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The Home Office is increasing certain immigration and nationality fees, effective April 9.
Key Points:
Additional Information: In addition, for skilled worker applications, worker sponsor license fees for medium or large sponsors will increase from £1,476 to £1,579. For visit visas, short visits up to six months will be £127, long visits up to two years will be £475, long visits up to five years will be £848 and long visits up to 10 years will be £1,059. Optional premium services (both inside and outside the U.K.) will largely remain unchanged. Businesses sponsoring employees and education institutions sponsoring students should be aware of the fee increases and take them into account in their 2025 budgets.
As BAL reported, the fee increases come after Parliament recently proposed changes to raise immigration and nationality products and service fees to generate additional revenue as part of the government’s Plan for Change and reduce reliance of the migration and borders system on taxpayer funding. Increases to the upfront immigration health surcharge were introduced last year and coincide with the Home Office removing the requirement to renew sponsor licenses for organizations automatically extending all licenses due to expire on or after April 6 for an additional 10 years. Sponsor licenses due to expire before April 6 must still apply for renewal and pay the non-recoupable fee before the expiration date.
The Home Office recently issued a statement of changes in Immigration Rules and are expected to release an Immigration White Paper soon to set out the government’s future border and immigration system core objectives. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.
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The Home Office issued a statement of changes in Immigration Rules outlining key changes to the Skilled Worker route, as well as important updates to the electronic travel authorization (ETA) program and EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).
Additional Information: In addition, the Home Office is making changes to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, including eligibility expansion to children under 18 who were previously granted Leave Outside the Rules, aligning their status with their families as well as updating the quotas of Youth Mobility Scheme partner countries for 2025.
In their statement concerning the new rules prioritizing recruiting care workers, the government elaborated that the rules come as the government continues implementation of a series of measures to reduce the potential for abuse of visa routes and coincides with their plan to reduce the high levels of legal migration seen in recent years. The Home Office is expected to release an Immigration White Paper soon to set out in the government’s future border and immigration system core objectives. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The Home Office updated their guidance on the good character requirement, specifically certain factors that are taken into account when assessing whether a person meets this requirement when applying for British citizenship.
Additional Information: The guidance states that those who applied before Feb. 10 where illegal entry is a factor will continue to have their application reviewed to determine whether that immigration breach should be disregarded.
The guidance has also been updated to include those arriving without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorization (ETA). As BAL reported, the government is currently in the process of implementing a new ETA system, and a person who applies for citizenship who has previously arrived without a required valid entry clearance or ETA and having made a dangerous journey will also now normally be refused citizenship if applying after Feb. 10. Officials clarified that a dangerous journey includes, but is not limited to, traveling by small boat or concealed in a vehicle or other conveyance but does not include arrival as a passenger with a commercial airline. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The U.K. government announced expired physical documentation will be accepted for international travel until June 1, 2025, for visa holders making the transition to the new eVisa system.
Additional Information: According to Home Office statistics, over four million U.K. visa holders have successfully created an account to access their eVisa, and an estimated 600,000 people have yet to switch.
The Home Office is transitioning to a new eVisa system to create a streamlined digital border and immigration system. The grace period is designed to ease the shift to the digital system and address technical issues faced by some visa holders. Officials stated that this update does not affect the way that Border Force conducts its passenger checks and that passengers will remain subject to the usual immigration checks and requirements.
Eligible European nationals will be able to apply for an electronic travel authorization (ETA) beginning March 5 and will require an ETA prior to travel to the U.K. beginning April 2.
Latest Information: BAL reported the recent Home Office announcement of a temporary exemption from obtaining an ETA for certain passengers transiting airside who do not pass through U.K. border control. The exemption is still being kept under review.
Effective Feb. 26, the government added the following points to the ETA site, including outlining that certain individuals exempt from immigration control do not need an ETA, updating the acceptable payment methods and stating that other third-party websites may charge more for an ETA but cannot provide a faster decision.
More information on who does not need an ETA can be found here. Some countries, notably China and India, are not eligible for an ETA and will continue to require a visa. An exception exists for legal residents of Ireland traveling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. Also, European nationals who have permission to live, work or study, including settled or pre-settled status — European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS), are not required to obtain an ETA. The Home Office is currently automatically converting eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status without the need for them to make a further EUSS application.
