2 June 2016
Immigration Act 2016 - introducing changes to criminal sanctions for employers
Following our blog on 5th May 2016 regarding the provisions of the Immigration Bill, the Immigration Act 2016 (“the Act”) has now received Royal Assent and passed into law on 12 May 2016. Most significantly for immigration Sponsors, provisions relating to illegal working come into effect on 12 July 2016 and these include:
27 May 2016
Webinar: UK internships - visa implications
Internships are a great way for students and recent graduates to gain some valuable work experience, and also act as a helpful screening tool for employers who may be considering offering the intern a more permanent role. Immigration issues should be considered early in the process, to ensure work permission can be obtained in good time. We often hear from potential interns and employers who have not considered visa issues until the last moment, meaning internship start dates are delayed and the time the intern can spend at the company is shortened. In this webinar, Stephen Hall considers some of the most common pitfalls and the most appropriate visa categories for paid and unpaid internships.
27 May 2016
UK internships - Visa implications
We often hear from potential interns and employers who have not considered visa issues until the last moment, meaning internship start dates are delayed and the time the intern can spend at the business is shortened. Internships are a great way for students and recent graduates to gain some valuable work experience, and also act as a helpful screening tool for employers who may be considering offering the intern a more permanent role. Immigration issues should be considered early in the process, to ensure work permission can be obtained in good time. We address some of the most common pitfalls in this set of FAQs regarding internships and Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) visas.
5 May 2016
Coming soon: The Immigration Bill 2015
The Immigration Bill is entering the later stages of its passage through Parliament. The Bill is currently at the “ping-pong” stage and is likely to receive the Royal Assent later in the year. The Bill creates a number of new criminal offences which both individuals and businesses will need to be aware of and plan ahead for in order to ensure that they do not fall foul of the new offences. A summary of some of the key proposed offences is outlined below.
5 May 2016
The opportunities and pitfalls of surrogacy for same sex couples
Reports last week of a gay couple fighting for custody of their surrogate child gives a harsh warning on the pitfalls of international surrogacy. Happily, the couple have won their custody battle with the surrogate mother, who changed her mind about handing over the child when she discovered the intended parents were a gay couple. The American-Spanish couple entered into a surrogacy arrangement in Thailand where same sex marriage is not recognised. Their child was born in January 2015. Thailand is no longer an option for foreign surrogacy, which since this case has been banned, but we find that when one country closes its borders to international surrogacy, another one opens, and intended parents must be extremely cautious when choosing where to enter into their surrogacy arrangement (and where the child is to be born).
