On 30th November 2022, the Home Office brought to an end “exceptional assurance”. What was “exceptional assurance”? “Exceptional assurance” was introduced by the Home Office on 24th March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offered those who intended to leave the UK due to the expiry of their visa but were unable…
On 9th November 2022, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) published a number of changes to its guidance for UK sponsors of long-term and temporary overseas workers. The updated guidance includes: Allowing sponsored employees to start their employment in the UK before their intended start date without informing the Home Office Greater flexibility regarding the 28-day…
In 2017, the Home Office introduced a visa concession, known as the Offshore Wind Worker Concession (OWWC). Since its inception, the time-limited concession has been extended a number of times to continue to allow overseas employees, involved in the construction or maintenance of offshore wind farms, to work without needing to apply for a work…
On 18th October 2022, a new Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules was published by the Home Office. The changes are wide-ranging with most changes taking effect from 9th November 2022. Areas covered include Ukrainian Scheme applications, Victims of Human Trafficking, the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, Seasonal Workers, Hong Kong BN(O) rules and…
On 4 August 2022, the Police Registration Scheme was fully abolished for foreign nationals. The suspension of the outdated scheme will be welcome news for many. The scheme previously required certain foreign nationals to visit in person at a police station for strict police checks which required a £34 fee; they would also need to…
From 12th August 2022, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) priority services have been reinstated for new overseas customers applying for sponsored work and global talent visas. Work visas normally take 15 working days to be processed, under the standard route. This timeframe has recently been extended due to the impact of the Ukraine crisis, with…
The government has now launched its new post-Brexit High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, a scheme designed to attract top graduate students from the best universities around the world. But the new visa has been criticised, as it limits applications to a heavily Western-biased list of countries – with no option for the brightest students from…
Emails have been sent claiming to be from A & Y Law Limited in relation to an immigration matter. What is the scam? Emails have been sent claiming to be from two individual called ‘Govind Raj’ and ‘Bhaskar’ claiming to be ‘Tier 2 General Visa Consultant’ at a genuine firm of solicitors in relation to…
The costs for UK Visas and Immigration applications, as well as nationality applications, are reviewed every year. Different application costs apply to different UK visa categories, depending on whether the application is for entry clearance or in-country processing, as well as the visa’s term in some situations. Before applying, it’s usually a good idea to…
