2023 brings immigration changes

Watch this space for details on big changes later this year:

• Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) – Non-visa national visitors will need permission to before traveling to the UK as visitors
• The EU is launching the similar European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) whereby UK and other nationals who travel visa free will complete an online form and pay €7 for an ETIAS approval before travel to the EU
• Some visa holders will be able to use e-Gates when entering the UK
• Streamlined sponsored worker application processes, e.g. details of a role approved for sponsorship will feed into sponsored workers’ online application forms
• Sponsorship Management System improvements will make activities like adding a Level 1 User easier

UK Visit Visas Webinar

We are kicking off our webinar programme for the year with a free session on UK Visit Visas. As Columbian nationals can now enter the UK as visitors without visas, I have invited Luis A. Pinilla, Esq. of Pinilla Plazas & Asociados, to join us virtually from Bogota. Luis and I will discuss permissible business activities for visitors. I will explain the travel authorisation systems being introduced in the UK and the EU.

Please register here to join us at 3pm GMT on Thursday 23 February 2023.

A new Immigration Skills Charge exemption

Global Business Mobility sponsors will be pleased to learn of a new Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) exemption introduced on 1 January 2023 for some Senior or Specialist Workers: If an EU business that is linked to the UK sponsor assigns an EU national worker to the UK sponsor for 3 years or less, the ISC will not apply.

The exemption results in a saving of £1872 for the UK sponsor, per application. The Senior or Specialist Worker visa type has become somewhat redundant over the last couple of years. For UK businesses getting a lot of transfers from linked EU offices, the Senior or Specialist Worker visa is now a more attractive option.

What happens when a sponsored worker is terminated?

Here is a short video that will be helpful to both employers and employees in situations where sponsorship is ending earlier than the date stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship.

UK immigration options for setting up in business

In this video, I run through the main visa options for businesses seeking to expand to the UK.

Fast love? Priority service for partner applications

 A 15-working day priority service is being introduced for partner applications made from overseas and a 1-working day service is available for partner applications made from within the UK. Vive l’amour!