of Greenwich Endorsements allocated via the annual Enterprise Challenge, run by the university’s i3 Centre. Open to graduates of the university only.
University of Hertfordshire Higher Education Corporation They only accept endorsement applications from their current students and their alumni (within one year of completing studies).
University of Huddersfield
University of Hull
University of Kent
University of Leeds
University of Leicester
University of Lincoln
University of Liverpool They will only endorse students who graduate from the University of Liverpool within the same academic year.
University of Manchester Only graduates of the University of Manchester will be considered for endorsement.
The University of Northampton
University of Northumbria at Newcastle
University of Nottingham
University of Oxford
University of Plymouth
University of Portsmouth To apply for endorsement applicants must be students or graduates (up to 5 years) from the University of Portsmouth.
University of Reading
The University of Salford
University of Sheffield Endorsement only available to those who have or will have graduated from the University of Sheffield.
University of South Wales They will only consider endorsement for those who are graduating or have graduated from the University of South Wales or RWCMD within the last 12 months.
University of Southampton
University of St Andrews
University of Stirling
University of Strathclyde
University of Sunderland Their Enterprise Place offers start up support, 1-1 business advice, structured workshops and networking opportunities for their alumni.
University of Surrey External start-ups must meet SETsquared Surrey incubator criteria and adhere to the incubator membership for the endorsement duration.
University of Sussex
University of the West of England Their Launch Space provides physical incubator space and enterprise support for graduate start-up businesses at UWE.
University of the West of Scotland They will endorse current students or recent graduates who demonstrate an innovative business idea and entrepreneurial mind-set.
The University of West London
University of Ulster
University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Carmarthen Campus
University of Warwick They will consider applications from Warwick graduates with a viable business idea that they wish to start in the UK.
University of Westminster
University of Wolverhampton
University of York
Unseen University
York St John University

 

List of Endorsing Bodies for Innovator Visa

Innovator list last updated 19th September 2019.

Innovator list last updated 14th June 2019.
Innovator list last updated 12th May 2019.

Check for an Innovator Endorsing Body

Endorsing Body Notes
The Bakery The Bakery endorses bona-fide entrepreneurs who qualify for our corporate innovation programmes.
Bethnal Green Ventures BGV is an early stage investor in tech for good companies who only endorse start-up entrepreneurs accepted onto their support programme
Blue Orchid Blue Orchid will only endorse high growth start-ups who are working within their client base across England’s North West and West Midlands.
Capital enterprise Capital Enterprise will only be endorsing founders within their community.
CyLon CyLon is interested in hearing from emerging cyber security companies or entrepreneurs planning on setting up an innovative cyber start-up.
Deep Science Ventures Apply if you are a scientist or engineer determined to start a deep science company.
DRS Business Solutions DRS will only consider applications for endorsement from those individuals who they are working with in their client base.
Emsworth Corporate Planning (ECP) They support genuine global entrepreneurs who are looking to build dynamic, disruptive and fast growing business here in the UK.
First Corporate Finance They offer an open invitation to entrepreneurs worldwide with innovative business ideas to register in their Business Support Program, with future potential endorsement.
Fortunis Capital Ltd Fortunis Capital works with motivated individuals and teams who have innovative and scalable proposals that aim to have a positive impact on wider society. They actively manage their entire portfolio.
Founders Factory Founders Factory is an award-winning tech startup accelerator and incubator. They endorse entrepreneurs joining one of their programmes.
Ignite They only endorse applicants who are successful in applying for one of their accelerator programmes.
Innovate Britain Innovate Britain focus on vital enterprise sectors including Education, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Consumer and Infrastructure.
Invest Northern Ireland Invest NI endorses entities for Start-up/Innovator Visas via participation on its Accelerator Program or requests from Client companies only.
Kollider Kollider is a high growth business incubator. They endorse members with innovative ideas in the creative, digital and tech sectors expected to scale in their markets within 24 months.
Level39 Level39 only endorses those involved in FinTech, cyber security, smart cities, retail tech and other globally ambitious tech business.
MDR LAB MDR LAB is an accelerator for tech start-ups in the legal space. They only endorse migrants accepted onto their 10-week May-July programme.
MedCity MedCity supports collaboration, investment, entrepreneurship and industry within the life sciences across Greater South-East of England.
NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator
The Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh only provide endorsement to their awardees who have received an RSE Enterprise Fellowship. They cannot support any individual who does not fall under this category.
RBS Entrepreneur Accelerator
Scottish EDGE Scottish EDGE can endorse winners of its bi-annual funding competition for innovative, high-growth potential Scottish businesses. Approx. 6% of applicants win.
Seedcamp Seedcamp invest early in world-class founders attacking large, global markets and solving real problems using technology.
SeedHaus SeedHaus do not accept unsolicited applications for endorsements.
SETsquared Bristol SETsquared Bristol is not currently accepting external or speculative applications for Innovator through endorsement.
Startup Funding Club Startup Funding Club invests in early stage ventures from across all sectors, leading their first funding round, supporting growth and taking them to the next stage.
Tech Nation Tech Nation focuses on entrepreneurs of product-led digital technology businesses and are developing an initiative to identify and support Tech Nation applicants. They aim to begin endorsing applications by April 2020 or sooner if possible.
Techstars Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. They can only endorse Techstars backed Founders and other individuals from the Network.
Tech X Tech X is a unique tech accelerator and incubator for global start-ups looking to transform the energy sector – offers unparalleled funding and support.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh We only provide endorsement to our awardees who have received an RSE Enterprise Fellowship. Unfortunately we cannot support any individual who does not fall under this category.
Ulster Bank Entrepreneur Accelerator
Wayra
Zinc
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Oct 2018 – New Process for Work or Study Visas

