Foreign Workers – Government gives more details on the new Points Based System
The Government gave further details on Monday 13 July of how the new Points Based Immigration System will operate from next year when the UK leaves the EU.
The Government gave further details on Monday 13 July of how the new Points Based Immigration System will operate from next year when the UK leaves the EU.
Any business wanting to employ EU citizens from January 2021 will need to register for a sponsor licence and pay the Immigration Skills Charge of £1,000 per worker per year. The current fees for a Tier 2 Sponsor licence depend on turnover and number of employees. Generally and by way of example those with an annual turnover of £10.2 million or less and less than 50 employees only have to pay £536 to register. Those outside these limits currently have to pay £1476. Those wishing to join the premium customer service scheme to get extra support from a licence manager can expect to pay at least an extra £8,000 per year. Approval as a Tier 4 sponsor lasts for 4 years although a licence can always be revoked during that time e.g. for breach of the conditions of the licence.
The skilled worker route may present opportunities to those employers facing a skills shortage from the domestic labour force particularly as there is:
- No Resident Labour Market Test
- No cap on the number of sponsorship certificates that can be issued each month
- Lower skill threshold (RQF3 instead of RQF6 as of now)
The government is also proposing to introduce a new Health and Care Visa with fast-track entry although this may not be as good as it sounds as care workers and home carers may be ineligible for one of these visas.
Here at Leathes Prior, we have our Employment Team and expert Immigration Lawyers that can support your business with planning for the impact of the UK’s departure from the EU – please contact us on 01603 610911 or email us here and we would be happy to discuss your bespoke circumstances with you.
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