Immigration Matters: UK immigration rules

Showing posts with label UK immigration rules. Show all posts

Friday, March 12, 2021

Immigration Rule changes opens door to recruit overseas health and senior care staff to work in the UK

Overseas workers in key health and care roles will have more opportunity to work in the UK following changes announces to the Immigration Rules, the Home Office has announced.

New jobs that have been added to the UK Shortage Occupation List, which gives people in these roles a major advantage in obtaining a skilled worker visa, include:

· pharmacists

· laboratory technicians and for the first time in over a decade

· senior care workers and nursing assistants.

Further additions to the Shortage Occupation List include:

· Health services and public health managers and directors

· residential, day and domiciliary care managers and health professionals not elsewhere classified

· audiologists and dental hygiene therapists, as well as

· modern foreign language teachers.

These radical changes will help healthcare businesses and public services across the UK, which have struggled to recruit staff, to access to the best and brightest talent from all over the world in a post-brexit era.

The move follows the government’s rollout of the new points-based immigration system, after the UK left the European Union and opted out of EU freedom of movement at the end of last year.

Minister for Future Borders and Immigration Kevin Foster said:

Every year we welcome healthcare workers from across the world to our United Kingdom, with many having played a key role on the frontline of the NHS during the recent pandemic. This latest set of changes, combined with our Health and Care Visa, will ensure they can easily get the immigration status they deserve.

Under the points-based immigration system, people applying to come to the UK through the skilled worker route must gain 70 ‘points’ to be eligible for a UK work visa.

A job listed on the official Shortage Occupation List is worth 20 points.

Added to points gained under the mandatory criteria – an acceptable standard of English, a job offer from a licensed sponsor and the required skill level, worth 50 points – gives people applying for jobs on the shortage list the required 70 points for a UK work visa (work permit).

The updated list comes after a review published by the independent Migration Advisory Committee last year.

Other important changes made under the Immigration Rules include:

· Confirming the Student Visa Graduate route will launch from July 1;

· Updating the Skilled worker visa going rate to include a minimum hourly rate to safeguard against employers who may require employees to work longer hours to make up for the lower rates of pay;

· Replacement of the current Intimidation Policy with the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy; and

· Further building on the world-leading Global Talent route to automatically endorse recipients of international awards, including the Nobel Prize, to qualify for a visa, with more prizes to be added later in the year.

The government also announced plans to launch another new immigration route to help start-ups and fast-growing firms recruit the talent they need to innovate and grow during the Chancellor’s Budget speech as part of a range of measures for highly skilled migrants.

For the first time since the abolition of the HSMP visa, highly skilled migrants with a job offer from a recognised high-growth firm will qualify for a visa without the need for sponsorship or third-party endorsement.

The changes will be welcomed by industry and healthcare sector leaders who are desperate for staff, especially in hospitals, care homes and domiciliary care providers.

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

UK will change Immigration Rules for Hong Kong citizens if China passes new law

UK could change Immigration Rules for Hong Kong citizens if China passes new law

Britain will change the country’s Immigration Rules to offer millions of people in Hong Kong "a route to citizenship" if China imposes new security laws, Boris Johnson said.

Writing for the Times, Prime Minister Johnson said the UK would "have no choice" but to uphold its ties with the territory.

The announcement comes as China faces mounting criticism over its planned law, which many people in Hong Kong fear could end their unique freedoms, which the rest of China does not enjoy.

The UK government has held talks with allies including the US and Australia about what to do if China imposes the new law - which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority - and people start fleeing Hong Kong.

In the Times, the Mr Johnson stated that if China passes the law, people in Hong Kong who hold British National (Overseas) (BNO) passports will be allowed to come to the UK for 12 months without a visa. Currently they are allowed to come for six months.

Currently, approximately 350,000 people in Hong Kong have a BNO passport, with a further 2.6 million others also eligible.

Passport-holders would also be given further immigration rights, including the right to work.

These rights Mr Johnson said could place them on a route to citizenship,".

Mr Johnson added that the immigration changes "would amount to one of the biggest changes in our visa system in British history".