UKVI awards service contract to Sopra Steria

UKVI awards service contract to Sopra Steria for October 2018. Sopra Steria to streamline Work and Study Visas.

According to gov.uk, Sopra Steria, an IT and business consultancy, has been awarded a new UKVI contract to streamline applications for Work or Study Visas.

Sopra Steria will create 60 location across the UK for applicants to submit their applications, giving them more places to book appointments (it appears most of these locations will be existing libraries as Sopra Steria will be working in partnership with the Society of Chief Librarians).

People booking their appointments at these new locations will be able to submit biometric information (photos, fingerprints and signatures) and supporting documentation in one meeting.

Additionally, applicants will be able to take their original documentation home with them because a copy is made and sent directly to UKVI.

An option will exist to allow people to upload their own files in advance of their appointment but no details are currently available on how this would work in practice.

This new service is anticipated for launch in October later this year.

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Passport Prices Rise on the 27th March 2018

UK Flag ThumbprintGetting a new passport is about to cost more from Tuesday 27th March 2018 and the price increases vary depending if you’re applying online or offline (by post) but there’s a way to avoid the price increase altogether if you’re due to renew your passport before the end of the year.

How are Prices Changing?

The increases are a uniform £3 per application online and £12.50 per application offline.

Current Cost Passport Type New Cost Increase
£72.50 Adult – Online £75.50 £3.00
£46.00 Child – Online £49.00 £3.00
£72.50 Adult – Postal £85.00 £12.50
£46.00 Child – Postal £58.50 £12.50

The Premium one-day service price will be increasing from £128 to £177, an increase of £49 whilst the Fast-track one-week service will increase from £103 to £142, an increase of £39.

How to Beat the Passport Price Rise

A little known fact when applying for a new passport is that any existing time on your old passport will be added to your new passport up to a maximum period of 9 months.

This means that should your passport expire on the 26th of December, you’ll be able to apply now, pay the existing pricing and lose very little time on your existing passport but you’ll need to act quickly as there’s just under a week before these prices come into effect.

Why Are Passport Prices Rising?

According to the Minister of State for Immigration, these price increases are necessary to maintain a secure, effective and efficient service.

Apply Online Now

The cheapest way will be to apply for your passport online at the government website. This will be the quickest and cheapest way to do it.

Naturally you can apply via a company like ours but the process is so simple you’d be paying extra fees for something you can easily do yourself.

A full list of price changes (this links directly to the PDF file) is available from the UK government website but watch out, the pricing information is buried under a lot of text.

Do you have Indefinite Leave to Remain?

A lot of people assume you can apply for a British passport as soon as you have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), unfortunately, this isn’t the case. You must apply for British Citizenship first. This has a more complicated set of requirements and if you would like to discuss this with us, please contact us or arrange a free consultation (you can do this directly through our website).

Once you have British Citizenship, you can then apply for a British passport. Unfortunately at the time of writing this article, there won’t be time to apply for British Citizenship before the 27th of March price increases.

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Tier 2 Minimum Salary Thresholds

Tier 2 Financial Requirements

There are new tier 2 minimum salary thresholds for non-EEA nationals as workers in the UK. Non-EEA nationals applying for Tier 2 are subject to the requirement that the salary they earn in the UK must be above a minimum threshold, as part of government policy to avoid undercutting wage markets by using low-paid immigrant labour. This threshold has been announced to be raised in 2 steps to £25,000 in Autumn 2016 and to £30,000 in April 2017 for experienced workers, with the minimum threshold for new entrants into the workforce staying at 20,800. ­These requirements make it more difficult for non-EEA migrants to the UK to obtain Tier 2 visas as they will need to be earning significantly more than the UK national average annual income of around £26,000.

These changes are based on the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations of the 19th of January, which focuses on the government’s policy aims of reducing total immigration into the UK, and of controlling labour markets to regulate whether UK and EEA nationals or non EEA nationals have access to employment opportunities. Due to EU legal obligations, the UK must allow the free passage of EEA nationals into the state, and allow for their exercise of residence rights. This means that only the entering into the UK and continued residence in the UK of non-EEA nationals can validly be regulated, resulting in this tightening of restrictions regarding who can reside and settle in the UK. ­

Employers are dis-incentivised to hire non-EEA nationals as, excluding for ­certain professions, they have to conduct a ‘resident labour market test’ before offering a job to a non-EEA national. This resident labour market test is the advertising of a job to local applicants and hiring any local applicant who has all of the required skills and experience to undertake the position before offering the job to a non EEA national. The job should be advertised in two appropriate places, including usually Jobcentre Plus, and a newspaper or website, and only if the test produces the result that there is no local suitably-skilled individual who can take the job may the employer opt to hire a non EEA employee.

