Sponsor Licence Compliance: Essential Guide
As a licensed sponsor you have a number of duties and responsibilities so as to ensure compliance with the immigration rules and prevent abuse of the system – both by you as a sponsoring employer and by any migrants that you sponsor. Failure to meet the Home Office requirements can lead to sponsor licence suspension […]
What is a Certificate of Sponsorship?
Those entering the UK workforce from outside the UK often require sponsorship from a licensed UK employer. This sponsorship system acts as a bridge, connecting skilled individuals from overseas with job opportunities and facilitating their legal entry and residence in the UK. The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is a crucial aspect of this system, enabling […]
Civil Penalty under Immigration Act (Been Fined?)
As part of the Home Office’s enforcement toolkit against illegal working, employers who are found to be in breach of their immigration compliance duties may be issued a civil penalty under the Immigration Act 2016. The Immigration Act also introduced criminal offences in cases of illegal employment and provided additional powers for immigration officers to […]
Do You Need an Artist Visa for the UK?
If you’re a professional artist or entertainer looking to perform in the UK, you may need to obtain a visa before you can travel here to work. Since the end of EU free movement in 2020, EU citizens coming to the UK for work will also require a visa. The following guide looks at the […]
How to Check Someone’s Proof of Right to Work
All UK employers, irrespective of size or sector, are required by law to ensure that any prospective and existing employees are legally entitled to work in the UK and to undertake the work in question. Failure to check and verify an employee’s proof of right to work in the UK prior to the start of […]
Right to Work Documents List
Every worker in the UK has to provide proof to their employer that they have the right to work. This requirement applies regardless of the worker’s nationality, residency status, age or race. UK employers are required by law to carry out right to work document checks prior to any candidate starting employment. To carry out […]
Employing Overseas Workers in the UK
In most cases, UK-based employers will need to hold a valid sponsor licence in order to employ overseas workers. Foreign nationals are generally subject to UK immigration control, unless the individual has UK settled status, for example under the EU settlement scheme or holds valid UK indefinite leave to remain. Those that require permission to […]
Right to Work UK: Compliance for Employers
Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, all employers are required to meet their duties to prevent illegal working in the UK by carrying out checks to ensure that anyone who applies to them for employment has the right to work in the UK. Illegal working penalties for employers Illegal working can come in […]
HGV Driver Temporary Concession
A new immigration route has opened allowing non-UK HGV drivers to come to Britain to work on a temporary basis. The HGV driver temporary concession applies to fuel tanker drivers from non-visa national countries coming to the UK between 1 October 2021 and 15 October 2021. Eligible individuals can request to enter the UK border […]
Do Interns Need a Visa to Work in the UK?
Under the UK’s immigration rules, non-UK nationals have to have permission to work in the UK, which includes doing an internship, short-term work experience and training. The following guide explains the type of temporary work visa you would need to do an internship in the UK, including the eligibility requirements, the application process, the costs, […]
Tier 5 Visa For Temporary Workers
The Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) visa is a temporary visa for workers in specific sectors. The jobs covered by a Tier 5 visa are: creative and sporting workers, religious workers, charity workers, seasonal workers, workers under international agreements and government authorised exchange workers. You are only eligible for a Tier 5 visa if you have […]
What is the Frontier Worker Permit?
What is the frontier worker permit and how do you apply? Frontier workers are individuals who work in one country while their primary residence is in another. EU freedom of movement has enabled frontier workers to come and go between the UK and EU member states without being subject to immigration control. Under new rules […]
How to Get a Working Holiday Visa for the UK
A working holiday visa allows people from overseas between the ages of 18 and 30 to come to the UK to work and travel for a period of two years. Following changes in UK immigration law on 1st January 2021, the T5 Youth Mobility Scheme visa, formerly called a Tier 5 visa, enables individuals who […]
Tier 2: Guide for Employees
For most skilled economic migrants, the Tier 2 Visa is the primary route into the UK. The Tier 2 Visa gives an employee from outside the EEA and Switzerland the right to reside and work in the UK for up to 5 years. Employees working on a Tier 2 Visa also have a number of […]
Civil Penalty (How to Challenge a Home Office Fine!)
As a UK employer you are under a duty to prevent illegal working by carrying out right to work document checks confirming all of your employees are lawfully allowed to work in the UK and undertake the work on offer. Failure to carry out these checks correctly or failing to carry them out at all […]
Tier 4 to Tier 2 (Switching Employee Visas)
If you are an employer looking to hire an international student graduate who has studied in the UK under Tier 4 of the points based system, the following guidance sets out the process of switching from a Tier 4 to Tier 2 visa. Further reference should also be made to the detailed Home Office guidance […]
US B1 B2 Visa for Business and Tourism
If you are ineligible for the Visa Waiver Program, to gain lawful entry into the USA for short-term visit you will be required to apply for a visa. For temporary stays, the B1 visa category allows entry into the US for foreign nationals looking to carry out business in the USA, and the B2 for […]
What are Right to Work Checks?
It is incumbent upon all UK employers, irrespective of size or sector, to ensure that both prospective and existing employees are legally entitled to work in the UK. The consequences of failing to carry out right to works checks, or to do so correctly, can have serious consequences for you individually, as well as your […]
Civil Penalty Immigration: Employing Illegal Workers
Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 your business may be liable for a civil penalty if you employ someone who does not have permission to work in the UK or do the work on offer. All UK employers are under a duty to prevent illegal working by carrying out prescribed document checks. This […]
Sponsor Licence Renewal: Guide for Employers
Sponsor licences are initially granted to employers for a period of four years. If you wish to continue employing non-EEA workers beyond this four-year point, you will need to apply to the Home Office to renew your sponsor licence ahead of its expiry. Sponsor licences do not automatically renew. An expired sponsor licence will mean […]