On December 4, local time, British Home Secretary James Cleverly announced a series of new measures to significantly restrict immigration, including a significant increase in the minimum annual salary of a work visa (skilled worker visa) to 38,700 pounds, restrictions on family companionship, and a reassessment of graduate visas (not excluding cancellation or restrictions), aiming to reduce the number of net immigrants, which is expected to be officially implemented next spring. Let's take a closer look.
The main contents of this new policy are as follows:
Increase the minimum annual wage for work visas
The reform requires employers with a work permit in the UK to raise the minimum annual wage for overseas skilled workers by almost 50% from £26,200 to £38,700. This is higher than the current median salary of full-time employees in the UK of £35,464. Health and care workers will be exempt.
Restrict medical and paramedics from bringing dependents to the UK
Stop bringing companion visas for family members when recruiting medical professionals from overseas, in order to end the abuse of such companion visas in recent years. And only healthcare providers regulated by the UK Council for Quality in Care (CQC) are eligible to sponsor and apply for work visas for overseas healthcare professionals.
Reducing the list of occupations with a shortage of work permits
The current shortage of occupation list system for overseas talents to apply for UK work visas will be reformed as soon as possible, in the hope of reducing the number of low-skilled and low-paid overseas workers. This includes the removal of the 20 per cent preferential measure for the minimum wage threshold for skilled workers in short supply. And further comprehensive assessment of shortage industries, positions, significantly reduced.
Raise the minimum income threshold for family visas
The minimum income threshold for UK sponsors who wish to apply for a reunification visa for family members (couple, minor children) overseas will also be raised to £38,700 to ensure the financial basis for family reunification. The current minimum income is £18,600, which has been since 2012.
Review of Graduate Visa (PSW Visa).
The MAC will be asked to re-examine the assessment of the Graduate visa to prevent abuse of the visa;and to protect the integrity and quality of higher education in the UK.
Currently, this visa allows international students to apply for a two-year (undergraduate or master's) or three-year (PhD) graduate visa to live freely in the UK for Xi working life after graduating from a UK tertiary institution.
In July this year, the UK revoked the right of non-research international postgraduate students to bring their family members to the UK and the right of students to visa non-early transfer to work, as well as the eligibility of international students to switch work permits before graduating from a UK university.
The UK Immigration Health Surcharge IHS will be increased to £1,035
In July this year, the United Kingdom** has issued an announcement that it plans to significantly increase the immigration health surcharge (IHS), after the British Home Office tentatively set the date of the specific price increase in the relevant amendment order as January 16, 2024.
The specific price increase plan is to increase the IHS from £470 to £776 per year for children and students, and from £624 to £1,035 per year for applicants under other visa routes. It is hoped that newcomers will pay more for publicly funded health services in the UK, while reducing the misuse of NHS resources in the public health care system.
In a statement to MPs, the Home Secretary said that immigration in the UK "needs to be reduced" and that there has been "abuse" of medical and nursing visas for many years. "Immigration policies must be fair, legal and sustainable," he said. ”
The immigration plan comes after official data last month showed net migration soared to a record 745,000 in 2022. Conservative MPs have since put pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his ** to lower net immigration.
The sharp increase in net migration is a huge political challenge for Sunak and the Conservative Party, who have repeatedly pledged to reduce net migration since coming to power in 2010 and to "take back control of the UK's borders" since the Brexit referendum. The party's 2019 election manifesto is committed to reducing the number of immigrants, and the issue of immigration is expected to be a key issue before the next ** in 2024.
The Home Secretary has told MPs that the policy changes will come into effect next spring. He also said that the implementation of this series of policies means that the number of people in the UK will be about 300,000 fewer in the next few years than last year.
To sum up, in fact, since the beginning of this year, there will be new changes in the UK visa policy almost every month, and the policy threshold can be described as wide and tight, but the overall trend is becoming more and more stringent!
Therefore, at the time of each change, we have always emphasized and reminded applicants who intend to apply for a UK visa that they must make a decision as soon as possible and apply for it as soon as possible, so as to catch up with the window period before the change, in case the policy changes suddenly affect the overall application process!
In addition, visa applicants need to be reminded that from October this year, a series of visa-related service fees such as visa applications, naturalization applications and expedited services in and outside the UK have been officially **, and IHS fees will also be significantly ** next spring, and the cost of visa applications in the UK will be significantly increased in the future!If you have a UK visa, please submit your application as soon as possible to catch the last train before the price policy!
Innovation Founder Visainnovator visa
Project Benefits. The processing period is 6-9 months, and 3 years for permanent residence.
Main applicant: can work (work in a start-up company), study, start a business.
Spouse: can work, study, start a business.
Minor children can attend both public and private schools.
The whole family has the same medical treatment as a British citizen.
Eligibility. From the age of 18, you can bring your spouse and children under the age of 18
Invest from £50,000, deposit for 90 days, and issue a certificate
Provide a letter of endorsement (through the endorsement body for approval BP);
IELTS Class G 55 points, English-speaking countries bachelor's degree or above are exempted;
No tuberculosis, no criminal record certificate;
The subsistence allowance is held in a personal bank account for 28 days, £1,270 for the main applicant and £285 for the dependent.
Work visaskilled worker visa
UK Work Permit Application Requirements:Personal:
1. The main applicant is over 18 years old and can bring his or her spouse and children under the age of 18
2. Language ability: CEFR B1 (4 in listening, speaking, reading and writing, 4 in IELTS for immigration, 43 PTE);
3. No tuberculosis and no criminal record.
Jobs:
1. To work for a UK employer, the employer needs to be approved by the Immigration Department to sponsor the license
2. Obtain the COS number (Certificate of Sponsorship) issued by the Immigration Bureau for the applicant's job position, and the job position shall not exceed the scope of the occupation list of the Immigration Bureau;
3. The salary meets the minimum requirements of the Immigration Bureau, and one of the three can be selected (all can meet the highest selection): annual salary of 25,600 pounds and hourly salary of 10£10 to meet the salary corresponding to the immigration occupation**.