On 18 October 2022, the Home Office announced various changes to a number of UK immigration rules. Some notable changes to the new revision include:
Calculating the salary requirement of Skilled Worker
A significant change is made to calculate the salary to satisfy the Skilled worker salary requirement. Guaranteed payments other than basic salary will be accepted for applications submitted on or after 9 November 2022, provided they are treated exactly the same as basic gross pay for tax, pension, and national insurance reasons.
Seasonal Poultry Worker
The Poultry Seasonal Worker Route is designed to support the poultry industry sector during the peak seasonal demand ahead of Christmas. Various workers who wish to work in the poultry sector, such as butchers, Plucker, or Poultry processors may apply for this visa and the application should be made before 15 November every year. They will need to be at least £25,600 per year pro-rated and receive at least 30 hours of paid employment each week. This is to ensure that wages for workers in roles that would qualify for the Skilled Worker route are not less than they would be required to be paid under that route.
No Changes to the Innovator Visa
After the closure of Tier 1 (Investor) route in February 2022, the government stated its plan to develop a route for talented and experienced professional business angel investors to invest in creative companies in the United Kingdom. This was not mentioned in the 10 October 2022 statement of Change.
Changes to the Evidential Requirements for Arts & Culture and Digital Technology Global Talent Visa
Applicants for an Arts and Culture or Digital Technology endorsement will continue to be required to provide three letters of support. From 9 November 2022 onwards, however, one of the letters of recommendation must come from organizations or individuals who have directly worked with the applicant. This is intended to ensure writers are able to comprehensively consider the applicant’s work in a way which will support a claim of exceptional talent or promise. The letters of support must show how the author knows the applicant, their achievements in their professional field, and how the author considers that the applicant shows exceptional talent or promise.
Citizens of Colombia, Guyana, and Peru Granted Non-visa National Status
From 9 November 2022, citizens of Colombia, Guyana, and Peru are being made non-visa nationals.
A non-visa national can normally seek entry as a Visitor's arrival in the UK, without needing to obtain a visit visa before travelling to the UK.
However, it should be noted that non-visa nationals are still examined by an immigration officer on arrival entry and they need to satisfy the requirements for entry. For example, you should be able to fully explain the purpose of your visit to the UK, the cost of your visit, and the return travel arrangement.
Hong Kong BN(O) Household Member Route Expanded for Adult Children
The Hong Kong BN(O) Household Member Visa allows adult children born on or after 1 July 1997 of a BN(O) Status Holder or a BN(O) Status Holder's spouse to live, work, and study in the United Kingdom.
This change applies to individuals who have at least one BN(O) parent, are at least 18 years old, were born on or after July 1, 1997, and reside in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, or the Crown Dependencies.
Ukraine Extension Scheme
As the war in Ukraine dragged on, the UK government decided to encourage people to apply for leave under the Ukraine Extension Scheme to help Ukrainian nationals. The extension scheme is to require Ukrainians who have permission to enter or stay in the UK on 18 March 2022(who held permission which expired on or after 1 January 2022) to apply for an extension to maintain their legal stay in the UK.
In this post, we highlight some of the most significant changes made to the Immigration Rules by the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC719), which was published on 18 October 2022.
Temporary Permission to Stay for victims of human trafficking or slavery
Temporary permission to stay for victims staying in the UK of human trafficking or slavery will be in effect from January 30, 2023. A temporary stay permit is granted when the Secretary of State deems it necessary for the purpose, to assist in the physical and psychological damage of the person, enabling the person to seek compensation for the damage, and enabling the person to cooperate with a public authority in connection with an investigation or criminal proceedings in respect of the relevant exploitation.
You can apply as a victim or child of human trafficking or slavery and a temporary permit is granted for a period not exceeding 30 months.
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