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IMPACT — MEDIUM
The Home Office has provided additional guidance for travelers required to apply for Electronic Travel Authorization.
Key Points:
Additional Information: ETA will be valid for two years (or to the expiration date of the applicant’s passport, if sooner) for multiple entry into the country. Individuals who are denied ETA must apply for a Standard Visitor visa, Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa or transit visa. More information regarding ETA is available here.
BAL Analysis: The Home Office is introducing ETA to increase border security and improve travel for those who do not need a visa to enter the country. ETA is set to replace the current Electronic Visa Waiver Scheme, which requires visitors to the United Kingdom from Gulf Cooperation Council countries to pay a higher cost for a single-use visit.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.
Copyright © 2023 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The U.K. Home Office plans to introduce new restrictions to student visa routes to reduce migration.
Beginning in January 2024, authorities plan to:
Additional Information: U.K. authorities do not plan restrictions on graduate visa routes at this time.
BAL Analysis: The new government restrictions to student visa routes aim to cut net migration by restricting the ability for international students to bring family members on all but post-graduate research routes and banning people from using a student visa to work in the United Kingdom.
The Canadian government has announced that it will introduce new passports with enhanced security features and online passport renewal.
Additional Information: Canadian nationals can use the Passport Application Status Checker to see the status of their application.
BAL Analysis: Canadian authorities introduced the new passport design with enhanced security features to protect the personal information of Canadian citizens and streamline the passport renewal process.
The U.K. Home Office has published its list of endorsing bodies for the Innovator Founder and Scale-up visas.
Additional Information: Foreign nationals who have been offered an endorsement by an organization that is not on the endorsing bodies list can report it through this website.
BAL Analysis: Applicants and immigration advisors should refer to the information on gov.uk for general queries regarding the Innovator Founder route. Those who need further information should contact U.K. Visas and Immigration.
The U.K. Home Office has granted eligibility concessions to some individuals applying for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status.
BAL Analysis: The Home Office has granted concessions under the Hong Kong BN(O) route to make the program more inclusive and waive requirements that were deemed unfair to certain family members and adult children.
The Home Office will increase the minimum salary requirements for some visa categories on April 12.
Additional Information: Sponsors must pay at least the minimum salary requirement or the going rate for the role for certificates of sponsorship assigned on or after April 12. The new going rates are available here on page 39. Sponsors must also pay above the minimum hourly rate, which is £10.75 per hour, increased from £10.10 per hour for Skilled Worker and Scale-up applications.
BAL Analysis: Businesses may see a slight increase in labor costs because of the new minimum wage. Employers should take the new wage minimums into account and adjust their 2023 budgets if necessary.
The Home Office expects a workers’ strike will cause processing delays for those renewing their passports from April 3 to May 5.
BAL Analysis: Those trying to renew their passports during the strike should expect significant delays. Individuals with urgent travel needs should renew their passports as soon as possible.
The Home Office has announced that it will lift its COVID-19 testing requirements for those traveling from mainland China.
BAL Analysis: The Home Office implemented the testing measures in January amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in China. The government said that COVID-19 has returned to a normal level in China and adjusted its response to the COVID-19 virus as needed.
Copyright ©2023 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The U.K. Home Office has announced that it will require travelers who do not need a visa to apply for Electronic Travel Authorization.
Additional Information: ETA will be valid for two years for multiple entries into the country. Individuals who are denied ETA must apply for a Standard Visitor visa, Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa or transit visa. More information regarding ETA is available here.
BAL Analysis: The Home Office is introducing ETA to increase border security and improve travel for those who do not need a visa to enter the country. ETA is set to replace the current Electronic Visa Waiver Scheme, which requires visitors to the U.K. from Gulf Cooperation Council countries to pay a higher cost for a single-use visit.
The U.K.’s Migration Advisory Committee announced a Call for Evidence in its review of the Shortage Occupation List.
The Call for Evidence seeks to gather employers’ views on:
Employers’ should submit their evidence before May 26. More information regarding the Call for Evidence is available here.
Additional Information: The MAC considers the data and qualitative evidence from stakeholders and compiles a recommended list of occupations for the Shortage Occupation List; however, the Home Office has the final authority in deciding which occupations are selected. The £20,480 minimum threshold is likely, subject to Parliamentary approval, to be increased to £20,960 as part of the Immigration Rules changes expected on March 9.
BAL Analysis: The Call for Evidence allows employers to provide evidence to include certain occupations on the Shortage Occupation List and to provide evidence of conditions limiting access to foreign workers of all skill levels. Stakeholders are reminded that they must respond to the Call for Evidence before May 26.