The Home Office has published its latest Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, most of which will take effect from 12 April this year. The key changes of interest to employers are likely to be these:… Continue Reading
UK employers are generally aware of the need to carry out prescribed checks to ensure their employees have the right to work, and the consequences of illegal employment (civil penalty of £20,000, risk to sponsor licence or, in extreme cases, criminal prosecution). But the way in which the Home Office says these checks must be … Continue Reading
The EU Settlement Scheme designed to protect the rights of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their families already resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 is based on the citizens’ rights section of the UK government’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. However, the Withdrawal Agreement has been considered and rejected by the House … Continue Reading
EU citizens and their family members may now apply under the EU Settlement Scheme as part of a public test phase, running from 21 January 2019. Our Brexit Legal Blog contains further information. You can still register for our Brexit Immigration Webinar: White Paper and EU Settlement, which takes place this Thursday 24 January at … Continue Reading
The UK government has now published its long-awaited Immigration White Paper, including proposals for new rules to be phased in from 2021. It has also indicated that a wider public test phase for the EU Settlement Scheme will be open from 21 January 2019. What does this mean for your business and what should you … Continue Reading
Just days before we head off for some festive respite from the Brexit chaos, the Immigration White Paper has finally been published (a full 164 page delight!). Here’s a brief summary of the key proposals, what employers should do next and how our Business Immigration team can help. As one of the fundamental challenges facing … Continue Reading
How will your business be affected by restrictions on hiring EEA nationals from 2021? The Government has said it will publish an immigration White Paper in the coming weeks. This should provide details of its intended post-Brexit immigration policy. We are hoping that businesses will be given a formal opportunity to comment on the proposed … Continue Reading
Squire Patton Boggs presents a webinar to discuss the latest practical guidance and analysis on the EU Settlement Scheme. The Home Secretary has issued a Statement of Intent relating to the Scheme, which will be rolled out from late 2018. The Statement explains in more detail the criteria and process for EU citizens to obtain … Continue Reading
Theresa May sent an email to EU citizens in the UK yesterday to assure them that their rights are her ‘first priority’ but what did they actually learn?… Continue Reading
The government yesterday published its Rights of EU Citizens in the UK Policy Paper Factsheet for workers and employers together with detailed proposals setting out its offer to EU nationals currently resident in the UK and those proposing to enter for the purpose of residency, pre-Brexit. Although there is a fair amount of detail to … Continue Reading
Hot on the heels of the House of Lords’ proposed amendment to the Brexit Bill to safeguard the status of EU nationals in the UK, the Select Committee for Exiting the EU has published a report stating that the ‘current process for consideration of permanent residency applications is not fit for purpose and, in the … Continue Reading
Businesses employing staff without the right to work face civil penalties of up to £20,000 per illegal employee. These can be imposed without proof of illegal working (or the employer’s awareness of it) – it is then up to the employer to demonstrate that the employee did have the right to work or that it … Continue Reading
Immigration continues to dominate the Brexit debate – here is a round-up of where we currently stand: Can they stay or must they go? EEA nationals currently in the UK According to Telegraph reports, Home Office research has concluded that when the UK leaves the EU, just over 80 per cent of EU citizens already … Continue Reading
Home Office scrutiny of illegal working has increased significantly over recent months – businesses with large, diverse multi-sited workforces appear to be particularly at risk, but civil penalties are no longer something which only happens to other people. The civil penalty regime has the very laudable aim of deterring UK employers from hiring staff without … Continue Reading
Following the Migration Advisory Committee’s January recommendations regarding the Government’s proposals to restrict Tier 2 of the Points Based System, the Home Office has now announced the changes that will be implemented across Tier 2. Compared to the initial radical proposals put forward by the Government to restrict Tier 2 last summer, the Home Office’s … Continue Reading
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to review Tier 2 of the UK’s immigration system “with a view to significantly reducing net migration to the UK”. On 25 September we submitted our response to the MAC’s call for evidence. It took into account opinions canvassed from a number of international clients and contacts … Continue Reading
With the general election rapidly approaching, Home Secretary Theresa May is clearly still under pressure to reduce net migration in the hope of retaining the populist vote under threat from UKIP, but at what cost? May is said to be pushing for international students to be required to leave the UK as soon as they … Continue Reading
Following our update last week regarding the Home Office’s Code of Practice on Preventing Illegal Working and the Civil Penalty Scheme for Employers, updated Guidance explaining the changes to employer right to work checks has now been published. On 16 May 2014, as previously advised, the Home Office’s Code of Practice on Preventing Illegal Working … Continue Reading
Sir James Dyson has told Sky News that Britain’s immigration rules are “sheer madness” and counter-productive to the country’s economic ambitions. In his view, the UK is not doing enough to make non-EU undergraduates studying science and engineering feel welcome and they should be allowed to stay in Britain on qualification rather than have to … Continue Reading
May 2014 The Home Office has issued a draft Code of Practice on Preventing Illegal Working and the Civil Penalty Scheme for Employers which introduces a number of key changes relating to employee right to work checks. As most employers will be aware, the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 imposes a responsibility on employers … Continue Reading
Just when we were beginning to worry that a week had passed without a decent immigration story, our own Immigration Minister comes up trumps! Mark Harper MP has resigned from his Cabinet post because his (now former) cleaner, Ms Isabella Acevedo, does not have the right to work in the UK. Mr Harper has denied … Continue Reading
There’s nothing better than a few statistics to fuel the debate on immigration and I’m always drawn to any mention of positive or negative fiscal impact on this topic. The BBC’s recent article ‘More or Less: Calculating how much migrants cost or benefit a nation‘ is very informative, but does it give the full picture? … Continue Reading
In a report published this weekend commissioned by former Conservative Deputy Chairman, Lord Ashcroft, a poll of more than 20,000 people revealed that 60% believe that immigration has overall brought more disadvantages than advantages to Britain. This is at odds with numerous academic studies showing that the net fiscal impact of immigration is positive but … Continue Reading
