The Home Office has made changes to the UK Immigration Rules, which came into affect on 6 April 2015.
Many of these changes will affect employers of skilled foreign workers, which will result in an adjustment of many companies' immigration and employment strategies.
All Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after 6 April 2015 have to incorporate the changes made to the minimum salary rates in the Codes of Practice.
Tier 2 (General) employees will be subject to the following salary increases:
▪ The minimum salary threshold is being updated from the current £20,500 to £20,800
▪ For those whose jobs are exempt from advertising in Jobcentre Plus, the current minimum salary threshold of £71,600 will be updated to £72,500
▪ For high earners, the minimum salary threshold of £153,500 is being updated to £155,300
Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) employees will be subject to the following minimum salary threshold updates:
▪ For those whose jobs qualify for the Short Term Staff, Skills Transfer or Graduate Trainee categories, the minimum salary threshold of £24,500 will be updated to £24,800
▪ For those whose jobs qualify for the Long-Term Staff category, the minimum salary threshold of £41,000 is increasing to £41,500
Migrant workers who fall into the Tier 2 (General) or Tier 2 (Sportsperson) categories and are applying for settlement on or after 6 April 2020 must receive a minimum annual salary of £36,200 at the time of application.
Furthermore, the 12 month "cooling-off period" will no longer apply to grants of Tier 2 leave of three months or less. This cooling-off period prevented applicants being granted a Tier 2 visa if they had been in the UK as a Tier 2 visa holder within the previous 12 months. However, this change will allow a much needed flexibility for businesses.
At Gherson, we have a specialised team that are able to advise employers in regards to employing migrants and provide them with clear advice on being compliant with the Home office rules and regulations in relation to the same.
Sarah Amiri
Gherson
10 April 2015