Increase in UK Home Office visa fees from the 4th of October 2023

Home office visa fees increase announced According to the Home Office press release on 15 th September 2023: Increases to immigration and nationality fees to pay for vital services and allow more funding to be prioritised for public sector pay rises are set come into effect on 4 October. The changes mean that the cost for a visit visa for less than six months is rising by £15 to £115,…

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What UK spring 2023 budget says on immigration

UK spring 2023 budget immigration update In the Spring Budget published on 15th March 2023 the government states that it will ensure the UK labour market has access to skills and talent from abroad where needed, to help businesses tackle immediate labour shortages and ease business visits to the UK. At Thaxted Legal we focus on assisting clients with immigration matters and any publication from the UK government is useful…

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Can work start date be delayed for Skilled Worker visa – helpful changes to the 28 days rule

In June 2022 we published an article about the troublesome ‘28 days rule’ requiring migrant Skilled Workers to start work in the UK within 28 days of whichever was later: the date their visa was granted, the start date stated on their visa or the work start date stated on their COS. There was only one exception to this rule, allowing delay beyond the 28 days when migrant worker had…

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Skilled Worker visa – rules on minimum salary

What can be included in Skilled Worker’s minimum salary On 1/12/2020 the Skilled Worker visa replaced the Tier 2 General visa regime. The rules on what can be included in the minimum salary for Skilled Worker visa are different to what could be counted towards minimum pay for the Tier 2 General visa. To start with, the minimum pay for Skilled Worker has to be the highest of the following:…

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Sole responsibility for child UK

What is Sole parental responsibility in UK immigration ‘Sole responsibility’ is a legal term used in UK immigration law when there is a child’s visa application and only one parent is applying for a UK visa (or has an Indefinite Leave to Remain/is Settled) and the other parent is still alive but remaining outside the UK. In family visa applications this usually occurs when the parents relationship broke down permanently…

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work start delay skilled worker

Can work start date be delayed for Skilled Worker visa – 28 days rule The work start date for Skilled Worker visa is an important matter to consider when applying for and assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship to a migrant worker. You need to choose a realistic date on which a skilled worker is expected to start work. Sponsor employer must therefore consider all the circumstances, including the notice period…

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How to pay less for your skilled worker

Pay less for your Skilled Worker visa Those who employ migrant workers on Skilled Worker work visas in the UK quite often say that it is rather expensive to employ foreign workers. The Home Office fees for obtaining a sponsor licence, for Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for each worker, Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) and NHS Surcharge, can add thousands of pounds to the cost of employing foreign workers. All those…

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Care workers added to Health and care visa from 15th Feb 2022

Starting 15th February 2022 carers can apply for Health and Care skilled worker visa Home Office has announced that starting on 15th February 2022 care workers will be able to apply for Health and Care visa under the Skilled Worker visa scheme. All organizations holding a valid Skilled Worker sponsor licence can sponsor workers from the ‘Soc Code 6145 Care Workers and home carers’. 6145 Care workers and home carers…

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Care workers added to Health and Care Visa

Immigration rules to ease for care home sector There are some good changes coming soon to alleviate the staff shortages in the UK care sector. From about January/February 2022, for at least twelve months care workers, care assistants and home care workers will be added to the Shortage Occupation list and be eligible for the Health and Care Visa visa scheme. These new changes allow for less senior care staff…

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