Why Is Statistics Important?

Statistics provide the information to educate how things work. They’re used to conduct research, evaluate outcomes, develop critical thinking, and make informed decisions. Statistics can be used to inquire about almost any field of study to investigate why things happen, when they occur, and whether reoccurrence is predictable.

The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford produces impartial analysis of migration in the UK. Their research helps us, policymakers, civil society and the media understand the implications of data and research about migration. The numbers answer important questions about how migration is changing, how policies affect migration and its impacts, and what are the social and economic effects of migration in the UK.

Two Parts

There is a lot to cover. For your convenience, I have subdivided this article into two parts. This is part 1. You can read part 2 HERE.

How the UK Immigration System Works

Those who travel to the UK, can cross the UK border in one of the following ways:

1. returning residents (those with the right of abode in the UK)
2. with entry clearance (visa given outside the UK, usually issued to visa nationals)
3. with leave to enter (visa granted at the UK border, usually to non-visa nationals, travelling to the UK for less than 6 months for the purpose of just visiting this country)
4. with leave to remain (visa issued in the UK)
5. those who are seeking asylum and refugees through resettlement schemes
6. those who do not have a right under the UK immigration law to enter the UK. The Home Office calls them ‘persons who evadite border control’.

129 Million Passenger Arrivals to the UK

In September 2023, according to the statistics published by the Home Office, there were approximately 129 million passenger arrivals in the UK (excluding the Common Travel Area). This is 35% more than in September 2022, when the UK Border system registered only 96 million arrivals to the UK.

How Many Visas Were Granted?

For the year ending September 2023, the UKVI granted 3,383,446 visas, which is 30% higher than the year ending September 2022.

Grants of Entry Clearance

What is Entry Clearance?

Entry clearance is a visa usually issued to the visa-nationals as they cannot travel to the UK without one. There is a straightforward way to check if you are a visa-national and need prior entry clearance to enter the UK. You need to check if your country of origin (NOT residence) is on this visa national list. If it is, then you’ll definitely need to apply before travelling to the UK.

However, if your country is not on this list but you would like to travel to the UK for a purpose other than that of a general visitor, you’ll also need to apply for entry clearance. For example, if you are from Canada (this country is not on a visa national list) and would like to visit the UK for 2 weeks just for sightseeing – you don’t need to apply for a visa to enter the UK. However, if you would like to work here, you’ll need to apply for entry clearance before travelling to the UK.

What are the Numbers?

In the year ending September 2023, the UKVI granted:

• 1,914,778 UK visitor visas (+53%). However, this figure is still below the peak in the year ending September 2019 (2,370,239). The highest number of visas were granted to Indian Nationals (518,195), Chinese nationals (354,862) and Turkish nationals (116,092)
• 585,774 work visas (+54%). 335,447 to the main applications and the rest to their dependents
• 643,778 study visas (+8%), including sponsors and short-term students
• 82,395 family visas (+117%)

Work Visas

We can subdivide work visas into the following categories and subcategories:

1. Workers (total 229,817)
   1. Skilled Worker (66,322). The majority was granted to India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
   2. Health and Care Worker (143,990). India, Nigeria and Zimbabwe are the leading nationalities in this subcategory. Medical practitioners received 9,116 grants, and nurses received 23,810. 83,072 care workers and home carers entered the UK between September 2022 and September 2023. Finally, the UKVI granted 18,244 entry clearances to Senior care workers in the year ending September 2023.
   3. Intra-company Transfers (19,505)
2. Temporary Workers (total: 72,895)
   1. Seasonal Workers (47,000). The top three nationalities are Krygyszan (7,233), Tajikistan (5,148) and Kazakhstan (4,430)
   2. Government Authorised Exchange
   3. Creative Worker
   4. Religious Worker
   5. Charity Worker
   6. International Agreement
   7. Global Business Mobility (1. Senior or Specialist Worker, 2. Graduate Trainee, 3. Secondment Worker; 4. Service Supplier; 5. UK Expansion Worker)
3. Investor, business development and talent (total 5,116):
   1. Innovator Founder (only 520)
   2. Start-up (440)
   3. Global talent (4,046)
4. Other Work Visas (total 27,649)
   1. Frontier Worker Permit
   2. High Potential Individual
   3. European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) businessperson (closed to new applicants)
   4. Overseas Domestic Worker (19,879)
   5. UK Ancestry
   6. and some other routes that are now closed.

Post Study Route

In July 2021, the UK government introduced the Graduate route. This route allows international students to remain in the UK for two years (if they are Bachelor’s Degree students) to look for work. It is an in-country visa and, therefore, allows the student to apply for a visa extension from the UK without returning overseas.

The UKVI granted 104,501 Graduate route extensions. This number excludes their dependents.

Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS)

All ‘Workers’ and ‘Temporary Workers’ (excluding the Youth Mobility Scheme) need to have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ (CoS) from their prospective employer as evidence of their job offer. However, their dependents do not need to apply for a CoS.

The UKVI granted over 285,679 Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS). 81% of these Certificates of Sponsorship were used for ‘Worker’ visa applications.

In case you are curious, ‘Human Health and Social Work Activities’ was the largest sector for CoS used in the year ending September 2023 for ‘Worker’ visas, which is over half (61%).

Student Visas

For the year ending September 2023, the UKVI granted 486,107 student visas. This number does not include their dependents.

However, now the statistics include all EEA nationals as of January 2021. They need a visa to study in the UK because of Brexit. Top nationalities are, again:

• Indian nationals (133,237)
• Chinese nationals (108,978)
• Nigerian nationals (51,071)
• Pakistani nationals (33,150)

Short-Term Students

It is important to note that the statistics do not reflect the migration of all short-term students, as not all of them require a visa to enter the UK.

For example, non-visa nationals (where their country of nationality is not on the visa national list can travel to the UK without applying for entry clearance (visa granted outside the UK before travelling to the UK).

Those who need a visa to come to the UK for short-term courses, up to 6 months, can apply for a Standard Visitor visa.

The Home Office granted 4,691  applications in the year ending September 2023.

Students’ Dependents

Students could bring partners and children to the UK. In the year ending in September 2023, the Home Office granted 152,980 for this category of applicants.

Continue reading part 2 HERE.

The post How Many People Come to The UK Each Year first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

There are over 85 UK visa types. To help you understand various UK immigration routes, I’ve divided these visa types into six main categories.

There are visas for:

1. Visiting the UK
2. Studying in the UK
3. Working in the UK:
   1. Long-term UK work visas
   2. Short-term UK work visas
   3. Investor, business, and talent routes
   4. Other work-related routes
4. Joining family members in the UK:
   1. General rules
   2. Family members in work routes
   3. Family members of those who are settled in the UK
5. EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens
6. Protecting citizens

This article is a part of the ‘UK Immigration and All UK Visa Types in 2022’ article series. You can get all the links to articles and videos from this series HERE.

In this article, I’ll explain the general rules about all dependants. Then, in the next article, I’ll concentrate on the rights of dependent family members in work routes to join their loved ones in the UK. In article No3 I’ll elaborate on the rules for family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK.

Who Can Apply as a Dependant?

In the majority of cases, only partners and children can apply.

Children

According to Immigration rules, ‘child’ means a person under the age of 18 at the time of making their 1^st application.

Children over 18 can only apply if:

• they are making an application for permission as a dependant of their parent or parents, having last held permission as a dependant of the main applicant. The Home Office calls the main applicant: ‘lead applicants’.
• they are not leading an independent life after the Home Office granted their first visa application.

Also, for children to qualify, they’ll need to prove that they do not lead an independent life and are dependent (financially and emotionally) on a lead applicant.

Child Leading an Independent Life

What does this mean?

