There are a number of important Immigration rule changes occurring from the 6th April 2015, which affects the majority of migrants on visas already in the UK and those planning to apply for a visa for the UK.
The most significant of the changes are summarised below:
The Home Office are introducing the Immigration Health Surcharge on 6th April 2015. It will apply to applications where payment is made on or after the 6th April. The health surcharge will be set at £200 a year for temporary migrants and £150 a year for students. Dependants will generally be charged the same amount as their main applicant. The following exceptions apply to individuals from: New Zealand, Australian, and EEA nationals will not be required to pay this surcharge, as well as all Tier 2 ICT applicants.
The Home Office have condensed the number of visit visa options, cutting 15 different routes down to 4.
Major changes will affect Tier 1 Entrepreneur route, where the applicant must produce a business plan, prove the genuineness of the investment and prove they experience in a similar business environment. Home Office will also assess such aspects as: previous educational history, viability of business and funds, credibility of financial accounts etc.
The Home Office have updated the salary requirements for Tier 2 visa roles, on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes.
Appeal rights of refused visa applications and deportation orders have changed significantly, with the new appeals system only allowing appeals to be heard at the Immigration tribunal in circumstances were issues of international protection or Human Rights arise.
The Home Office have also scrapped appeal rights for all Points Based Visa applications, and instead introduced an Administrative Review process.
For full details on upcoming changes, please refer to the Home Office website: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration
Please contact us for free assessment of your immigration matter on 01793836010 or enquries@permits2work.com