"If it proves necessary, the British government will take this step and take it willingly.

"Many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life, which China pledged to uphold, is under threat.

"If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative."

The last British governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten, said the offer of support from the UK government was "morally and politically right".

He accused China's ruling Communist Party of employing "bullying" tactics, adding: "Sooner or later with a bully you have to stand up to them, otherwise you'll get knocked about."

Asked whether the UK was entering a new Cold War with China, Lord Patten told the BBC's World at One: "I think we're entering a period of realism with China...

"This is not us against China, it's the way in which the Chinese Communist regime can't stand us, and they've cracked down on Hong Kong because it represents all the things which [President] Xi Jinping dislikes."

As part of an agreement signed at the time, it enjoys some freedoms not seen in mainland China - and these are set out in a mini-constitution called the Basic Law.

The UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged China to reconsider its plans which, he said, would threaten Hong Kong's autonomy and prosperity.

MPs from Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have urged the United Nations to appoint a special envoy to Hong Kong to monitor how the new law affects human rights.

This new policy is in stark contrast with the treatment of Hong Kong citizens - when the Immigration Rules were changed to prevent mass immigration to the UK - in the years before the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.

BNO passports were granted to all Hong Kong citizens born before the Chinese handover in 1997. Whilst the second-class passports allowed the holder some protection from the UK foreign service, they did not give the right to live or work in Britain.

Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens, many of them wealthy business people, chose to take their money and settle in countries like Canada and Australia where they felt more welcome.

It remains to be seen whether or not today’s citizens will choose to settle and invest in the UK when other countries, such as Cyprus offer a guaranteed route to citizenship in the European Union.

The Cypriot immigration policy and legal framework now enable Non-EU applicants to obtain Cypriot citizenship on an expedited basis – fast.

If you would like to know more about the Cyprus golden visa programme visit: http://eugoldenvisaprogramme.com

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

How will new points-based immigration system affect the UK economy?

How will new points-based immigration system affect the UK economy?

The government are introducing a new immigration system to include post-Brexit EU migrants coming to work the UK.

By Charles Kelly, Property Investor, Author of Yes, Money Can Buy You Happiness and creator of Money Tips Podcast.

In this Money Tips Podcast episode:

1. EU migrants will have to qualify under points system to work in the UK after January 2021

2. Minimum salary, skill level and English language ability applied to EU migrants

3. 180,000 more people in UK employment which stands at a record 32 million

4. 8.4 million 16-65 year old’s ‘economically inactive’ says Home Secretary

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Wednesday, December 19, 2018

UK Home Office White Paper Reveals Post-Brexit Immigration Rules for EU and Non-EU Migrants

In a major shake-up to the immigration rules, thousands of low-skilled migrants could come and work in the UK for up to a year under proposed new post-Brexit migration rules.

The low-skilled migration programme is intended to protect parts of the economy reliant on overseas labour until 2025.

British Home Secretary Sajid Javid told the press that the new system would be based on UK needs rather than where migrants were from and show the UK "open for business".

Announcing what he said would be the biggest shake-up of immigration policy for 40 years, Mr Javid has moved away from a "specific target" for reducing numbers coming into the UK, net migration would come down to "sustainable levels", he said.

The government White Paper - a document setting out proposed new laws before they are formalised in a government bill and law - includes:

Removing the cap on the number of skilled workers, such as doctors or engineers, from EU and non-EU countries
A consultation on the minimum salary requirement of £30,000 for skilled migrants seeking five-year visas
No visas for visitors from the EU
Phasing in the new system from 2021

The Home Secretary said the proposals would enable the UK to exercise control over its borders and "deliver on the clear instruction" of the British people when they voted to leave the EU.

The ending of free movement from the European Union forms part of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal.

Lower-skilled and unskilled working migrants will no longer be able to come to work in the UK from Europe and automatically settle permanently the government says.

A "transitional measure" will allow people from "low-risk countries" in Europe and outside the EU will be able to come to the UK, without a job offer, and seek work for up to a year on a temporary visa, similar to a working holiday arrangement.