Although it may help, there is no requirement for partners and dependent children to apply at the same time.

When children are over 16, they’ll need to prove that they are still dependent on the lead applicant or their dependent partner when applying.

In other words they:

(a) do not have a partner; and

(b) are living with their parent (except where they are at boarding school, college or university as part of their full-time education); and

(c) are not in full-time employment; and

(d) are wholly or mainly dependent upon their parent for financial support; and

(e) are wholly or mainly dependent upon their parent for emotional support.

How can you prove this?

Usually, the Home Office will accept the following documents:

• bank or building society statement (which may show funds that their parent is providing to support them)
• credit card bills
• NHS registration document
• an official letter from their current school, college, or university that confirms their address

Suppose you are not living with the family because you are attending school, college, or university. In that case, the Home Office will usually want to see more evidence confirming that you are not leading an independent life.

So, if you live at a separate address, you will need to provide confirmation that it is due to you studying elsewhere.

Evidence of this can include:

• official confirmation of your studies from school, college, or university
• evidence that your parents are financially supporting you up to the point of applying (for example, evidence covering 3 months before the application).

Partners

In the definition of ‘partners’, the Home Office included the following categories:

• Spouses
• civil partners
• partners who are not married or in a civil partnership. However, in these cases, the UKVI will usually expect the applicants to prove that they have lived together, under the same roof, for at least 2 years.

They all have to be over 18 to qualify.

Children from Previous Relationships

The term ‘parent’ includes:

(a) the stepfather of a child whose father is dead, and reference to stepfather includes a relationship arising through civil partnership; and

(b) the stepmother of a child whose mother is dead, and reference to

stepmother includes a relationship arising through civil partnership; and

(c) the father, as well as the mother, of an illegitimate child where the person is proved to be the father; and

(d) an adoptive parent, where a child was adopted in accordance with a decision taken by the competent administrative authority or court in a country whose adoption orders are recognised by the UK;

(e) in the case of a child born in the UK who is not a British citizen, a person to whom there has been a genuine transfer of parental responsibility on the ground of the original parents’ inability to care for the child.

Biometrics and Immigration Health Surcharge for Children

All family members will need to pay the fee for visa application, Immigration Health Surcharge, and provide their biometrics.

Children under the age of 6 only need to provide their photos only. Those, between 6 and 16 will need to provide their photographs and fingerprints. Children over 16 will also need to sign their visa applications.

Children under 18 will need to pay Immigration Health Surcharge at the reduced rate of £470 per year (the full rate is £624 per year).

How to Prove Your Relationship with the Lead Application

If you are married or formed a civil partnership, your marriage or civil partnership certificate should be enough to demonstrate proof of the relationship. It is provided these documents are recognised in the country where marriage or civil partnership took place.

Partners in Durable Relationship

It gets trickier with partners in a durable relationship. To succeed in your application, you’ll need to provide evidence confirming that you have lived together for at least 2 years before the date of the application. The documents, which you may submit with the application to prove this, may include, but are not limited to:

• bank/building society statements, council tax, or utility bills
• residential mortgage statements or tenancy agreements
• official correspondence or documents that link the lead applicant and their partner and show they are living at the same address

You will need to complete a 2-year period before the date of the application.

Exceptions to these general rules are possible. However, you’ll need to gather solid evidence to prove that:

• it was not reasonably possible for the other partner to accompany or join the lead applicant, and
• also you’ll need to provide evidence confirming that the relationship continued throughout the period of separation, after the departure of the lead applicant to the UK. For example, you provide documents confirming that you visited each other regularly. Also, you can submit letters, logged phone calls, shared financial accounts, etc.

Parental Relationship

The documents, which will prove that the main applicant is your parent, include:

• a full birth certificate, which includes the names of both parents
• a court order such as a special guardianship order
• a government-issued household registration certificate

The Home Office does not accept affidavits as these are only evidence someone has made a sworn statement regarding a claimed relationship, and not evidence of that relationship by themselves.

Financial Requirements

If the immigration route of the main applicant permits the dependants to join them, you’ll need to provide documents confirming that you meet the financial requirement.

There are several exceptions to this general rule:

1. you don’t need to prove that you meet the financial requirement if you are applying for permission to stay and have been living in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application;
2. if the route requires evidence of adequate maintenance and accommodation for the lead applicant (for example, Representative of an Overseas Business and UK Ancestry).
3. Finally, the last exception is when the lead applicant is in the UK on Temporary Worker routes, the Intra-Company routes, the T2 Minister of Religion route, the International Sportsperson route, and the Skilled Worker route, the sponsors can confirm financial support instead of the lead applicant.

If these exceptions don’t apply, you’ll need to have:

• £285 for a dependent partner
• £315 for the first dependent child
• £200 for any other dependent child

Funds have to be in the lead applicant’s account for at least 28 days

The post General Rules for Family Members Travelling to the UK first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

There are over 85 UK visa types. To help you understand various UK immigration routes, I’ve divided these visa types into six main categories.

There are visas for:

1. Visiting the UK
2. Studying in the UK
3. Working in the UK:
   1. Long-term UK work visas
   2. Short-term UK work visas
   3. Investor, business and talent routes
   4. Other work-related routes
4. Joining family members in the UK:
   1. Settlement routes
   2. Temporary work-related routes
5. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
6. Protecting citizens

This article is a part of the ‘UK Immigration and All UK Visa Types in 2022’ article series. You can get all the links to articles and videos from this series HERE.

Below, I’ll explain the third category – visa types suitable for those who would like to work in the UK.

The topic is very deep. We’ve covered long-term, short-term, investor, business, and talent-related work visas in the previous articles.

Today’s article will be the last chapter on UK work visas. Today I’ll cover the remaining work-related visas, which are not part of the UK’s new Points-Based Immigration system.

Many of the routes, which I describe below, are not ‘work visas’ per se. They are UK immigration routes, which allow the holders to work in the UK.

Please note that the UK immigration routes, which I explain below, are suitable for those who do not have a right of abode in the UK. Even if your country is not on a visa national list, if you intend to work, you still need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UK.

Other UK Work Visas (5 of 11)

Eleven Work-Related Routes

In addition to work visas, which I’ve covered in my previous videos and articles there are eleven other work-related UK Immigration routes:

1. UK Ancestry applicants
2. Frontier Worker
3. Hong Kong British National (Overseas)
4. Overseas Domestic Workers
5. Representative of an Overseas Business
6. Turkish Businessperson
7. Turkish Worker
8. Private Life in the UK applicants
9. Windrush applicants
10. Seafarers
11. Aircrew

Let us explore these routes in more detail.

Due to the size, I’ve divided this article into two parts. In this part, we’ll consider the first five routes. In the next one, we’ll concentrate on:

6. Turkish Businessperson
7. Turkish Worker
8. Private Life in the UK applicants
9. Windrush applicants
10. Seafarers
11. Aircrew

UK Ancestry

The UK Ancestry route is for a Commonwealth citizen aged 17 or over who wants to live and work in the UK and who has a grandparent who was born in the UK or Islands.

A dependent partner and dependent children can apply under this route.

All successful UK Ancestry applicants can settle in the UK, usually after 5 years of residence. It is provided, of course, they meet all the requirements for settlement.

According to the rules, to succeed, all applicants will need to prove that they are ‘able to work and intend to seek and take employment in the UK.’ There are no restrictions on what type of work they can apply for. The employers do not need to be registered with the Home Office in order to hire UK Ancestry applicants. In other words, once the Home Office grants their application, they have unrestricted access to the UK labour market.

Frontier Worker Permit for EU citizens

You need to get a Frontier Worker permit if you want to work in the UK but live in another country.

