Immigration Solicitors

The government has announced reforms to the skilled worker visa, to protect job opportunities for UK residents and reduce UK businesses’ reliance on international recruitment.

Changes to the Tier 2 visa are also designed to prevent businesses using workers from overseas to undercut wages.

The government says that the Tier 2 visa reforms will generate further investment in the UK skills base – and encourage the most talented graduates to stay and work in the UK once they have finished their studies.

Following a series of recommendations put forward by the Migration Advisory Committee in January, the government has announced an increase in the minimum salary threshold for experienced workers using Tier 2 visas, to £25,000 in Autumn 2016 and £30,000 in April 2017.

Selected occupations such as nurses, paramedics and some teachers will be exempt from this rise until July 2019 – and there will be an immigration skills charge introduced for each non-EEA worker an employer wants to bring to the UK.
There will also be new measures that will allow companies to hire more graduate trainees – and a simplification of Intra Company Transfers visas to ensure that international companies only transfer leading senior managers and specialists to the UK.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said:

“This balanced package of changes has been designed to ensure our immigration system continues to work in the national interest, ensuring that employers look first to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas.
“It will prevent companies using foreign workers to undercut wages in this country – and will help fund training schemes to give British workers the skills they need to help our economy grow further.

“At the same time, it will ensure that we are still able to attract nurses and other skilled migrants to the UK.”

In 2015, the Home Secretary ordered that nurses should be temporarily added to the Skills Shortage list to ease pressure on the NHS while UK staff are trained to fill vacancies.

The Migration Advisory Committee has advised that this should continue and the government has agreed to this.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can advise on a wide range of immigration matters, including business immigration, visa applications and appeals, student visas, spouse visas and visa overstays.

Duncan Lewis is also able to advise on right to work in the UK, the Modern Slavery Bill, illegal entry to the UK, asylum in the UK and asylum appeals – as well as appeals against deportation from the UK under the Human Rights Act.

For expert legal advice on UK immigration law, call Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 0333 772 0409.

For urgent help with immigration matters, call the Duncan Lewis 24-Hour Emergency Helpline on 0333 772 0607, where an accredited immigration lawyer is available 24/7.