Certain professions are exempt from this, including nurses and professions on the UK National Shortage Occupation list. Non-EEA recent graduates can also still be hired by UK companies without the need for a resident labour market test. ­

In pursuit of the government’s desire to ‘simplify and streamline’ applications the Tier 2 visa category of Intra-Company Transfers will be unified so that the subcategories of Short- and Long-term Staff and Skills Transfers are integrated into the category ‘Intra-Company Transfers’. The ICT category will retain the subcategory of Graduate Trainees. ­09

In pursuit of the same policy aims the policy change additionally includes adding a 1000GBP certificate of sponsorship to be paid by the employer annually for each non-EEA national worker, or 364GBP for small or charitable sponsors. Certain groups will be exempt from this, namely Intra Company Transfer Graduate Trainees, and PhD level occupations, as well as non-EEA nationals who were on a Tier 4 student visa and have switched to a Tier 2 visa after completing their course of study.

The policy changes will come in in steps, with the first set of changes being made in Autumn 2016, and transitional phases ending in April 2017 to allow for employers and individuals to plan to accommodate them. The table below is an aid to explanation of the different effects of policy implementation to different categories of applicant.

 

Visa category Currently Autumn 2016 April 2017
Tier 2 (General): Experienced Workers Lower threshold boundary for experienced non-EEA nationals entering the UK work force is raised to £25,000. Lower threshold boundary for experienced non-EEA nationals entering the UK work force is raised to £30,000.
Tier 2 (General): New entrants into the workforce The lower threshold boundary salary is £20,800, and no changes are scheduled to be made to it. No changes.
Tier 2 (General): who switched from Tier 4 (Student) 12 month grace period between finishing course of education and finding employment in their field. Employers can employ recent graduates from UK universities without carrying out a resident labour market test. No changes. There will be an exemption from the Immigration Skills Charge.
Tier 2 (ICT): Skills Transfer An employee may acquire this visa if they are being transferred within a company in order to receive of impart specialist skills from overseas. Individuals in this subcategory don’t have a minimum employment period to qualify. This subcategory will be removed, and will close to new applicants who will apply under the streamlined category of ICT.
Tier 2 (ICT): Short Term A subcategory of ICT which can be acquired if you have been working at a company for at least 1 year prior to being transferred briefly to fill a skilled position in the organization in the UK which cannot be filled by a local worker. The lower income threshold for the Short Term category will raise to £30,000, and the category will be phased out. ­ This subcategory will be removed by the end of the transitional period ending April 2017, and will be closed to new applicants who will apply under the streamlined category of ICT.
Tier 2 (ICT): Graduate Trainee Recent graduates who are transferred to the UK section of the organisation you work in for the purpose of training, for short term posts only, and only through a structured graduate training programme towards a specialist or managerial role. Employees don’t need to conduct resident labour market tests before employing this category of visa-holders. ­ Remains a subcategory of the otherwise streamlined intra-company transferee visa category. ­This group is given extra weighting in applications for Tier 2 visas, and graduates of the trainee programs will be able to switch roles in the organisation after their training programme. Employers of this category of workers are exempt from paying the Immigration Skills Charge. Lower threshold salary boundary is to be lowered from £24,800 to £23,000, and each company will be able to bring an increased number of 20 graduate trainees to the UK. ­­

This group is given extra weighting in Tier 2 applications where the granting of the visa helps bring high-value business to the UK or potentially supports an inward investment.

 
Tier 2 (ICT): post- autumn 2016 Category is in subcategories of Graduate Trainee, Short-term Staff, Long-term Staff, and Skills Transfer (as above). The category will be streamlined, with all employees on intra-company transfers requiring the same visa. The uniform minimum salary threshold for this group will be £41,500, which is significantly higher than subgroups’ individual thresholds, and means only high-salary employees such as specialists and managers will be given access with this visa. The one category exempt from streamlining is the Graduate Trainee programme category.

All ICT employees will be obliged to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

 Within the ICT category the minimum salary threshold for ICT employees working in the UK for 5-9 years will be reduced to £120,000 from £155,300, and the 1 year of required experience for applications with salary over £73,900 will be removed.
Tier 2 (General): All non-EEA workers with exemptions By the end of this transitional period the Immigration Skills Charge will have been introduced, charging employers £1,000 per Certificate of Sponsorship annually, or £364 for small and charitable sponsors (defined in Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations).
Dependents of Tier 2 migrants There will be no change to the work rights of individuals in this category

 

For further advice in connection with requirements for applications for Tier 2 visas, or other routes to residence and settlement, please contact our immigration advisors in Glasgow on 07788882290 or via our online enquiry form.

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