You may be eligible if all of the following apply if you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and live outside the UK. Additionally, to qualify, you need to prove that you began working in the UK by 31 December 2020.

Usually, you need to have worked in the UK at least once every 12 months to qualify for this type of visa.

What the permit allows you to do

This type of permit will allow you to do what other EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status can do: work, rent, have access to benefits and services, including NHS healthcare.

You don’t need to pay a fee to apply for a Frontier Worker permit. Also, you do not have to pay the immigration health surcharge. However, you may have to pay to submit your biometric information (photograph or fingerprints).

Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Route

BN(O) status is a form of British nationality created for people from Hong Kong so they could retain a form of British nationality and a connection to the UK after the handover to China in 1997 in line with the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route has two routes – the BN(O) Status Holder route and the BN(O) Household Member route.

The BN(O) Status Holder route is for a British National (Overseas) citizen who is ordinarily resident in Hong Kong or the UK.

the BN(O) Household Member route is for family members of the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route applicant. They usually include a  dependent partner and a dependent child of a British National (Overseas) citizen. Other family members with a high degree of dependency may also apply in exceptional circumstances.

The BN(O) Household Member route may also provide opportunities for the adult child of a BN(O) citizen. The Home Office specifically stated that it is for those born on or after 1 July 1997.  The BN(O) Household Member and any dependent partner or child applying under this route will need to form part of the same household as the British National (Overseas) citizen.

Both Hong Kong British National (Overseas) routes allow work and study in the UK and are routes to settlement.

Overseas Domestic Worker

This route also allows applicants to work in the UK. However, it is for a very small category of people. This route is for an Overseas Domestic Worker who would like to come to the UK to work for up to a maximum of 6 months as a domestic worker with their current employer.

This route is very restrictive. Overseas Domestic Workers cannot bring their dependents with them to the UK. Also, they cannot settle in the UK on this route.

Also, Overseas Domestic Workers can only work in the household of their current employer.

If you are thinking to apply under this route, you should know that your employer will need to complete two copies of this statement.

The Representative of an Overseas Business Route

This route is for an employee of an overseas business that does not have a presence in the UK.

A person applying as a Representative of an Overseas Business will need to be either a Sole Representative or a Media Representative.

A Sole Representative is a senior employee of an overseas business assigned to the United Kingdom to establish a branch or subsidiary.

A Media Representative is an employee of an overseas media organisation posted to the United Kingdom on a long-term assignment.

A dependent partner and dependent children can apply under this route.

Although representative of an Overseas Business is a route to settlement, the first visa grant will only be for 3 years.

If you succeed in your application, you can only work for the overseas business which you represent.

You can continue reading this article here.

The post Other UK Work Visas (5 of 11) first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

There are over 85 UK visa types. To help you understand various UK immigration routes, I’ve divided these visa types into six main categories.

There are visas for:

1. Visiting the UK
2. Studying in the UK
3. Working in the UK:
   1. Long-term UK work visas
   2. Short-term UK work visas
   3. Investor, business and talent routes
   4. Other work-related routes

4. Joining family members in the UK:
   1. Settlement routes
   2. Temporary work-related routes
5. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
6. Protecting citizens

This article is a part of the ‘UK Immigration and All UK Visa Types in 2021’ article series. Below, I’ll explain the third category – visa types suitable for those who would like to work in the UK.

The topic is very deep. Therefore, today we’ll concentrate on the investor, business and talent routes only. In the previous articles, we’ve covered long-term and short-term UK work visa routes.

You can get all the links to articles and videos from this series HERE.

Please note that the UK immigration routes, which I explain below, are suitable for those who do not have a right of abode in the UK. Even if your country is not on a visa national list, if you intend to work, you still need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UK.

UK Work Visas

There are over 29 types of work-related UK visas. We can divide them into 4 categories:

1. Long-term work-related routes
2. Short-term work-related routes
3. Investor, business and talent routes
4. Other work-related routes

This week we’ll cover:

Investor, business and talent UK Work Visas

There are 5 types of visas belonging to this category:

1. Start-up
2. Innovator
3. Global Talent
4. Tier 1 Entrepreneur
5. Tier 1 Investor

Start-Up

The Start-up route is for those who want to establish a business in the UK for the first time.

You’ll need to find an Endorsing body. The Home Office will need to approve this endorsing body and put them on their list.

The endorsing body can be a UK higher education institution. Alternatively, it can be a business organisation with a history of supporting UK entrepreneurs.

For the endorsing body to approve your application, you’ll need to provide a business plan, which proves that you have an innovative, viable and scalable business idea.

In other words, you cannot join a business that is already trading. You have to have an original business idea that is different from anything else on the market.

And finally, you’ll need to show that your idea has growth potential.

As with all other Points-Based System UK immigration routes, start-up applicants will need to score 70 points to succeed in the application. You’ll get 25 points for the innovative, viable and scalable factors. The Home Office will add another 25 points when you provide evidence confirming that it’s a new business. Another 10 points for English language proficiency at level B2. And you’ll be able to get the final 10 points for meeting the financial requirement.

Start-up is not a route to settlement. You can stay for up to 2 years if you come to the UK on a Start-up visa. Alternatively, you switch to this visa from some other UK visas while in the UK.

The good news is that you can progress from Start-up to the Innovator route, which is a route to settlement.

Innovator

However, the route to settlement comes with the price. The Innovator route is for a different group of seasoned entrepreneurs.

First of all, similar to the start-up category, you’ll need to prove that you have an innovative, viable and scalable business idea. The Home Office approved endorsing body will need to agree with you on that.

Also, the Home Office will typically expect you to have funds of at least £50,000 to invest in your business. Additionally, you’ll need to have a key role in the day to day management and development of the business.

However, the good news is that after three years of holding the innovator visa, you can settle in the UK. If this is not your intention, you can apply to extend your visa in this category. Rather uniquely, you can extend your innovator visa indefinitely. In other words, you can apply to extend your stay in the Innovator immigration category as many times as you choose to. However, you’ll need to meet the requirements for these applications to be successful.

Global Talent

The Global Talent route is one of the best UK work visas you can get. It offers tons of flexibility and allows you to settle in the UK, in most cases, only after 3 years. You don’t need to have any funds to apply. You don’t need to meet the English language requirement.

This visa is for those who are over the age of 18. To qualify, you’ll need to show that you have exceptional talent or exceptional promise in the field of science, engineering, humanities, medicine, digital technology or arts and culture.

For the majority, it’s going to be a two-part application process. The first part is an application for endorsement. The second part is visa application. The Home Office call it an application for entry clearance or permission to stay.

You have a choice and can make the application for endorsement before making your visa application. Alternatively, you can make both applications simultaneously.

However, I do not recommend the second option (making applications simultaneously). The refusal rate of endorsement applications is very high. If you submit both applications at the same time and the Endorsing body refuses your endorsement application, then the Home Office will need to refuse your visa application automatically. The refusal will go on your Home Office immigration history record. If you apply for endorsement first, the refusal will not stain your immigration history record.

If you are a winner of a prestigious prize you don’t need to apply for endorsement. You can apply for a visa straightaway.

Tier 1 Entrepreneur

Tier 1 Entrepreneur route just got retired. It was very similar to the Innovator route. However, Tier 1 Entrepreneurs, in the majority of cases, need to invest at least £200,000 in their business to qualify.

The route is about to die, and you can no longer apply for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa.

You can only apply:

1. For indefinite leave to remain after holding this type of visa for 5 years. You’ll need to meet the validity, suitability and eligibility requirements to succeed, of course.
2. to extend your visa
3. for family members to join you

Tier 1 Investor

You can apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if you want to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK. You’ll need to meet the other eligibility requirements to qualify.

