For those businesses that employ foreign workers the following lists current changes to UK Border Agency regulations:
- The annual limit on skilled workers with a job offer under Tier 2 has now been applied since the 6 April 2011. Under the annual limit employers will only be able to bring 20,700 people from outside the EU to work in skilled professions.
- A further 1,000 visas are available to people of “ exceptional talent” in the science and arts field
- The skilled professionals will need to have a job offer at graduate level, speak English at intermediate level and meet specific salary requirements in defined jobs.
- There is no limit to those skilled workers whose salary will be £150,000 or more.
- The Intra Company Transfer (ICT) route is not subject to the limit. However, the job will also have to be in an occupation on the graduate occupation list; only those paid £40,000 or more will be able to stay more than a year; those people earning between £24,000 and £40,000 will be able to come to the UK for 12 months and will not be able to re-enter under the ICT route for 12 months after leaving.
- Tier 1 (skilled workers) is abolished and is only open to entrepreneurs, investors and people of exceptional talent.
- However the rules for investors and entrepreneurs with large sums of money to invest in the UK have been relaxed to allow those people to settle in the UK more quickly.
- The changes are likely to cause difficulty for many employers who rely on specialist qualified overseas staff to fill gaps in the resident labour skills sect.
- There are also constant significant changes to student immigration and this may affect numerous businesses that operate as colleges offering courses to foreign national students.
These changes are ongoing so to stay ahead of the issues stay in contact with Birkett Long.
If any of these changes are likely to affect your business or your current employees please contact Ashlee Campbell on ashlee.campbell@birkettlong.co.uk
