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Skilled Worker route changes in the legal sector – Levelling Down?
25 April 2024Recent salary increases under the Skilled Worker route are leading law firms to centralise sponsored roles to London and other higher-paying areas of the UK.
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EU to consider EU-UK youth mobility scheme
22 April 2024The European Commission has proposed to open negotiations with the UK to implement an EU-UK youth mobility scheme.
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Home Office guidance on immigration fraud, tricks and scams
18 April 2024Immigration scams are an ongoing concern for businesses and individual users of the immigration system. This article provides some guidance on actions that sponsors of workers and individuals can take if they receive an unexpected email, call or letter purporting to be from the Home Office.
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UK immigration document holders must apply for a UKVI account
16 April 2024Affected individuals will need to set up a UKVI account to be able to view and prove their immigration status beyond 31 December 2024, which is the deadline for physical immigration documents to be replaced by eVisas. Employers will have an important part to play in the transition process.
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Q&A from What’s happening in immigration Law? - 26 March 2024
03 April 2024This Q&A covers questions raised in our webinar.
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Update: Sponsor Management System outage immediately ahead of work route salary rises
02 April 2024Update (2 April 2024): The Home Office is switching off the Sponsor Management System (SMS) from 19:00 on 3 April 2024 until 9:00 on 5 April 2024. The planned system outage was previously due to take place from 19:00 on 2 April until 9:00 on 4 April 2024. The delay gives sponsors one more day to issue Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) before salary threshold rises take effect for work routes from 4 April 2024.
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MAC to carry out rapid review of Graduate route by 14 May 2024
15 March 2024The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned to make a rapid review of the Graduate route, with its report due to be published by 14 May 2024. Employers should plan for potential restrictions to this route or its abolition.
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New Immigration Rules radically reform Skilled Worker route
14 March 2024This is the biggest reform of UK work routes since Brexit. The clear message from Government is that net migration must be reduced. Most changes affect Skilled Workers and come into force on 4 April 2024, however other work routes are also affected.
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UK Migration Advisory Committee reports on new Immigration Salary List
29 February 2024Only 21 occupations are recommended for inclusion on the new Immigration Salary List (ISL), which will replace the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) for the Skilled Worker route from 4 April 2024. Employers may find that this, combined with the increased minimum salary thresholds will significantly reduce the size of the eligible talent pool for sponsorship of overseas workers.
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Apply now for UK work visas before minimum salary jump on 4 April
29 February 2024From 4 April 2024 many people who would qualify now, will not be able to get a Skilled Worker visa. Hefty increases to the occupation-based ‘going rate’ salary thresholds and the new general salary threshold of £38,700 will impact a vast number of would-be applicants. Employers should urgently review potential applicants to submit applications now and avoid disappointment in the near future.
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Home Office reconfirms Ukraine Schemes do not lead to settlement
27 February 2024New Immigration Rules laid on 19 February 2024 have made immediate changes to the Ukraine Schemes, including closing the Ukraine Family Scheme. A separate announcement reconfirms that the Ukraine Schemes do not lead to settlement, but that an 18-month extension will be available for scheme participants from early 2025. Participants wishing to settle in the UK should urgently review their options ahead of restrictions to work and partner routes being implemented in March and April 2024.
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New Immigration Rules place greater restrictions on care workers
22 February 2024From 11 March 2024 care providers in England cannot sponsor new care workers under the Skilled Worker route unless they are registered with the Care Quality Commission. From the same date, newly sponsored carers can no longer bring their family members to the UK.
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Changes to right to work compliance: key takeaways for employers
16 February 2024The Home Office recently updated the Employer’s guide to right to work checks. The guide contains references to the increased £60,000 civil penalty for illegal working, along with some small but significant changes that impact how employers complete compliant right to work checks. In this article, we highlight the key changes to help employers stay on top of right to work compliance.
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New visitor rules benefit business visitors to the UK
15 February 2024Since 31 January 2024, the Immigration Rules for visitors have been liberalised to allow a wider range of activities for business visitors, including in the areas of intra-corporate activities, remote working, providing legal services and carrying out research. The Permitted Paid Engagement visitor route has been expanded and incorporated into the standard visitor route, meaning these visitors can stay for up to six months.
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Employers race to comply with new rules for non-EU work permits – Declan Groarke comments for the Irish Examiner
Press
08 February 2024The article discusses the new rules for non-EU worker permits and includes comments from Declan Groarke on Ireland's new General Employment Permit (GEP) and related work permit changes.
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UK Migration Advisory Committee to advise on new Immigration Salary List
01 February 2024The Home Office has asked the Migration Advisory Committee to conduct a ‘rapid review’ of which occupations should be initially included on the Immigration Salary List (ISL). This list will replace the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) for the Skilled Worker route from April 2024. Employers experiencing skills shortages should consider submitting evidence to the full ISL review, which is expected to be commissioned shortly.
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Home Office announces timeline for immigration reforms
30 January 2024The Home Office has issued a new statement outlining the launch dates for major reforms to the Skilled Worker and Partner routes. This, along with other recent announcements confirms a packed timeline of immigration reforms due to be made over the next year.
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Processing delays as changes loom
29 January 2024The Home Office is struggling to cope with a surge of demand for immigration application-related services ahead of an increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge and upcoming changes to the Skilled Worker and Partner routes.
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Illegal working civil penalties due to triple from 13 February 2024
25 January 2024The civil penalty an employer may receive for employing an illegal worker will rise from £20,000 to £60,000. This significantly increases the financial risk to employers of failing to carry out rigorous and compliant right to work checks.
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Redundancy
Inbrief
19 January 2024This Inbrief looks at how employers can minimise the risk of legal claims when dismissing employees by reason of redundancy. The starting point is making sure that there is a genuine redundancy situation. The crucial thing then is to follow a reasonable procedure, including consulting the affected employees, applying a fair selection process and considering alternative employment. Finally, those dismissed should be given their correct redundancy pay.