Rather unprecedently, you can apply for Indefinite leave to remain in the UK only after 2 years of staying in the UK. You’ll need to invest £10 million to qualify. If you invest £5 million – you can settle after only 3 years of remaining in the UK.

To meet the eligibility requirement, first of all, you’ll need to be over 18. Secondly, you’ll need to prove that the money belongs to either you or your partner (it doesn’t matter if you are not married). Thirdly, you’ll need to have opened an account at a UK regulated bank to use for your funds. Your fund must be at one or more regulated financial institutions. Also, that you are free to spend your money. In other words, that they are ‘disposable’ in the UK. Your money can be in the UK or overseas when you apply.

Further Help

And finally, if you would like to understand the UK visa rules, you may find it useful to attend one of these online courses:

1. ‘Three Secrets of a Successful UK Visitor Visa Application’ 
2. ’10 Ways to Avoid the Refusal of Your British Citizenship Application.’ 
3. ‘How to Meet the Financial Requirement of Your British Spouse Visa Application when Applying from Outside the UK’ 
4. ‘How to Avoid the Refusal of Your Adult Dependent Relative UK Visa Application.’ 

For more online courses, check THIS PAGE.

To get regular UK Visa updates, please subscribe to a weekly newsletter HERE.

The post Investor, Business and Talent UK Work Visas first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

There are over 85 UK visa types. To help you understand various UK immigration routes, I’ve divided these visa types into six main categories.

There are visas for:

1. Visiting the UK
2. Studying in the UK
3. Working in the UK:
   1. Long-term UK work visas
   2. Short-term UK work visas
   3. Investor, business and talent routes
   4. Other work-related routes

4. Joining family members in the UK:
   1. Settlement routes
   2. Temporary work-related routes
5. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
6. Protecting citizens

This article is a part of the ‘UK Immigration and All UK Visa Types in 2021’ article series. Below, I’ll explain the third category – visa types suitable for those who would like to work in the UK.

The topic is very deep. Therefore, today we’ll concentrate on the short-term work-related routes only. In the previous article, we’ve covered long-term UK work visa routes.

Please note that the UK immigration routes, which I explain below, are suitable for those who do not have a right of abode in the UK. Even if your country is not on a visa national list if you intend to work, you still need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UK.

UK Work Visas

There are over 29 types of work-related UK visas. We can divide them into 4 categories:

1. Long-term work-related routes
2. Short-term work-related routes
3. Investor, business and talent routes
4. Other work-related routes

Short-Term UK Work Visas

You’ll notice that short-term work-related routes are pretty similar to long-term ones. However, the most distinguishing difference is in the length of visas, usually tied to the employment contracts. Generally, short-term work-related routes are for much shorter periods of time. They have a more temporary nature and rarely lead to settlement.

There are 8 short-term UK work visas for T5 temporary workers:

1. Charity Worker
2. Creative or Sporting Worker
3. Government Authorised Exchange Worker route
4. International Agreement Worker
5. Religious Worker
6. Seasonal Worker
7. Youth Mobility Scheme
8. Graduate

T5 Charity Worker

The Charity Worker route is for a person who wants to come to the UK to do voluntary work for no more than 12 months.

The applicants will need to find a sponsor and get a certificate of sponsorship from them. The sponsor will need to be A-rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors.

All successful applicants will get a visa for up to 12 months or less. It will be in line with their contract of employment.

This route does not lead to settlement.

T5 Creative or Sporting Worker

This route is almost identical to the T2 Sportsperson route. In other words, the Creative or Sporting Worker route is for a person who wants to work within the creative or sporting sector.

However, the maximum period they can remain here on their initial T5 (Temporary Worker) Creative or Sporting Worker visa is 12 months.

Unlike most other T5 visa routes, this category allows the applicants to extend their stay up to a maximum of 24 months. When applying for an extension, they’ll need to prove that they are still working for the same sponsor. Also, that their sponsor is willing to support their application.

A Creative Worker is someone who can make a unique contribution to the UK’s cultural life. For example, they can apply as an artist, dancer, musician, entertainer, or model contributing to the UK’s fashion industry.

A Sporting Worker is someone who can make a significant contribution to their sport at the highest level in the UK.

This route does not allow the applicants to settle. However, it does allow them to switch to the categories that do lead to settlement. For example, after remaining in the UK for 2 years, they can switch to the Global Talent route.

T5 (Temporary Worker) Government Authorised Exchange Worker Route

This route is for those who want to come to the UK on the UK Government’s approved scheme. Currently, there are over 64 various programmes, which allow people from all over the world to participate.

The requirements are pretty standard. The applicant will need to find an A-rated sponsor. The sponsor will need to be on the Home Office’s list. The sponsor will need to provide them with the Certificate of Sponsorship. The applicants will need to have at least  £1,270 in their bank account. This amount will need to be in their bank account for 28-days.

The maximum period of grant in this category is between 12 to 24-months (depending on the scheme).

T5 (Temporary Worker) International Agreement Worker

The route is for those who want to come to the UK to provide a service covered under international law. For example, the route may be relevant for private servants in diplomatic households, employees of overseas governments and international organisations.

Alternatively, workers under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) or another agreement under which the UK has commitments can apply.

GATS is a treaty of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that entered into force in 1995. Its core objective was to create a credible and reliable system of international trade rules. It ensures fair and equitable treatment of all participants. The aim behind its creation is to stimulate economic activity through guaranteed policy bindings. Also, to promote trade and development through progressive liberalisation.

‘Progressive liberalisation’ is a rather vague term, but according to some sources, which I found when researching for this article, in very simple terms, it means increased competition. The aim is to increase it by making the domestic market “more competitive” and “opening the market” to international firms.

T5 (Temporary Worker) Religious Worker

The Religious Worker route is for those who want to support the activities of religious institutions in the UK. And they intend to do so by conducting religious work such as working in a religious order or undertaking non-pastoral work for a religious organisation.

The route is similar to the T2 Minister of Religion one. However, a T5 visa is for a short period of time. It also appears to be for those who intend to take supportive rather than leading roles. According to the rules, a Minister of Religion will need to apply under the T2 Minister of Religion route if their engagement in the UK involves leading a congregation in performing rites, rituals and preaching the essentials of the creed as its core duties.

The maximum time that T5 Ministers of Religion can spend in the UK is 2 years. As with most T5 routes, you cannot settle in the UK if you apply under this route.

5 (Temporary Worker) Seasonal Worker

This little known route is for workers in edible horticulture doing seasonal work in the UK with a sponsor. Horticulture (pronounces as /ˈhɔːtɪˌkʌltʃə/ ) is the art of cultivating plants in gardens to produce food and medicinal ingredients. Horticulturists are agriculturists who grow flowers, fruits and nuts, vegetables and herbs, and ornamental trees and lawns.

Dependants of seasonal workers cannot come with them to the UK.

Seasonal Workers may only stay in the UK for 6 months in any 12-month period.

There are the same key elements for this type of visa application as for the majority of other T5 routes. The applicant will need to find a sponsor. The sponsors will need to comply with the following three requirements:

1. they’ll have to have an endorsement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to the Seasonal Worker route; and
2. they’ll need to have a licence from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority; and
3. they’ll need to be A-rated and on the Home Office’s list

The sponsors will have to issue a certificate of sponsorship, and the applicant will have to apply within 3 months (maximum) after the issue of this certificate. Also, they’ll need to have at least £1,270 for 28 days before applying.

T5 (Temporary Worker) Youth Mobility Scheme

This is a very popular UK immigration route. T5 (Temporary Worker) Youth Mobility Scheme provides a cultural exchange programme. It allows young people aged 18 and 30 to experience life in the UK for up to 2 years. The applicants will need to be from participating countries and territories.

