de Prey Consulting

Biometrics Residence Permits for all

nikki — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:53:27 +0000

Biometrics Residence Permits (BRPs) will now be mandatory for all categories of visa issued within the UK for stays of 6 months or more including Settlement (ILR), as of 29/2/12.

By 10 April there will be 104 locations across the UK where biometrics (fingerprints and a digital photo) can be enrolled, including some Post Offices, for the convenience of applicants.

These biometrics will then be used as part of the assessment process of your visa application, and stored on your Biometrics Residence Permit, which is like a credit card that will be issued to you if your application is approved.

Visit rules to allow fee-paid activities

nikki — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:46:28 +0000

The Government have announced that there will be changes to the visitor rules to allow a defined group of professionals to undertake specific fee-paid activities for short stays of up to 1 month without formal sponsorship requirements.

From 6/4/12, this group will be those:

visiting to give a lecture, examining students, participating in or chairing selection panels
overseas designated air-pilot examiners assessing UK pilots to ensure they meet the national air regulatory requirements of those countries
providing advocacy in a particular area of law as a qualified lawyer in a court or tribunal hearing, arbitration or other form of alternative dispute resolution in the UK
professional artists, entertainers or sports-persons carrying out an activity relating to their main profession e.g. artists exhibiting and selling their works; authors doing book signings; entertainers giving one off or a short series of performances.

Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommendations

nikki — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:43:23 +0000

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has recommended the following:

Retaining the same quota as 2011-12 of 21,700 Certificates of Sponsorship available for the coming year 2012-13, following an estimate of only 10,000 being issued in 2011-12
Keeping an eye on the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) route for third party contracting, with three recommendations for amendments if needed
Raising the skill level from NQF Level 4 to Level 6 for Tier 2 (excluding jobs such as office managers, IT technicians, and health and safety officers)
That highly-paid and PhD-level jobs should be exempt from the JobCentre Plus advertising requirement of the Resident Labour Market Test.

These are just recommendations at this stage for the Government to consider.

Tier 2 visa holders no longer automatically eligible for settlement

nikki — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:38:41 +0000

The government has announced that, following a consultation in the autumn, the link between Tier 2 temporary workers and Settlement (or ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’) will be broken, and the amount of time given at Tier 2 will be capped at 6 years.

However, there will be exceptions, who will still be eligible to apply for Settlement:

Those who earn £35,000 or more will be eligible for settlement
Those in Shortage Occupations
Scientists
Researchers at PhD level.

Tier 1 Investors, Entrepreneurs and Exceptional Talent visa holders will also continue to be able to apply for Settlement after the specified period of time.

Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) in, Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) out

nikki — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:45:30 +0000

As of 6 April 2012, Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) will not longer be available. Graduates of UK universities will be able to move into Tier 2 quite easily, however, if they have a job offer from an employer licensed as a Tier 2 sponsor with the UK Border Agency, and are being offered a salary at or above market rate.

However, for those entrepreneurs who have a business idea they wish to develop, there will be an opportunity to apply for a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa. The Higher Education Institution where you studied will be the one to assess your eligibility for this visa. If successful, you will be given a maximum of 2 years, after which you can apply to move into the Tier 1: Entrepreneur visa category with an investment of £50,000 to put into your business.

For further details see our Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) page!

Maintenance requirement increases

nikki — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:34:36 +0000

The UK Government have announced that, for the first time since the Points Based System was introduced, the ‘Maintenance’ requirement for all Points Based System applications will be increased, as follows:

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur): £3100 if applying from outside the UK, £900 if applying from inside the UK; held for 3 months, for applicants applying from 14 June 2012 onwards
Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur): £3100 if applying from outside the UK, £900 if applying from inside the UK; held for 3 months, for applicants applying from 14 June 2012 onwards
Tier 2: £900, held for 3 months (or sponsor certifies Maintenance), for applicants applying from 14 June 2012 onwards
Tier 4 (General): £1000 per month for up to 9 months if studying in inner-London, £800 per month for up to 9 months if studying outside inner-London; held for 28 days (alongside outstanding tuition), for applicants applying from 6 April 2012 onwards
Tier 4 (Child): £550 per month for up to 9 months if staying with a foster carer or relative, £1500 per month for up to 9 months if under 12 with a parent accompanying plus £600 per month for each additional child; held for 28 days (alongside outstanding tuition), for applicants applying from 6 April 2012 onwards
Tier 4 (Child) aged 16 or 17: £900 per month for up to 9 months if studying in inner-London, £700 per month for up to 9 months if studying outside inner-London; held for 28 days (alongside outstanding tuition), for applicants applying from 6 April 2012 onwards
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker): £900, held for 3 months, for applicants applying from 14 June 2012 onwards
Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme): £1800, held at time of application, for applicants applying from 6 April 2012 onwards
Dependants of Tier 1: £1800 per dependant where the Tier 1 visa holder has been in the UK for less than 12 months, £600 otherwise, held for 3 months, for applicants applying from 14 June 2012 onwards
Dependants of Tiers 2 and 5: £600 per dependant, held for 3 months (or sponsor certifies Maintenance), for applicants applying from 14 June 2012 onwards
Dependants of Tier 4: £600 per dependant per month for up to 9 months where Tier 4 visa holder is studying in inner-London, £450 per dependant per month for up to 9 months where Tier 4 visa holder is studying outside inner-London, held for 28 days, for applicants applying from 6 April 2012 onwards.

As always with Points Based System applications, the format of your supporting documentation demonstrating that you have held these amounts is key! If you would like our help reviewing your documents let us know!

For more information on all of the above visas see our UK Visas page!

Biometrics Residence Permits

nikki — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:22:41 +0000

The government has announced that various changes with Biometrics Residence Permits will come into effect from Spring 2012. Biometrics Residence Permits are only given to those already in the UK who apply to change their immigration status to certain visa categories.

All those applying to stay longer than 6 months will be required to get a Biometrics Residence Permit
The Post Office will be able to take biometrics in 100 locations across the country
Employers will be able to check employees Biometrics Residence Permits details online.

Youth Mobility Scheme for Japanese nationals

nikki — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:13:06 +0000

There will be a change to the way the Youth Mobility Scheme is run for Japanese nationals for 2012. There are only 1000 visas available, and instead of operating on a ‘first come first served’ basis as previously, those who wish to apply for 2012 must e-mail:

YMS2012-APPOINTMENT@vfshelpline.com

between 12pm 4th January to 12pm 6th January (Japanese time). Your name, date of birth and passport number must be included in the subject line.

1000 will be selected at random and successful applicants will be informed by 12th January. Japanese nationals under 31 living anywhere in the world can apply.

Student visas – next changes 4 July

nikki — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:47:06 +0000

As of 4th July 2011, the following changes will be introduced to Tier 4 Student Visas:

only those studying at Higher Education Institutions, or publicly funded Further Education colleges, will be allowed to work; Study Abroad programmes will continue to be able to offer work placements
nationals of ‘low risk’ counties will not be required to submit evidence of how they obtained a place on the course, nor of their Maintenance; however, they must have the evidence available if requested to produce it
only dependants of students on post-graduate courses (Masters and above) will be eligible for Student Dependant visas.

Student dependants

nikki — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:47:25 +0000

New rules were brought in concerning student visas as of 21/4/11. Some further changes will be introduced in July, and more again in April 2012.

One change that is worth noting is that, as of July 2011, students studying below National Qualifications Framework level 7 or equivalent (Masters Degree level or equivalent) will not be able to bring dependants with them while they study in the UK.

If you need further information please don’t hesitate to contact us using our contacts page or enquiry form!