Finally, an ETA does not guarantee entry to the U.K. and all visitors must still meet the suitability requirements for entry under visitor rules. Employees and employers should be aware of the upcoming changes and prepare now for travel or transit through the United Kingdom. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The Home Office announced the U.K.-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) 2025 ballot will open Feb. 18.
Additional Information: Officials also stated that applicants must have a qualification at a U.K. bachelor’s degree level or above and have proof of £2,530 (about US$3,173) in savings as financial support to be eligible. More information on the eligibility requirements can be found here. Those selected from the ballot will be notified via email within two weeks of the ballot closing and will be invited to apply for the visa.
Launched in February 2023, authorities stated that over 2,100 YPS visas were issued to Indian nationals that year under the scheme. For British nationals looking to travel to India under the scheme, official guidance can be found here.
The Home Office announced a new process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status without the need for them to make a further EUSS application.
Additional Information: The rollout will be phased, and later in 2025, the Home Office will expand the process to enable more eligible pre-settled status holders. As part of the new process, the Home Office will undertake automated checks of pre-settled status holders whose status expiration is approaching against government-held information to ensure their eligibility. Individuals will be informed via email if their case may soon be considered for conversion, and pre-settled status holders will not need to take any action. The government will inform individuals if they are unable to convert them to settled status. The first grants of settled status are expected to occur in late January 2025.
Background: More than three years have passed since the original EUSS deadline, and the government continues to make changes to the scheme. According to the latest published statistics, an estimated 5.7 million people had obtained status under the EUSS as of Sept. 30, 2024. The government stated that more than 540,000 vulnerable people have been supported to apply to the scheme through a network of grant-funded organizations across the U.K.
The Home Office announced a temporary exemption from obtaining an electronic travel authorization (ETA) for certain passengers transiting airside.
Additional Information: Previously, an ETA was required for all eligible non-European travelers, even if these individuals were just transiting through the U.K. on a connecting flight. The Home Office has now removed the requirement for transit passengers to secure an online ETA when changing planes through transit facilities.
The ETA application fee is currently £10 (about US$13). However, Parliament recently proposed changes to increase the maximum fee of the ETA to £16, as well as a raise other immigration and nationality products and service fees, including a certificate of sponsorship fee increase to £525, naturalization as a British citizen fee increase to £1,605 and naturalization as a British overseas territories citizen fee increase to £1,070. The changes to ETAs, certificates of sponsorship and nationality products are forecast to generate additional revenue as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
Officials reiterated in the exemption announcement that the ETA is designed to deliver a more streamlined digital immigration system, which will be quicker and more secure for the millions of people who pass through the U.K. border each year.
The Home Office announced that the first-round ballots for the 2025 Youth Mobility Scheme for Taiwanese youth will open on Feb. 4.
Additional Information: As in previous years, there are a total of 1,000 places available for 2025 — 800 places will be allocated during the first ballot in February, and the remaining 200 places will be made available in a second ballot in the summer. The visa scheme allows selected individuals to live, work and study in the U.K. for up to two years.
BAL Analysis: Successful applicants should receive an email by Feb. 11. Those who are unsuccessful will receive an email within two weeks of the ballot closing and no further action is required. Any inquiries relating to the application process, online application forms and questions in general can be sent to the UKVI International inquiry line.
Effective Jan. 8, all eligible non-European travelers transiting or traveling to the United Kingdom for tourism, family visits, business meetings, conferences or short-term study for six months or less will require an electronic travel authorization (ETA) prior to travel.
Additional Information: The ETA is valid for two years or until passport expiration date, whichever comes first, and the application fee is £10 (about US$13). Officials advised that an ETA may take up to three working days to process. All eligible non-European nationals are required to have a valid ETA when traveling to the U.K., even when traveling by land between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Once granted, ETAs are digitally linked to a traveler’s passport and allow for stays of up to six months at a time. The ETA is not a visa but serves as a digital permission to travel that allows for both short trips and extended stays.
The ETA system is a major change to the U.K.’s travel regulations. This effort is part of a larger government plan to transform the border and immigration system. The government is also introducing a new eVisa to replace biometric residence permits, biometric residence cards, passport endorsements (such as indefinite leave to enter wet-ink stamps) and vignette stickers in passports (such as entry clearance or visa vignettes). The Home Office is focusing on developing a border and immigration system that is more digital and streamlined. Employees and employers should be aware of the upcoming changes and prepare now for travel or transit through the United Kingdom.