You can apply without at any time if you are from:

Australia

Canada

Monaco

New Zealand

San Marino

Also, if you are a British overseas citizen or a citizen of British overseas territories or a British national (overseas) – you can apply straightaway.

However, you’ll have to go through a selection process from in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot if you are from:

Hong Kong

Japan

South Korea

Taiwan

Ballots typically open in January and July each year. Usually, the ballots open for 48 hours only. During this period of time, you’ll need to send an email. In this email, you’ll need to confirm your intention to apply under the T5 (Temporary Worker) Youth Mobility Scheme. Then you should get an automated reply confirming receipt.

It’s better to apply in January as most applicants are usually chosen during this period of time. Then they allocate the remaining places in the July ballot.

However, irrespective of where you are from, you cannot apply if you have:

• children under the age of 18 who live with you
• children you’re financially responsible for
• already been in the UK under the scheme

Also, you’ll need to have at least £2,530 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK.

You cannot settle under this route and will need to leave the UK after 2 years.

The Graduate UK Immigration Route

This route was born in July 2021. However, the word ‘reborn’ would be a more accurate term to describe the introduction of the route, which already successfully operated in the UK before.

It is for graduate students in the UK who want to work or look for work. They’ll need to prove that they have successfully graduated from an eligible course of study at UK bachelor’s degree level or above. The study must have been with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.

The beauty of this route is in the fact that graduate students don’t need to find sponsors to remain in the UK after their studies.

Also, those who already have permission to remain in the UK as dependants of a student will be able to extend their stay. They’ll need to apply as dependants under the Graduate route. However, if dependents were not in the UK when the student was studying – this route will not be available to dependants.

As with all other T5 temporary routes, the Graduate route is not a route to settlement.

Further Help

And finally, if you would like to understand the UK visa rules, you may find it useful to attend one of these online courses:

1. ‘Three Secrets of a Successful UK Visitor Visa Application’ 
2. ’10 Ways to Avoid the Refusal of Your British Citizenship Application.’ 
3. ‘How to Meet the Financial Requirement of Your British Spouse Visa Application when Applying from Outside the UK’ 
4. ‘How to Avoid the Refusal of Your Adult Dependent Relative UK Visa Application.’ 

For more online courses, check THIS PAGE.

To get regular UK Visa updates, please subscribe to a weekly newsletter HERE.

The post Short-Term UK Work Visas first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

Hello and a very warm welcome to UKVisaSuccess.com

A few seconds ago, you asked me to provide you with the links to the:

‘UK Immigration and All UK Visa Types in 2022’ article/video series.

There are over 85 UK visa types. I am still in the middle of creating this series. So, do feel free to check this page for an updated list. I’ll be editing new links as we go.

To help you understand various UK immigration routes, I’ve divided these visa types into six main categories.

There are visas for:

1. Visiting the UK: article / video
2. Studying in the UK article / video
3. Working in the UK:
   1. Long-term UK work visas: article / video
   2. Short-term UK work visas: article / video
   3. Investor, business and talent routes: article / video
   4. Other work-related routes: article 1/ article 2 / video

4. Joining family members in the UK:
   1. General Rules: article/video
   2. Settlement routes: article / video
   3. Temporary work-related routes: article / video
5. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: article / video
6. Protecting citizens: article / video

Online Courses

If you intend to submit your UK visa application yourself, you’ll benefit greatly by attending the relevant UKVisaSuccess.com online course.

After watching the course for your visa type, you’ll understand the rules and the secrets behind the applications. Also, you’ll understand how the Home Office considers the applications and why so many visa applications are refused.

For some types of visas, I’ll be even providing step-by-step guidance on how to complete the application forms. I’ll be explaining why they ask certain questions in the form and how to answer them.

Don’t Miss Out

And finally, do keep an eye on the UKVisaSuccess.com weekly newsletter where I’ll keep you updated on various changes of your and other visa types.

I hope this was helpful and wish you best of luck with your visa application.

Have a great week!

Best wishes,

Svitlana Shlapak

The post More Information about All UK Visas in 2022 first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

There are over 85 UK visa types. To help you understand various UK immigration routes, I’ve divided these visa types into six main categories.

There are visas for:

1. Visiting the UK
2. Studying in the UK
3. Working in the UK
4. Joining your family in the UK
5. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
6. Protecting citizens

This article is a part of the ‘UK Immigration and All UK Visa Types in 2021’ article series. Below, I’ll explain the third category – visa types suitable for those who would like to work in the UK.

The topic is very deep. Therefore, today we’ll concentrate on the long-term work-related route only. And in the next article I’ll cover all short-term work-related routes.

Please note that the UK immigration routes, which I explain below, are suitable for those who do not have a right of abode in the UK. Even if your country is not on a visa national list if you intend to work, you still need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UK.

UK Work Visas

There are over 29 types of work-related UK visas. We can divide them into 4 main categories:

1. Long-term work-related routes
2. Short-term work-related routes
3. Investor, business and talent routes
4. Other work-related routes

Long-term Work-related Routes

There are 5 five long-term work-related routes:

1. Skilled worker
2. Intra-company transfer
3. Intra-company graduate trainee
4. T2 Minister of Religion
5. T2 Sportsperson

Except for 2 intra-company transfer routes, all long-term work-related routes form the new Points-Based UK Immigration system. This means that the applicants will need to score 70 points to qualify.

Skilled Worker

The Skilled Worker route is for UK employers to recruit people to work in the UK in a specific job. A Skilled Worker will need to have a job offer in an eligible skilled occupation from a Home Office-approved sponsor.

After holding a Skilled worker visa for 5 years, usually, the applicant becomes eligible to apply for settlement. It is provided they meet the requirements, of course.

To qualify, skilled workers will need to score 50 mandatory and 20 tradable points.

The Home Office will give mandatory points for sponsorship, job at an appropriate skill level and English language skills at level B1.

The applicants can get their 20 tradable points if they can prove that they fall into one of the following 6 categories:

Category A

The applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following:

• £25,600 per year;
• £10.10 per hour; and
• the going rate for the occupation code.

You can check the occupation code HERE.

Category B

Educational qualification: PhD in a subject relevant to the job and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following:

• £23,040 per year;
• £10.10 per hour; and
• 90% of the going rate for the occupation code.

In this entry, 10 points will be awarded for the educational qualification and 10 points will be awarded for the applicant’s salary.

Category C

Educational qualification: PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following:

• £20,480 per year;
• £10.10 per hour; and
• 80% of the going rate for the occupation code.

Category D

Job in a shortage occupation and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following:

• £20,480 per year;
• £10.10 per hour; and
• 80% of the going rate for the occupation code.

Category E

The applicant is a new entrant to the labour market and their salary equals or exceeds all of the following:

• £20,480 per year;
• £10.10 per hour; and
• 70% of the going rate for the occupation code.

Category F

Job in a listed health or education occupation and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both:

• £20,480 per year; and
• the going rate for the occupation code.

An applicant with a job in a listed health or education occupation can only be awarded tradeable points from option F.

The Intra-Company Transfer and the Intra- Company Graduate Trainee Routes

The first route, the Intra-Company Transfer route, is for established workers transferred by the business they work for to do a skilled role in the UK.

The Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route is for workers who are being transferred by the business they work for to undertake a role in the UK as part of a structured graduate training programme.

The Home Office changed the rules a couple of years ago, and it is no longer possible for the ICT migrants to settle in the UK.

T2 Minister of Religion

This route is for a person who has a key leading role within their faith-based organisation or religious order in the UK.

The duration of the successful applicants’ grant will be for a maximum period of 3 years and 1 month. However, it can be less, in line with their contract of employment.

