5 UK immigration changes to look out for this October!
The current UK immigration landscape is due to undergo significant change over the next six months, with some visa categories closing altogether and costs increasing for others.
Below, we look at five of the most notable changes planned for this October.
A higher salary requirement for Tier 2 (General) applicants
It is likely that a new minimum salary requirement will be demanded of any Tier 2 (General) visa applicant from October this year. The salary requirement for this skilled worker visa category currently stands at a minimum of £20,800, but there are plans to raise this to £25,000 in October and then again to £30,000 in April next year.
A higher salary requirement for Tier 2 (ICT) applicants
The current salary requirement for the Tier 2 Short Term Intra-company Transfer (ICT) category is also set to rise this October, from £24,800 to £30,000, before this route closes completely in April 2017. From then on, both long and short term Tier 2 ICT applications will be subject to the same category requirements, including a far higher minimum salary of £41,500.
The closure of the Tier 2 (ICT Skills Transfer) visa category
As well as the planned closure of the Tier 2 ICT Short Term sub-category, it is expected that the Skills transfer sub-category will also shut to new applications from October. This comes as a part of an effort to simplify the category as a whole.
The Immigration Health Surcharge for Tier 2 (ICT) applicants
Applicants of the Tier 2 (ICT) visa category will soon be subject to the Immigration Health Surcharge. This charge of £200 per applicant per visa year was introduced in April 2015 to cover the health costs of migrants living, working and studying in the UK, and is already payable for many, if not most UK immigration applications.
New measures to better facilitate the hiring of overseas graduates
From October 2016 we can anticipate that Tier 2 applications from overseas graduates will receive greater weighting within the monthly Tier 2 visa allocation system, granting them a higher chance of receiving approval within this competitive system.
The Home office has also announced that October will see the minimum salary requirement for Tier 2 Graduate Trainee applicants reduced from £24,800 to £23,000, and that these visa holders will be able to switch roles within their sponsor organisation following the completion of their trainee period.
These new rules, along with further changes scheduled for April 2017, are likely to dramatically affect the way in which UK employers approach the hiring of non-EEA professionals.
Contact Smith Stone Walters for advice and support regarding how best to prepare your organisation for the upcoming changes.
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