UK Immigration News

As per our earlier news report on FLR (IED) application processing times, the Home Office has released their weekly update on the queue for Leave to Remain (LTR), work permit and Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) applications.

The Home Office aims to publish information about the cases currently under consideration on a regular, weekly basis.

As part of the major announcement by Home Secretary Blunkett on reforms to managed migration programmes in the UK yesterday, some positive measures were also introduced.

To take advantage of the skills of genuine foreign students to contribute to the UK economy, the Home Office announced that the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme (SEGS) created earlier this year will finally be implemented in October 2004. The SEGS category will enable foreign nationals studying maths, science and engineering at a UK institution to work in the UK for twelve months following graduation.

The Home Secretary David Blunkett has announced stricter rules to stop temporary migrants in the UK switching into permanent employment to try to stop potential abuse of the system. These new rules are part of the UK government's reform of immigration in an attempt to tackle abuses of managed migration programmes.

The Home Office is likely to toughen up the Rules surrounding the UK Highly Skilled Migrant Programme to bring it back into line with its original objectives which were set out when the Scheme was first introduced back in January 2002.

The programme originally set out to target the top 10% of the global work force. Since the reduction of points from 75 to 65 in October 2003, HSMP applications have more than doubled.

The Home Office has announced that Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) visas are currently taking approximately four months at this time, until further notice.

Applications received by 15 March are currently being processed.

If you have a job offer, your application may be processed on an urgent basis but only if you have been waiting for at least six weeks. Requests for urgent treatment for reasons other than employment will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

New temporary procedures for handling Further Leave to Remain (FLR) applications have been announced today by the Home Office.

Due to the recent increase in the numbers of FLR (IED) applications received by Work Permits (UK), and in response to feedback from applicants, new procedures have been announced with effect from today, 19 July 2004.

If you have already received an acknoledgement letter from the Cannock office relating to your application after 15 July then the following new procedures should apply: