EU Settlement Scheme

EU Settlement Scheme

On 21 June 2018 the UK Home Office published their EU Settlement Scheme Statement of Intent and draft Immigration Rules which set out further details about how EU citizens and their families can obtain settled status in the UK and continue living here permanently.

The statement of intent document is 60 pages long, so for those of you who don't have time to read through it, here are the main points:

Calling Time on Rogue Landlords and Agents in London

Calling Time on Rogue Landlords and Agents in London

The Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker has been launched that will allow tenants to check landlords and agents before they sign a tenancy agreement.

The checker, from the Mayor of London, lists those landlords and lettings agents who have been successfully prosecuted or have faced civil enforcement action for housing offences, along with details of the offences and the properties to which they relate.

At the moment, 10 of the 32 London councils have published data (equivalent to 25% of renters), with another 8 councils to submit data in the coming weeks.

Celsium Powered by Brunel - City Centre Office Relocation

Celsium Powered by Brunel - City Centre Office Relocation

You may have read last week that Celsium Global Mobility Solutions has been acquired by Brunel International N.V., a leading global workforce mobilisation company headquartered in the Netherlands. If you haven't heard this exciting news, you can catch up here.

As part of the acquisition, Celsium Global Mobility Solutions has been rebranded as Celsium Powered by Brunel and we have relocated to new offices based in the heart of Birmingham's city centre business district. 

Brunel International N.V. Acquires Celsium Ltd.

Brunel International N.V. Acquires Celsium Ltd.

We are delighted to announce Celsium’s acquisition by Brunel International N.V., a leading global workforce mobilisation company headquartered in the Netherlands. Celsium extends Brunel’s global mobility capabilities and brings further expertise for continued innovation in the staffing and employee mobility markets.

Brexit deters some international staff from London tech firms - survey

One in three tech companies in London have seen talks with potential international hires fall through due to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.

According to a survey from industry body Tech London Advocates, nearly two-thirds of London’s tech entrepreneurs believe Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has already damaged the international reputation of the city’s tech sector, although they still said it was the best place for start ups.

EEA and international migrant workers in the UK labour market

EEA and international migrant workers in the UK labour market

In July 2017, the Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on the economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the European Union and also on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy.

The areas outlined below provide a general indication of the information the MAC is reviewing:

Part 1 - EEA Migration Trends

Part 2 - Recruitment Practices, Training & Skills

Part 3 - Economic, Social and Fiscal Impacts

EU workers reluctant to relocate for a UK job

Employers in the UK are finding it harder to fill jobs after the steepest decline in candidate availability for 16 months, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

The REC report which compiled data from 400 recruitment companies shows Brexit influence on the jobs market as workers become more reluctant to move jobs and EU nationals less likely to relocate to the UK due to uncertainty over future immigration rules.

UK: Immigration Fee Changes

The UK Home Office will implement updated fees for immigration and nationality applications from Thursday 6th April 2017.

Previous years have seen advance warning from the Home Office that changes would take place; this year, the fee increases were laid before Parliament just days ago with no official announcement.

There are to be increases to fees across a number of immigration categories, with the most significant increase to an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain, or Settlement, made from within the UK. The charge for an application of this type will increase by £422 to £2297.

UK: Allocation Of Certificates Of Sponsorship Open

UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have advised that sponsors are now able to apply to renew their allocation of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) in Tier 2 (General) .

The present allocations will expire on 5th April 2017.   

Some sponsors’ allocations will be "automatically renewed”, in which case nothing is required from the sponsor.  

However, UKVI will contact other sponsors via email three months before 5th April 2017, and monthly thereafter, by way of reminder

UK: Criminal Record Certificate Requirement for Entry Clearance Process to be Extended

Tier 2 visa applicants who are applying to work in certain occupations within the education, health and social care sectors on or after April 2017 will need to provide a criminal record certificate from any country in which they have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years as part of their entry clearance application. The requirement will also apply to their adult dependants. The new requirement may delay documentation gathering during the entry clearance process.

UK: Sponsors’ document retention rules relaxed

In an effort to ease the administrative burden on sponsors of foreign workers and align UK immigration obligations with document retention obligations imposed on UK employers, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has reduced the period of time for which sponsors must retain documents for their sponsored migrant workforce.

Specifically, sponsors must abide by the below new document retention rule, whichever is shorter:

UK: Tier 1 and Tier 2, other changes in effect

A number of important changes to the UK Immigration Rules came into effect on November 24, 2016.

These include the closure of the Tier 2 ICT Skills Transfer subcategory, changes to minimum salary levels in several categories, a new requirement for certain dependents to show continuous residence, and the abolishment of the 28-day grace period for in-country.

UK: Priority service launched for Tier 2 sponsors

UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have launched a new priority service, which allows Tier 2 and Tier 5 A-rated sponsors to apply for four types of change of circumstances requests to be considered more quickly.

The four types are:

  • in year certificate of sponsorship (CoS) allocation
  • follow on CoS allocation
  • add a new Level 1 user
  • replace an authorising officer (AO)

The service does not apply to restricted certificates of sponsorship.

UK & India: Qualifying Indian nationals soon to be eligible for Registered Traveller Scheme and Great Club

Qualifying Indian nationals will be eligible for the UK Registered Traveller Scheme, which allows certain frequent travellers to the United Kingdom to utilize expedited entry e-passport gates at the UK border, and the Great Club, which allows select businesses to liaise with a UK Visas and Immigration account manager to facilitate the streamlining of visa applications and migrants’ entry into the UK.

The Registered Traveller Scheme

Registered Traveller Scheme users can enter the United Kingdom via e-passport gates (including the UK/European Economic Area passport lines) and avoid completing a landing card, the review of which can delay the entry process.

UK: New Tier 2 rules on the way

New rules relating to the Tier 2 Visa category were presented to Parliament today that will be effective on or after November 24, 2016. Key changes include the following:

  • Closure of the Tier 2 (Skills Transfer) category;
  • Increasing the minimum salary for the Tier 2 (General) category to GBP 25,000 with limited exemptions;
  • Increasing the minimum salary for the Tier 2 ICT (Short Term) category to GBP 30,000;
  • Decreasing the minimum salary toGBP 23,000 for the Tier 2 ICT (Graduate Trainee) category;
  • Increasing the allowable number of places per company from five to 20 per year for Tier 2 ICT (Graduate Trainees);

UK: Home Secretary sets out government’s immigration plans

Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, has been forced to defend herself over criticism of her speech on the government’s immigration plans at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

In her speech, Ms Rudd said firms employing from overseas could have to use tests to ensure migrant workers do not take jobs “British people could do”.

It was later revealed that a consultation paper will include an option to require businesses to reveal what proportion of their workforce is foreign.

UK: Rent checker tool launched

Landbay, the property peer-to-peer lending platform, has launched a rent comparison tool that allows tenants and landlords to check how much they are paying and charging against other properties in their region.

The online application, called Rent Check, was created in collaboration with Zoopla Property Group and allows users to compare their rates against others in the same area.

UK: Police registration changes

Changes have been made to the way migrants will be informed of the requirement to register with the police, UKVI has announced.

Nationals of certain countries are required to register with the police if they come to the UK for longer than six months, extend their current leave to remain or switch to a different visa.

The condition to register with the police will no longer appear on Biometric Residence Permits.

UK: Mayor lobbies for separate London work permits

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has spoken of plans to create a separate work permit system for London after Britain leaves the EU.

Mr Khan told Sky News this week that a group of business representatives were looking to create “a model that will ensure we can carry on recruiting and attracting talent”.