23 October 2015
Landlords’ Right to Rent check obligations – mind the data protection, equality and criminal sanctions traps
The Home Office announced on 20 October 2015 that from 1 February 2016 all private landlords in England will have to check that new tenants have the right to be in the UK before renting out their property. The new scheme will not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for the time being.
16 October 2015
A welcome visa scheme for the tech community that might actually be fit for purpose
Amongst the doom and gloom of the Government’s anti-immigration rhetoric and with the threat of further restrictions on companies sponsoring highly skilled migrants looming over us, we finally have a ray of bright digital light. Tech City UK today announced the Tech Nation Visa Scheme, which has been agreed by the Home Office after extensive complaints from the digital technology sector that the current system was not allowing the top global talent to come to the UK.
2 October 2015
Cutting Tier 2 migrant visas is not the solution to our immigration crisis or good for UK businesses
Despite calls from the Government to reduce the number of Tier 2 non-EU skilled migrants, UK businesses view that visa scheme as vital to access a global skilled labour pool and to maintaining their competitiveness. Following a Kingsley Napley survey and research with clients, we have outlined the key issues in our report submitted to the Migration Advisory Committee in response to their call for evidence.
30 September 2015
Immigration Bill 2015 – the real impact of creating a ‘hostile environment’
Earlier this month, the Government published the Immigration Bill 2015, which introduces further measures to create a ‘hostile environment’ for unwanted migration in the UK. This blog explores the background and key aspects of the new Bill and sets out the potential economic and human impact this may have if the Bill is passed and becomes law. It also includes a worked example to illustrate how some of the proposed rules will inadvertently impact all migrants and their families, including British employees, landlords and families.
17 September 2015
New Immigration Bill makes provision for further measures to counteract illegal migration
The government has today published its latest Immigration Bill which makes further provisions to tackle illegal migration. This blog explores the key themes and measures.