From 15 October 2024, UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) will no longer be provided by Sopra Steria UK. TLScontact will take over the running of UKVCAS. Applicants can book their biometrics appointment with Sopra Steria UK by 14 October 2024 by logging in to your UKVCAS account via Sopra Steria website (www.ukvcas.co.uk). We previously published an article on changes to commercial partners and this current article is a…
Read MoreUK immigration news – increased Home Office removal activity if ‘no right to be in the UK’
Removal of foreign nationals with ‘no right to be in the UK’ Removal of failed asylum seekers and those with ‘no right to be in the UK’ is high on the current UK government’s agenda. According to BBC news and other online sources, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and the Home Office have promised a “large surge” in returns flights for failed asylum seekers and others with no right to be…
Read MoreUK immigration update – Changes to the commercial partner visa application services
Changes to the commercial partner visa application services According to Home Office updates, between September 2024 and January 2025, the commercial partner will change from TLScontact to VFS Global in some locations in: Other parts of the world are not affected. Commercial partners are commercial organizations to whom Home Office outsources the biometric appointments & documents collection from visa applicants and forwarding them to Home Office UKVI. We provide more…
Read MoreSuspicious COS check website claiming to be Home Office – important for UK work visas
Potentially fake COS Check website Many UK work visa applicants search for ways to check if their Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) is genuine. Recently we have came across a website which seems to impersonate Home Office COS checking. If it was a genuine site it would be useful for applicants. However, the COS Check site is a rather suspicious one. We write more about this further below. Skilled worker visa…
Read MoreLabour may stop further minimum income increase for spouse & family visas and revise the £29,000 current minimum.
We have written extensively about the challenges to the new financial requirements for spouse/unmarried partner visa in the UK. Recently, as noted by The Telegraph, there have been new developments in the matter. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary in new Labour government has announced some updates. For the moment, the most important is the freezing of the current threshold of financial requirement for the spouse visa at the level of…
Read MoreIndia young professionals scheme ballot for July 2024 announced
Home Office has announced dates for the India Young Professionals Scheme July ballot. The next ballot will open at 1:30pm India Standard Time on 16 July, and close at 1:30pm India Standard Time on 18 July 2024. To take part in the ballot you have to meet the requirements, which we list below, and to go to the dedicated Home Office page on the specified time. We always advise applicants…
Read MoreNew definition of Partner for family visas in the UK immigration rules – durable relationship
Relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership includes durable partnership Durable partnership for family visas – recent changes to the UK immigration rules. Family visas for the UK have various complexities and applicants face numerous hurdles to bring their families to the UK from overseas. This includes high financial requirement and high visa costs. The recently increased financial requirement that is now £29,000 and is due to be £38,700 by…
Read MoreMinimum income requirement family visas – legal challenge Judicial Review- spouse partner and other family visas
Reunite Families UK (RFUK) is a not for profit organisation supporting families who are affected by the UK spouse visa rules. Reunite Families UK (RFUK) has recently issued (June 2024) a formal legal challenge in the High Court to the government’s decision to raise the minimum income requirement (MIR) for family visas to £29,000 in April 2024 and going up to £38,700 by 2025. The legal challenge will take sometime…
Read MoreWhat next for UK Health & Care sector visa sponsors – further restrictions on care sector sponsorship possible
Health & Care sponsors what to expect – Campaigners are calling for improved minimum standards for Care Sector visa sponsors According to the recently published article in the Guardian dated 3rd March 2024 ‘Campaigners are calling for improved minimum standards for visa sponsors, including a requirement for providers to be operating for at least two years before being allowed licences, and a requirement for them to have been inspected recently…
Read MoreImportant UK immigration update – MAC published its Rapid Review of Shortage Occupation List
UK immigration update – MAC published its Rapid Review of Shortage Occupation List UK immigration update 23rd February 2024 Migration Advisory Committee’s SOL rapid review. Shortage Occupation List is due to be transformed into Immigration Salary List (ISL). On 4 December 2023, the Home Secretary announced several changes to the immigration system related to the Skilled Worker (SW) route. Subsequently on 17 January 2024 the government commissioned the Migration Advisory…
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