Usually, T2 Ministers or Religion and their family members can apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK) after 5 years of living in the UK in this category. To qualify for ILR, they can also combine their category with the following routes:

1. T2 Sportsperson; or
2. Skilled Worker; or
3. Tier 1 Migrant, other than as a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur); or
4. Representative of an Overseas Business; or
5. Innovator; or
6. Global Talent

However, their last grant before their ILR application will have to be in the T2 Minister or Religion category.

T2 Sportsperson

The final long-term employment category is for an elite sportsperson or qualified coach. They’ll need to provide evidence of being sponsored on a long-term contract to make a significant contribution to the development of sport at the highest level in the UK and who has a Governing Body Endorsement from the appropriate Sports Governing Body.

A long-term contract is a contract for more than 12 months.

This route leads to settlement.

Further Help

And finally, if you would like to understand the UK visa rules, you may find it useful to attend one of these online courses:

1. ‘Three Secrets of a Successful UK Visitor Visa Application’ 
   ’10 Ways to Avoid the Refusal of Your British Citizenship Application.’ 
   3.‘How to Meet the Financial Requirement of Your British Spouse Visa Application when Applying from Outside the UK’ 
   4. ‘How to Avoid the Refusal of Your Adult Dependent Relative UK Visa Application.’ 

For more online courses, check THIS PAGE.

To get regular UK Visa updates, please subscribe to a weekly newsletter HERE.

The post Long-Term UK Work Visas first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

No, they don’t!

If EU citizens don’t need to apply for a tourist visa before travelling to the UK, why were there over  30 cases involving German, Greek, Italian, Romanian and Spanish nationals being detained after landing at the UK airports?

To answer this question and make sure you are NEVER DETAINED at the UK border, let us analyse the law together.

IMPORTANT: To be clear, the law, which we’ll be analysing below, relates to EU citizens who entered the UK after 31 December 2020. The law below relates to EEA citizens without settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Who Needs to Apply for UK Visitor’s Visa?

There are three main rules. First of all, you’ll need to apply for UK Visitor entry clearance (visa application outside the UK) to travel to the UK if your country is on the Visa National list. You can access the list HERE.

Secondly, you’ll need to apply even if your country is not on this list, but you would like to:

2. get married or give notice of marriage or civil partnership in the UK. This rule does not apply to ‘relevant nationals’. According to section 62 of the Immigration Act 2014 , a “relevant national” means—
   1. British citizen
   2. a national of an EEA State other than the United Kingdom, or
   3. a national of Switzerland

Thirdly, in the majority of cases, you’ll need to apply for UK Visitors visa even if you are a national of an EEA State or Switzerland if you intend to come to the UK as a visitor for more than 6 months.

Does this mean that the UK authorities can never detain you and send you back to your EU country of origin if you intend to stay in the UK for less than 6 months?

It All Depends on Your Intentions

The answer will depend on what you intend to do in the UK. At the UK border, if you are not a British citizen and don’t have the right of abode in the UK, you need to demonstrate that your intentions are aligned with the UK Visitor rules.  In other words, you need to prove to an immigration officer that you’ll only be doing what UK standard visitors are allowed to do by the Rules.

Do EU Citizens Need to Apply for a Tourist Visa before Travelling to the UK?

Prohibited Activities for UK Visitors

As a visitor, you cannot

work

study

marry

get medical treatment

receive payments in the UK.

There are some exceptions to these general rules. You’ll find a lengthy list of these exceptions at Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities. You are welcome to explore. However, I’ll give you a summary below.

What is Work?

Working in the UK includes:

(i) taking employment in the UK; and

(ii) doing work for an organisation or business in the UK; and

(iii) establishing or running a business as a self-employed person; and

(iv) doing a work placement or internship; and

(v) direct selling to the public; and

(vi) providing goods and services.

Receiving Payments

Visitors cannot receive payments from a UK source for any activities undertaken in the UK, except for the following:

(a) reasonable expenses to cover the cost of their travel and subsistence, including fees for directors attending board-level meetings; or

(b) international drivers undertaking activities permitted by the rules; or

(c) prize money; or

(d) billing a UK client for their time in the UK, where your overseas employer is contracted to provide services to a UK company, and the majority of the contract work is carried out overseas. In this case, your payment will need to be lower than your salary; or

(e) multi-national companies who, for administrative reasons, handle payment of their employees’ salaries from the UK; or

(f) paid performances at a permit-free festival as listed in Appendix Visitor: Permit Free Festivals, if you are an artist, entertainer or musician.

When Can Problems Occur when Entering the UK?

If EU citizens can travel to the UK for up to 6 months, why were some EU citizens detained and held in immigration removal centres after trying to enter the UK?

According to this article ‘ EU citizens are being detained and held in immigration removal centres after trying to enter the UK for work without visas or residence status.’

When trying to enter the UK for work without a visa, the EU Citizens acted against the UK Immigration Rules.

Why Were EU citizens Detained?

The UK immigration authorities detained and held EU citizens in immigration removal centres because of their ‘intention to work’. When entering the UK as a visitor, the intention to work in the UK goes against the Standard UK Visitor rules.

What is the Solution?

If you would like to work in the UK, before travelling to the UK, you’ll need to apply for entry clearance (visa), allowing you to do so.

There are a number of work-related UK Immigration routes, which will allow you to do so. For example, you can apply to enter the UK as a start-up or an innovator migrant.

Also, if a Home-Office registered UK employer offered you a job, you can enter the UK as a Skilled Worker.

If you can prove that you have exceptional talent or exceptional promise in a field of science, engineering, humanities, medicine, digital technology or arts and culture – you can apply under the Global Talent route.

If you are a senior employee of an overseas business and would like to establish a branch or subsidiary in the UK, you can apply as a Representative of an Overseas Business. You can also use this route if you are an employee of an overseas media organisation posted to the UK on a long-term assignment.

If you have over £2,000,000 investment funds, you can apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa.

How to Explore Your Options

What if you do not have any definite plans at this stage? What if you are not even sure if you would like to live and work in the UK and simply would like to explore your options? Can you do this without the risk of being detained? Yes, you can.  However, when you travel to the UK as a visitor, you need to clearly understand what you can and what you cannot do when in the UK without a visa.

In addition to all other very specific work-related activities, which you can find at Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, you can:

• attend meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews; and
• give a one-off, or short series of talks and speeches provided these are not organised as commercial events and will not make a profit for the organiser; and
• negotiate and sign deals and contracts; and
• attend trade fairs, for promotional work only, provided you are not directly selling; and
• carry out site visits and inspections; and
• gather information for your employment overseas; and
• be briefed on the requirements of a UK based customer. However, you need to do all work for the customer outside of the UK.

When travelling to the UK for any of the above purposes, ideally, you’ll need to have clear proof in writing. This will unambiguously confirm your intentions.

You can look for a job and attend job interviews. However, when you find a job you like – you’ll need to go back to your country and reapply to enter the UK under the appropriate work-related immigration category.

How to Answer the Questions at the UK Border?

Even if you intend to travel to the UK for a short period of time, UK Immigration Officers may ask you a series of questions at the border. It is to check your intentions. All these questions will have only one aim: to make sure that you are a genuine visitor.

According to the rules, this means that you:

1. will leave the UK at the end of your visit (intention to return); and
2. will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home (intention to return); and
3. you are genuinely seeking entry or stay for a purpose that is permitted under the visitor route as set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities (non-involvement in prohibited activities); and
4. you will not undertake any of the prohibited activities (non-involvement in prohibited activities); and
5. there are sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to your visit. In other words, you will not be working or accessing public funds. You’ll have enough money to pay for your trip, including the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to your dependents, and the cost of planned activities in the UK (no recourse to public funds).

