25 October 2012
Immigration Alert: Accession of Croatia to the European Union
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has announced that it is expected that Croatia will join the European Union (EU) on 1 July 2013. It has stated its commitment to applying transitional restrictions on labour market access to nationals of any future Member States of the EU as a matter of course and therefore restrictions will be applied to nationals of Croatia. On 18 October 2012 it published a Statement of Intent with regard to the transitional arrangements which are proposed governing Croatian nationals’ access to the labour market.
25 September 2012
New UKBA backlog causing economic damage - employers held to ransom
British businesses wanting to sponsor key individuals to come to the UK to help grow or develop their businesses are being thwarted by the excessive length of time it takes the UKBA to process Tier 2 sponsor registration applications at present. Businesses with the potential to lead the UK's economic recovery are facing major delays with their sponsor licence applications, meaning they cannot bring in the people they need when they need them. Plans for expansion in the UK market are having to be put on hold while the administrative process of obtaining a sponsor licence runs its ever lengthier course.
21 September 2012
Immigration Alert: Delays at Immigration Control When Travelling Without a Biometric Residence Card
Where migrants have recently obtained a visa or visa extension in the UK, the new visa will be endorsed on a Biometric Residence Card (BRP). This has been the case since BRPs were introduced in early 2010. It is not advisable for migrants to undertake travel following the visa approval until they have received their BRP, which usually follows within 5 days of confirmation of the visa approval. Unfortunately, systems used by immigration officials at the ports are not immediately synchronised with those in use by the BRP team. This has led to migrants being delayed at immigration control for up to 2 hours if they travel without the BRP, so that checks can be undertaken.
2 August 2012
Immigration Alert: Sponsor Licence Renewals
Those Sponsors who obtained their Sponsor Licence immediately following the introduction of the Points Based System in November 2008, will now be receiving notifications from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) regarding the renewal process. The emails will come from no-reply@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk and will be addressed to the Level 1 user. Occasionally these emails go into the spam folder and so this should be checked regularly. A further notification will be sent to Sponsors 3 months prior to the expiry date when the renewal function will be activated on the Sponsor Management System (SMS). No documentation will need to be submitted with the application but Sponsors should be prepared to submit any documents which are subsequently requested by the UKBA within 7 days and they may undertake a compliance visit.
26 July 2012
Immigration Update: British Nationality Applications, Interviews for Students, and Sponsor Circumstance Changes
Changes to British Nationality Applications
From 16 July, it will no longer be possible to submit British Nationality applications to the British High Commission or British Consulate in the home country of the applicant. Instead, with the exception of Hong Kong, all applications will need to be submitted to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in the UK. Where possible, original documents should be submitted, including passports. However, it has long been the practice to submit certified or notarised copies of passports with these applications, and the UKBA has confirmed that certified copies will continue to be acceptable, particularly in the case of applicants whose country’s rules forbid the sending of passports across borders. If a copy is submitted, the applicant may be asked to present the original passport to embassy staff in the applicant’s home country.