21 November 2011
Rolling out the red carpet for investors and entrepreneurs in the UK
In a bid to boost overseas inward investment, the UK Government has rolled out the red carpet to foreign entrepreneurs and investors. This resulted in the overhaul of two visa categories, Tier 1 (Investor) and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) of the Points Based System (PBS) on 6 April 2011. Both categories now provide for an accelerated path to permanent residence in the UK with less restriction on the time which needs to be spent in the UK to qualify.
7 November 2011
Immigration alert: MAC publish recommendations on settlement criteria for Tier 1 exceptional talent and Tier 2
The Immigration Minister commissioned the MAC to call for evidence and make recommendations with regard to introducing selective settlement requirements in the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent and Tier 2 General categories. The MAC consulted widely with employers and interested parties and published its findings and recommendations on 4 November.
20 October 2011
Immigration Update: New reporting duty for sponsors where employee is on sabbatical
The UK Border Agency has added an additional reporting requirement in a situation where an employee goes on unpaid sabbatical for over one month. This must be reported within 10 days via the Sponsor Management System.
13 October 2011
Immigration Update: Updated Sponsorship Management System User Guides for Sponsors
A series of new and revised user guides for the Sponsor Management System, covering all functions that sponsors are required or may wish to use, have recently been published on the UK Border Agency website. This guidance is valid from 1 October 2011.
5 September 2011
Immigration update: UKBA announces detail of changes to restricted CoS process
Employers need to be aware of changes to the restricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) system that take effect from 6 September 2011.