Therefore, the questions they may ask may include (but not limited to):

• Why are you travelling to the UK? (intention to return)
• How long do you intend to stay in the UK? (intention to return)
• Who is paying for this trip? (no recourse to public funds)
• How much money do you have in your bank account? (no recourse to public funds)
• Do you have any savings? (no recourse to public funds)
• Do you have a regular income? (no recourse to public funds)
• Where do you intend to live in the UK? (no recourse to public funds)
• What do you intend to do in the UK? (non-involvement in prohibited activities)
• Do you plan to work in the UK? (non-involvement in prohibited activities)
• Do you plan to study in the UK? (non-involvement in prohibited activities)
• When do you plan to travel back to your country? (intention to return)
• Did you book a return flight? (intention to return)
• Do you have any close relatives living in the UK? (intention to return)
• Are you employed (outside the UK)? (no recourse to public funds)
• Do you have medical insurance? (non-involvement in prohibited activities)
• What do you intend to do if you get ill in the UK? (no recourse to public funds)
• Are you married? (intention to return)
• Do you have any children? (intention to return)

To conclude, when the Immigration Officer asks you any of the above questions, don’t panic. They ask you these questions to check if you meet the rules. So, all you need to do is give clear answers to help you prove your genuine intentions.

Further Help

Finally, if you consider making your UK visa application yourself, you’ll greatly benefit by attending one of UKVisaSuccess.com online courses guiding you through the process. You can get more information and instant access HERE.

The post Do EU Citizens Need to Apply for a Tourist Visa before Travelling to the UK? first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered the 2021 UK Budget yesterday. It outlines plans for the country’s post-pandemic recovery.

In his announcements, Mr Sunak confirmed that the government’s total coronavirus spending was £407bn. He also suggested that ‘huge challenges’ lied ahead to address record levels of borrowing.

According to the report, the UK Government intends to modernise the immigration system. The main aim is to help the UK attract and retain the highly-skilled workers, mostly in academia, science, research and technology areas. It is to drive innovation and support UK jobs and growth.

Among the key points highlighted by the Treasury, the following 7 reforms and changes in the world of UK immigration law will take place within approximately one year.

1. An Elite Points-Based visa

Before March 2022, the UK Government intends to introduce an elite points-based visa. The intention is for this visa to have a ’ scale-up’ stream. It will enable those with a job offer from a recognised UK scale-up to qualify for a fast-track visa.  So, potentially this will be an unsponsored work route.

Currently, for UK employers to invite a foreign worker, they’ll need to be fully registered with the UK and have a ‘Sponsor’ status. The registration process is long, complicated and laborious. The Sponsors have a long list of duties, which they can access via 3 appendices:

Appendix A clarifies which documents you need to submit to support your sponsor licence application.

You’ll find a list of immigration offences the UKVI will take into account when considering your suitability to hold a sponsor licence at Appendix B (28 pages).

And finally, Appendix D (13 pages) explains your record-keeping duties as a licensed sponsor.

Employer Guides

Additionally, the UKVI published over 12 different employer guides to clarify various work-related UK Visa routes.

As a result, the highly skilled migrant route is mainly attractive to big employers, who can afford to either have their own legal team or outsource such legal representation, which is very expensive.

The new Elite Points-Based visa can potentially solve the current dilemma. According to announcements, they intend to achieve this by relieving the UK employers of an obligation to go through the Home Office registration process. Potentially, the UK employers will be able to hire Elite Points-Based visa holders in the same conventional way as all other potential employees.

There will be further practical enhancements to the existing Skilled Worker visa holders. In particular, the ability to start employment with a new employer on the issue of Certificate of Sponsorship, rather than the later grant of an application for in-country applicants. The necessity to make a new visa application when changing employers will probably remain. The intention is to allow workers to not interrupt their employment while waiting for their visa application outcome.

The UK Government also intends to take a flexible and more creative approach for paying visa fees and the Immigration Skills Charge (where needed) and reducing visa processing time to 72 hours in most cases.

2. Global Talent Visa Reform

The Global Talent route is for people aged 18 or over in the field of science, engineering, humanities, medicine, digital technology or arts and culture who can show they have exceptional talent or exceptional promise.

Currently, the application process consists of two parts. The first part is an application for endorsement. The second part is an application for entry clearance or permission to stay.

The UK Government intends to reform the Global Talent visa. The intention is to make two major changes:

1. To change the route to allow holders of international prizes and winners of scholarships and programmes for the early promise qualify automatically.

2. To create a new visa stream to increase access to Global Talent for fintech scale-ups. The intention is to create another unsponsored /endorsement-free UK visa route supporting scale-up growth and allowing globally mobile talent with highly sought-after skills to join high potential firms without unnecessary burdens on UK employers.

Fintech, or financial technology, is the UK’s strongest startup sector. This sector improves and automates the delivery and use of financial services. This sector attracted more investment than any other UK industry. A total of 1,373 fintech companies collectively raised £14.9b in equity funding. These ambitious and innovative companies are bringing real change for consumers and businesses.

The ‘Prestigious Prizes’ List

Today, in the new Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1248 the Secretary of State confirmed that from 5 May 2021, there would be the ‘Prestigious Prizes’ list. The winning of one of the prizes on this list will automatically qualify the applicant for a Global Talent visa without the need for an endorsement. The full list is not in a new Appendix Global Talent yet. I, therefore, extracted it for you directly from the Statement of Changes. You can get access instant access to it HERE.

3. The Innovator Visa Review

The Innovator route is for a person wishing to establish a business in the UK based on an innovative, viable and scalable business idea they have generated or to which they have significantly contributed. Importantly, the endorsing body will need to support their application.

Also, those who apply will typically need to have at least £50,000 to invest in their business. Additionally, they need to have a key role in the day to day management and development of the business. The Innovator route is a route to settlement.

The route does not seem to be working the way it was initially intended to. First of all, although the route is not officially capped, there is a limit on the number of endorsements. The endorsing bodies have a limited number of endorsements (usually 25), which can be allocated, and any increase would have to be justified. For this reason, it is challenging to succeed at the endorsement stage. This stage attracts a high number of refusals.

Secondly, the Immigration rules surrounding these types of applications are complex and bulky, driving many potential applicants away. It is because most applicants, innovative business people, mainly prefer a more predictable and sustainable foundation. A foundation where they, rather than endorsements bodies, have control.

4. The New Global Business Mobility Visa

A launch of the new Global Business Mobility visa is intended to take place by spring 2022. This new route allows overseas businesses to establish a presence or transfer staff to the UK.

Therefore, the new route sounds like a combination of two existing UK visa routes: Representative of an Overseas Business and the Intra-Company Transfer routes.

The Representative of an Overseas Business Route is for an overseas business employee that does not have a presence in the UK. A person applying as a Representative of an Overseas Business will need to be a Sole Representative or a Media Representative. A Sole Representative is a senior employee of an overseas business assigned to the UK to establish a branch or subsidiary. A Media Representative is an employee of an overseas media organisation who intends to work in the UK on a long-term assignment. Importantly, a Representative of an Overseas Business is a route to settlement.

There are two Intra-Company routes: the Intra-Company Transfer route and the Intra- Company Graduate Trainee route. The Intra-Company Transfer route is for established workers who are being transferred by the business they work for to do a skilled role in the UK. The IC Graduate Trainee route is for workers who are being transferred by the business they work for to undertake a role in the UK as part of a structured graduate training programme. However, these routes do not lead to settlement.

5. Practical Support to Small Firms

Given the complexity and volume of work-related UK Immigration Rules, small companies are dissuaded from inviting overseas workers to join their team. This has far-reaching negative consequences on the UK economy. In many cases, the lack of a competent key person limits small companies’ growth. This limits the cash flow, which could otherwise benefit consumers, positively enriching the UK economy. In addition, to ease the path, the UKVI intends to provide hand-on practical support to small firms. These firms usually struggle to understand the intricacies of the work-related visa application process.

