HSMP Application Fees Increase from 01-April-2005

HSMP Application Fees & FLR(IED) fees increase from April 01, 2005

HSMP application fees will increase to GBP 315 from 1st April 2005 and Fees for FLR(IED) for in-country applicants would go up to GBP 335 from 121.

If you want to save some serious money make sure you submit your completed applications before 31st March 2005

UK Immigration - Five Year Strategy on Immigration & Nationality. How will it affect You.

UK Immigration – 5 year strategy on Immigration & Asylum. How will it affect you?

UK Home Secretary Mr. Charles Clarke announced UK’s 5 year plan on Immigration & Asylum titled 'Controlling our borders: making migration work for Britain' which includes following major reforms to UK’s Immigration policies:

• The emphasis is to ensure that only those who benefit Britain can come to the UK to work or study
• To start a Points based system similar to HSMP for Work Permits and Student Visas
• To make Employers responsible for reporting if the Work Permit holder leaves the job
• To make Educational Institutes and Colleges responsible if the Student does not report for studies or leaves before completing the course
• To phase out the low skills scheme like sector based scheme and seasonal agricultural workers schemes in view of inclusion of 10 more countries in the EU since the citizens of these countries have complete freedom to come to the UK to seek work.
• Highly Skilled individuals like Doctors, IT Professionals and Finance Professionals will be welcome to come to the UK even when they do not have a job in hand and they would be free to find jobs on arrival.
• Permanent Resident status will be allowed after 5 years in place of current 4 years and that too after test of English and knowledge about UK.
• To restrict the sponsorship of family dependents
• Stricter Fines for Employers employing illegal workers

These new changes will come into effect over next few months but it is worth noting the recent changes to various UK immigration / visa schemes:

• From 1st October 2004 there have been some changes to the rules regarding in-country applications and switching status from one visa category to another. Students can not now switch to Work Permit or HSMP unless they have completed the Graduate or Masters Degree for which they were granted initial student visa.
• From 8th February 2005 Working Holidaymaker visa scheme is changed and employment incidental to holidays is only to be allowed with maximum 12 months cap to employment under this visa.
• There have been changes to rules related to getting married in the UK to stop sham marriages

If you are already in the UK under HSMP, Work Permits, Working Holidaymaker or Student visa or if you are planning to apply under any of the above schemes these changes may affect you. We at HSMP Services Limited will update the site content regularly to include these changes from time to time and you should visit the site at regular intervals. If you would like to ask questions related to your personal circumstances you can visit ‘contact us’ page on www.hsmp-services.co.uk and submit your question and we will try to provide you the answers.

Changes to Working Holidaymaker Scheme

Working Holidaymaker Changes from 08-February-2005

The Visa will now allow employment incidental to the Holiday and person can not engage in Business or provide services as Professional Sportsperson. The employment should not be more than 12 months in any event.

Person under Working Holidaymaker visa may switch into employment only in the following categories: Innovators, Highly Skilled Migrant Programme or Work Permit employment, if the occupation is on the list of designated shortage occupations maintained by Work Permits (UK).

The changes will affect all applications, including those made before 8 February which have not yet been decided. Those who applied before 8 February and have not received a decision will be allowed to choose to have their application decided under the new requirements, or to withdraw their application and receive a refund of the application fee.

HSMP - MBA Provision under Highly Skilled Migrant Programme UK

HSMP UK - New MBA Provision

The 2004 Budget ok the UK announced a new provision for Graduates of Top 50 Business Schools Universities to work in the UK for up to 12 months on completing their MBAs. This provision will form part of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). The new MBA provision will be launched in April 2005.

10 Universities from the UK are included in this list of Top 50 Universities / Business Schools and the Economic criteria are used for the Rankings.

To know more about the New MBA Provision for HSMP - UK , please use the link above or click here.

UK 'needs true immigration data'

UK Immigration - What is True Data?

Excerpts from a recent News Story on BBC

A former Home Office minister has called for an independent body to be set up to monitor UK immigration.

Barbara Roche said an organisation should monitor and publish figures and be independent of government.

She said this would counter "so-called independent" groups like Migration Watch, which she described as an anti-immigration body posing as independent.

To read full story click the link above or click here.

UK Immigration - Conservatives' Views: 'Immigrants threaten British values'

ARE MIGRANTS A THREAT TO THE UK?

Following are are excerpts from a recent news article published on TimesOnline.

DAVID DAVIS gave warning yesterday that Britain’s traditional values were at risk from the scale of immigration into the country and promised substantial cuts if the Tories won power.

Mr Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, told the Conservative conference that Britain was already the most densely populated big country in Europe and the level of immigration was far too high. Immigrants could fill six new cities the size of Birmingham over the next three decades, he said, and pledged to take action “before it is too late”.

“A Conservative government will substantially cut immigration into Britain. Uncontrolled immigration endangers the values that we in Britain rightly treasure,” he said.

Within a month of taking office a new points-based system of immigration based on the Australian model would be introduced and an annual limit set below the current figure.

To read the full story, please click on the link above.

UK Immigration & Work Permits - Shortage Occupations

UK Immigration - New addition to the shortage occupations list

With immediate effect, following representations from the Department of Health, all Salaried General Dental Practitioners, Salaried Assistant Dentists and Vocational Dental Practitioners employed in the healthcare sector will be considered under the shortage occupation criteria.

This would mean that if you belong to this sector your employers will find it easy to appy for a Work Permit for you.

UK Immigration rules for in-country change of status

UK Immigration rules for Change of Status while within the UK have been changed from 1st October 2004.

According to these changes the persons on visitor visa can not change to Work Permit or HSMP while in the UK. Similarly, the students in the UK can not apply for the change or switch to Work Permit or HSMP till they complete the Degree they are studying for.

In short, if your current status in the UK is not that of a Resident, you will not be able to change the status to Resident status