Tier 1 (General) to close overseas from 23 December 2010 and a new interim limit for Tier 2 has been announced

The UK Border Agency has announced today, 21 December 2010 that acceptance of Tier 1 (General) applications made overseas will cease from 00:01 (UK time) on 23 December 2010. This is in response to the UK Border Agency’s introduction (19 July 2010) of a limit on the number of Tier 1 (General) visas that would be issued overseas to initial applicants until 31 March 2011.

The rationale behind this is that the UK Border Agency want to ensure that they do not exceed the limit that was set earlier this year so they will not accept applications after 23 December 2010 and they will only process applications which have a reasonable prospect of being granted before the limit is reached. The Tier 1 (General) category will not reopen for overseas applications after this date however in-country applications are not affected and will be accepted as usual until 5 April 2011.

Applications submitted by midnight (UK time) on 22 December 2010 will be processed as normal however visas will only be issued from January 2011 as the limit for this month was reached on 7 December 2010. An application will only be deemed as ‘valid’ before 22 December 2010 where the UK Border Agency filing fee has been paid, therefore it is important that any Tier 1 (General) applicants applying before the deadline ensure that the fee for their application has been paid.

The UK Border Agency has also announced a new limit on the number of Certificates of Sponsorship to be issued until 5 April 2011. The new limit has been set at 10,832 and all changes will take place with immediate effect.

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