UK Immigration News

‘The disastrous consequences of Brexit are becoming clearer every day’. That’s the damning verdict of Article 50 author, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, who drafted the clause as part of the Lisbon Treaty in 2003. Fears of a mass exodus of EU migrants, the uncertainty surrounding the single market, combined with other unknowns, led to Lord Kerr’s shocking admission.

A former chief British diplomat, Lord Kerr is the latest high-profile Scot to have signed a letter, which calls on the UK government to stop Brexit and rethink Britain’s position within the European Union, according to a report published by the Financial Times.

Volunteers coming to the aid of stricken Grenfell Tower survivors say that fears over their migration status continues to prevent people from coming forward to seek help. It’s understood that the UK government has faced calls to grant UK immigration immunity to undocumented migrants of the ill-fated, high-rise block of flats in North Kensington, London.

Councillors gathered on Wednesday, 19 July in the latest meeting of the beleaguered Chelsea and Kensington council. They were asked to vote on a motion urging the government to make the current, temporary 12-month UK immigration amnesty – announced earlier in July by the Home Office – a permanent ‘amnesty.’

The NHS will recruit 2,000 foreign doctors to meet UK government targets. Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, announced that four times the planned number of 500 extra doctors are needed to combat skills shortages. It’s understood that the NHS will look to recruit from countries such as Australia and New Zealand, with doctors needing a Tier 2 visa to live and work in Britain. The European Union will also be targeted in an attempt to attract more doctors.

In the midst of political and economic woes in their homeland, more South Africans are targeting the UK’s Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa in a bid to invest their way to UK citizenship. According to Sable International managing director, Gary Kockott, there has been a surge in demand for the visa.

However, a better option for many may be the Tier 2 (General) Visa, which allows skilled workers to work for a UK employer with a Tier 2 Sponsorship License, and eventually gain legal permanent residence. 

‘UK immigration will be managed, but not shutdown post-Brexit.’ That’s the message from Chancellor Philip Hammond, who vowed that ‘jobs would come first, following Britain’s exit from the European Union. Brexit talks got underway on Monday, 19 June with Brexit Secretary, David Davis saying that ‘things looked promising’ after day one. Popular UK visas include the Tier 2 (General) Visa, which allows skilled workers to work in the UK for a Tier 2 Sponsorship License holding employer.

Tech City UK, the government body that processes applications for the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa, has reported that the number of successful applications has more than quadrupled in the last 12 months. In the last fiscal year, 260 applications were endorsed. Despite this increase in succesful Tier 1 applications, the visa category is still extremely difficult to qualify for. You could instead apply for a Tier 2 (General) Visa to work for a Tier 2 Sponsorship License holding employer.