The Home Office has issued further clarification on the changes to UK business immigration
Following the UK Government’s policy to reduce net migration, the occupation-related going rates of pay and the general salary thresholds are set to increase.
The changes are due to come into effect in April 2024, when the new general salary threshold is set to increase from £26,200 to £38,700 for all jobs at Level 3 or above on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). Following this change it is likely that employers will only be willing to sponsor more senior roles to avoid paying over the market rate for junior positions. This increase, however, will not apply to individuals on Health and Care visas and education workers on national pay scales.
Another change concerns those on Health and Care visa, who will no longer be able to bring their dependants to the UK. The current holders of this visa, however, will be allowed to remain in the UK with their dependants throughout subsequent visa extensions, when changing employment or applying for settlement.
Visa applicants will also be seeing an increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge (“IHS”) from February 2024. The charge is set to rise by 66%, namely from £624 per year to £1,035 per year, for all the relevant categories of applications for entry clearance or leave to remain in the UK in respect of persons aged 18 or over. Children under the age of 18 will be seeing an increase from £470 per year to £776 per year.
If you would like to find out how these changes apply to you, please contact a member of our UK Inbound Immigration Team who will be happy to assist you with your immigration queries.
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Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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