Articles: Immigration

Updated 27.03.2020 at 16:10. Not long ago, we were faced with political uncertainty with the UK’s departure from the EU. Currently, we are facing a different kind of uncertainty with the coronavirus which knows of no borders and has affected so many people across the globe. We are regularly updating our Coronavirus related articles which […]

Although the UK is no longer a member of the EU, the UK continues to be subject to most EU rules, including EU free movement rules, until the end of the current transition period (31 December 2020). Unless the transition period is extended, from 1 January 2021, new EU citizens coming to the UK (with the exception of Irish citizens) will be subject to the same new UK immigration rules which apply to non-EU citizens. This note looks at some of the key points set out in the Home Office’s policy paper on the proposed new points-based system.

2020 promises to be a year full of change for a number of reasons not least because of Brexit. We touch on a few key immigration dates for this year which UK employers might be interested in, especially those who sponsor Tier 2 migrants, and those who have a workforce consisting of EEA nationals.

With Christmas just around the corner, we look back over the past 12 months at some of the key immigration policies and changes in 2019 and highlight some of the expected changes for the future.

As British politicians campaign for your vote to be their MP, we keep hearing about the “Australian-style” Points Based System. This article looks at what a Points Based System means and what the future of UK immigration might look like

European citizens arriving in the UK after a “no deal” Brexit has taken place will be able to apply for the new “European Temporary Leave to Remain” visa to live and work

The Ankara Agreement enables Turkish nationals to enjoy a number of advantages in terms of emigration to EU countries. Background  The ‘Ankara Agreement’, as it is commonly referred to, was signed in 1963 between the Republic of Turkey and the European Economic Community (EEC). The Agreement was designed to encourage Turkey to become a Member […]

Before 9 July 2012, it was relatively straightforward to sponsor a loved one to come to the UK to live. Generally speaking, the settled sponsor (i.e. British citizen or individual with indefinite leave to remain in the UK) only had to be earning at least £5,500 net per annum.

On 30 March 2019, the EUSS was fully implemented under UK domestic immigration rules, as a post-Brexit system. This allows EEA and Swiss citizens, and their family members, to continue to live and work in the UK – EEA is short for the European Economic Area comprising the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Although the […]

This article looks at the visitor visa rules with reference to some of the Wimbledon tennis players, and touches on some of the business activities visitors can do including whether they can be paid.

We were recently asked by our client, an investment bank based in London, whether they could hire a student to work for them over the summer period.

This article touches on the latest on Brexit, and the EU Settlement Scheme. The “Scheme” fully opened on 30 March 2019 and allows EEA/ Swiss citizens and family members to voluntarily apply for free, for a new form of UK immigration status to continue living and working in the UK post-Brexit.

If the Home Office discover that illegal workers are working in the UK for a business, and compliant right to work checks have not been carried out, they may be issued with a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker.

From 29 March 2019 there will be significant changes to Tier 1 immigration categories for new applicants. This Information Note contains details of the key changes, including which visa routes will be closed and when.

In Surrey there were approximately 1.3% employers holding a sponsor licence for the purposes of hiring international talent, out of 72,695 businesses in the county; in comparison, the UK figures as a whole were about 0.9% out of 3.1 million.

If you are suspected of employing workers who don’t have a right to work, and you do not have a statutory excuse, you may be liable for a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker and could potentially face criminal sanctions as well.