6. The Immigration Sponsorship System Modernisation

Also, the UK government confirmed its intention to modernise the immigration sponsorship system.  As with all system modernisation proposals, this one is to make it easier to use by the Sponsors. The government promised to publish a delivery roadmap by this summer.

7. The Global Entrepreneur Programme Expansion

Finally, the UK government confirmed the intention to establish a global outreach strategy. It intends to achieve this by expanding the Global Entrepreneur Programme, marketing the UK’s visa offering, with the goal of building an overseas talent network.

The UK government’s Global Entrepreneur Programme is a programme, which helps high-growth overseas companies relocate to the UK. This support is free and includes:

• mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs
• help to develop business plans
• assistance with relocating to the UK
• providing introductions to key networks, including investors
• guidance on how to grow internationally
• continued help from DIT once located in the UK, especially around exporting.

The post These 7 Changes Will Modernise UK Immigration System Within a Year first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.

Before discussing the changes and the introduction of a new post-Brexit Points-Based Immigration System, let us briefly outline of the old system. From 2021 there will be a lot of changes. To make it an easy and enjoyable read for you, I’ve divided the article into two parts. This is part 1. You can read part 2 next week.

The UK’s New post-Brexit Points-Based Immigration System

History of the Points-Based Immigration System

The system was meant to be a prototype of an Australian immigration system. The Australian immigration system seems to be user-friendly and effective. It works.

The UK Government introduced the UK Points-Based Immigration system at phased stages from 2008 to 2010. It consists of five ‘tiers’, which replaced a notoriously complicated and bulky work permit system which existed in the UK before.

The UK’s New post-Brexit Points-Based Immigration System

Tier 1

Tier 1  is for entrepreneurs, investors and talented people wishing to establish their commercial presence in the UK. There were five Tier 1 routes:

1. The route, which is no longer available for new applications: Tier 1 (General)
2. Then there is a UK immigration route for entrepreneurs: Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)
3. There is also a route for graduate students: Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)
4. Then for investors: Tier 1 (Investor)
5. and Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent).

Since its introduction, only Tier 1 (Investor) is still an open route. The Home Office closed all other routes because they did not work the way the UKVI intended them to.

The UK’s New Post-Brexit Points-Based Immigration System

Tier 2

Tier 2 route is predominantly for long-term workers. This is for UK employers wishing to employ someone outside the UK to fulfil a particular vacancy. There are four Tier 2 routes.

1. The route for employees: Tier 2 (General)
2. For religious workers: Tier 2 (Minister of Religion)
3. and sportspersons: Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
4. for those, who used to work for a company overseas: Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer):

Tier 2 employees are called ‘Sponsors’. They need to have a licence from the Home Office to invite employees from abroad. Licenced sponsors issue a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ to the employees from overseas. You can view a certificate of sponsorship as an invitation to work where the employer also gives their reassurance that they are employing a competent worker who can undertake the job which they hired him.

Tier 4

Tier 4 is for students. Depending on their age, the applicant could either apply under Tier 4 (Child) or Tier 4 (General). Those aged between 16-18 have a choice as they can use both schemes. The Home Office calls educational institutions as ‘Sponsors’. They also need to have a licence from the Home Office to invite students to study in the UK. The Home Office calls their invitations a ’confirmation of acceptance for studies’. Tier 4 sponsor’s duties are different from the duties of Tier 2 sponsors. However, the essence of their responsibilities is the same. The Home Office wants to ensure that the applicants, the Sponsors and the parties’ intentions are genuine.

Tier 5

Tier 5 is for temporary workers. There are two routes. Firstly, it is Tier 5 (Youth mobility). Then there is Tier 5 (Temporary Worker).

Tier 5 (Youth Mobility) is the daughter of a working holidaymaker visa. It allows young citizens (aged 18 to 30) from eight countries to come to the UK for up to two years to work and explore the UK. This route is also open to British overseas citizen, British overseas territories citizen and British national (overseas).

The purpose of Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) visa is similar to that of Tier 2 one. However, Tier 5 (Temporary Workers) has several subcategories tailored for short-term workers.

Where is Tier 3?

In case you are wondering where Tier 3 is gone – Home Office never introduced it. Tier 3 Immigration Routes does not exist.

What was the Idea Behind the Old Points Based System and Did it Work?

The idea behind introducing the PBS was to simplify the UK immigration work-related routes. It did partially work. The system became significantly easier to understand and apply after 2008.

However, the word ‘points-based system’ implied that the applicants could ‘mix and match’ various requirements to succeed in their applications.

For example, the majority of Points-Based System applications have three key components for which the applicants could score points:

1. Appendix A (the Attributes, unique features of a particular route) (up to 50 points)
2. The applicants will get 10 points from Appendix B (English language)
3. and 10 points from Appendix C (maintenance)

So, for the UK points-based system to stay true to its intended nature, the applicants should have been allowed to score points across all three main components of the PBS. So the requirements needed to have flexible and tradable nature.

This is not what happened in reality. In reality, the old PBS operated as a checkbox. If you meet the Appendix A requirement – the box is ticked, if you don’t – the box is not ticked and the application is refused.

Also, as with all major systems, it had various loopholes and imperfections. Some applicants used it not in a way the Home Office intended them to. For this reason, the majority of Tier 1 routes are now closed, and the system is seeing its last days at this stage.

However, in general, the Points-Based System project worked and was partially successful.

The UK’s New Post-Brexit Points-Based Immigration System

From 1 January 2021, we’ll witness the birth of an entirely new Points-Based System. All applicants, from visa, non-visa and EEA countries, will be applying it equally. It will be about the skills and the talents of the applicants and not about their country of origin.

We’ll also experience further improvements to the Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsorship systems.

Electronic Travel Authorities

The UK government plans to introduce Electronic Travel Authorities.  The USA immigration authorities successfully launched their Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) a number of years ago. It is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. The process is simple, cheap and very straightforward.

As before, all new developments will be introduced very slowly and smoothly, with plenty of time to adapt.

Salary and Skills Thresholds

From 2021 the majority of employer-employee route applicants will need to have a salary of at least £25,600 per year (gross) to qualify. However, some applicants will need to have a higher salary if their occupation is above the general salary threshold. This is also known as the ‘going rate’.

What is incredibly exciting is that that under the new points-based system skilled workers will be able to ‘trade’ requirements (to do a mix and match) and can still succeed even if with a lower salary. In the second part of this article, you’ll see how it works in practice.

Minimum Salary Requirement Concessions

As with previous points-based system, the new one will have some concessions. The first one will be for the new entrants (for graduates). It will be 30% lower than the rate for experienced workers.

The second concession will be for the applicants with a below threshold salary (but not lower than £20,480) if their occupation is on the shortage occupation list or if they have a PHD relevant to the job.

Do You Need to Have a Degree to Succeed under the New System?

No, you don’t. The UKVI brought the skills threshold down from RQF6 (Bachelor Degree Level) to RQF3 (A level). Unlike the old Tier 2 route, there won’t be any limitation on how many people can come to the UK as skilled workers. The UK Government will also remove the residence labour marker test.

Further Help

If you would like to apply for a UK visa in near future, you need to understand the rules first. UKVisaSuccess.com online courses will help you do this. After attending the course you need, you’ll understand UK visa requirements and common pitfalls in the applications. This will dramatically decrease the chances of refusal of your UK visa application.

The post The UK’s New Post-Brexit Points-Based Immigration System first appeared on UK VISA SUCCESS with Svitlana Shlapak.