Changes to the Registered Travellers Scheme

We previously updated you on 30 April 2015 regarding the Registered Travellers Scheme which has since been opened up to a greater number of applicants. Whilst formerly it was only available to applicants from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the US, it has now additionally been opened up for nationals from Hong Kong (for those with a SAR passport), South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan (the passport must have the personal ID number on the photo page). The categories of applicant include all visa holders with the exception of Tier 5 (Sporting & Creative Concessions), EEA family permit holders and those with discretionary leave outside the immigration rules.

The other change is that it is now available to visitors who have visited the UK at least four times in the previous 24 months (formerly this was 12 months).
The number of ports offering the scheme has also expanded and includes:

• Gatwick
• Heathrow
• Birmingham
• East Midlands
• Brussels, Lille and Paris (Rail Terminals)
• Manchester
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• London City
• Stansted
• Luton

Application process

Applicants simply need to apply online via this website:
https://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller

The fee is £70 for a 12 months membership.

If a new passport is obtained once membership has been secured, it will be necessary to pay £20 for passport details to be updated on the Home Office system.

Right to rent checks

We wrote to you on 23 October 2015 regarding the further roll out of 'Right to Rent' checks throughout England as of 1 February 2016. This will impact anyone taking up a residential tenancy for the first time, including sponsored employees. Landlords will be legally required to check the immigration status of all tenants before allowing the premises to be occupied. It will therefore be important for these employees to be able to produce their original Biometric Residence Permit as evidence of their immigration status before moving in. The new rules permit tenancy agreements to be agreed in advance, for example when visiting the UK on a pre-assignment trip and once the visa has been issued and evidence supplied to the landlord in respect of all proposed occupants, residence can be taken up.

The new rules will not apply to pre-existing tenancies.

Further information

Should you have any questions or concerns about the issues raised in this blog post please contact Nicolas Rollason or a member of our immigration team.