The new scheme will help fill vacancies in sectors such as construction and social care which are dependent on foreign labour. Ministers fear these sectors will struggle to adapt when free movement of labour ends.

There will be a "cooling off period" after a year of temporary work, meaning people will be expected to leave at that point and not to apply again for a further 12 months.

Applicants will have to pay a fee and will not get access to public funds or be able to switch to any other migration visa scheme.

The numbers being admitted on the one year scheme could be "similar" to the 170,000 workers from outside the European Economic Area currently in low or unskilled roles, it is estimated.

Critics, such as Migration Watch, argue that there was no way of making sure people left after a year and the immigration figures, which do not include people in the UK for less than a year, could be distorted as a result.

"It is shocking that the government should have caved in so completely to the demands of industry while ignoring the strong public desire to get immigration down," said Migration Watch chair Lord Green.

"The chief winners will be business, as they exploit the bonanza of a huge new pool of labour from around the world while continuing to avoid their responsibility to the public to recruit and train up local talent."

The curbing of free movement is expected to work both ways affecting Brits who want to work in Europe. The EU has not given any blanket assurances to Britons living in other EU countries instead leaving it to individual member states to set their own rules.

See also:

UK Government To Change Visa Rules For Doctors And Nurses

London Tops University Destination For International Students

Watch out for my new book, which will be launched in 2019, Yes, Money Can Buy You Happiness.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

UK Government To Change Visa Rules For Doctors And Nurses

The British government are set to relax immigration rules to allow more doctors and nurses from outside the EU to work in the UK.

Amid staff shortages in the NHS, the Home Office said foreign medics would be excluded from the government's visa cap on skilled migration.

The visa or work permit cap imposes an overall limit for all non-EU skilled workers at 20,700 a year.

It was introduced by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary in a bid to reduce net migration to the UK, but the NHS has recently complained that it has made it harder to fill job vacancies for doctors and nurses.

Prime Minister and former Home Secretary Theresa May MP

Tier 2 visas are a form of work permit for employers to hire skilled workers to the UK from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

Since 2011, there has been a cap on the total number of these visas that can be issued, which had not been reached until December 2017.

The government change is due to increased demand for NHS workers, the largest employer in the UK, which account for 40% of all Tier 2 visas.

This week, the Financial Times reported that 2,360 visa applications by doctors from outside the European Economic Area were refused in a five-month period.

According to the BBC, NHS bosses have warned that immigration rules were hampering their ability to find workers after visas for 100 Indian doctors were refused earlier this year. However, it seems odd that the NHS would apply for 100 working visas without first checking on the availability of visas.

NHS England report that there were 35,000 nurse vacancies and 10,000 doctor posts unfilled in February.

Strict IELTS language tests and the perceived lack of settlement opportunities may deter nurses from countries like the Philippines choosing the UK over Australia, Canada and the U.S.

The changes are expected to only apply to doctors and nurses - but the government could release hundreds of visas a month for workers in other industries like IT and teaching.

Recently appointed Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who has suggested a rethink of some parts of the government's immigration policy, said: "I recognise the pressures faced by the NHS and other sectors in recent months. Doctors and nurses play a vital role in society and at this time we need more in the UK. That is why I have reviewed our skilled worker visa route."

Full details of the UK immigration rule changes are to be set out on Friday.

Podcast Version

Listen to podacst, "UK To Relax Visa Rules For Nurse’s And Doctors" by Charles Kelly https://anchor.fm/charles-kelly/episodes/UK-To-Relax-Visa-Rules-For-Nurses-And-Doctors-e1l62v/a-a40kat

Listen to my podcast "More Millionaires And Investors Than Ever" by Charles Kelly https://anchor.fm/charles-kelly/episodes/More-Millionaires-And-Investors-Than-Ever-e1fcnt/a-a3fj57

Listen to "3 Marketing Tips To Build Your Social Media Audience " by Charles Kelly https://anchor.fm/charles-kelly/episodes/3-Marketing-Tips-To-Build-Your-Social-Media-Audience-e1jus6/a-a3sv9a

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