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| Immigration - Your chance
to respond! |
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The key aspects of the proposals
are that all work, business and student related visas and permits
will be replaced by a fully integrated 'one-stop-shop' system.
The system will have five tiers, each tier effectively being
a type of visa allowing and restricting different activities.
The five tiers would be as follows:
• Tier 1 - This tier would cover highly skilled individuals
and those with large sums to invest in the UK. They would not
need a job offer before coming to the UK. This tier would broadly
equate to the current highly skilled migrant programme and investor
categories.
• Tier 2 - This tier would be for skilled workers with
a job offer and other skilled workers who can fill designated
shortage occupations in the UK. This will be similar to the
current work permit arrangements and the Government is likely
to retain some test to show that the local labour market cannot
fill the vacancy.
• Tier 3 - is for low skilled vacancies. This would be
a limited category of visa providing for a limited stay in the
UK and individuals could not be accompanied by dependants. The
visas will also be accompanied by additional obligations upon
employers and individuals to ensure that the workers leave the
UK. This tier should be similar to the current Sector Based
Schemes.
• Tier 4 - This tier will cover students and will involve
specific sponsorship from a UK college to attend a specific
course. It will also entail obligations on the colleges to ensure
that individuals attend courses and/or leave the UK.
• Tier 5 - This tier would include other temporary and
short term visas such as working holidaymakers, youth and cultural
exchange schemes and business visitors.
The system will provide an integrated application process for
coming to the UK to work and will therefore replace the need
for separate work permits and visas.
Tiers 2-5 will all require a sponsor who will take on some degree
of responsibility for ensuring compliance with immigration rules.
In some cases, this could be the employer.
The Government intends to introduce a web-based self-assessment
programme which will allow applicants and employers to assess
whether an individual could obtain a visa under the new system
and if so, in what tier, before submitting an application.
The Government also proposes setting up a body to assess the
employment market on an ongoing basis to identify shortages
in sectors and/or specific industries. (This may be called the
Skills Advisory Board.) The Government is undecided on whether
it will allow employers to recruit non-UK/EEA labour into roles
not identified by the Skills Advisory Board. |
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