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The UK Government recently announced a permanent cap on skilled immigration that will drastically reduce the annual number of skilled visas available to potential skilled migrants. The cap, which will be implemented in April 2011, will also include major changes to the UK's points based immigration system.

Tier 1 (General) visas or something similar will only be available as an 'exceptionally talented'  visa which will be capped at 1,000 visas per year. Currently, Tier 1 (General) Visas are capped at 13,000.

The UK Government introduced an interim limit on the number of initial Tier 1 (General) visa applications that can be issued overseas on 19 July 2010. The limit does not affect applications from Tier 1 (General) dependents or applications for Tier 1 visas made from within the UK. This limit is in effect until 31 March 2011, after which a permanent cap will be introduced.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) administers the limit on a monthly basis. As of 07 December 2010, all 600 Tier 1 (General) visas available for the month of December have been used up.

There is currently a temporary limit on Tier 1 visa applications made from outside the UK. It is very possible that all out of Country Tier 1 visas for the whole year will be fully used up by January 2011. It is already the case that the monthly allocation of 600 visas is fully used up at the beginning of each month.

If you are already in the UK you do not come under the temporary limit. However, it is important to apply before April 2011.

2010: Important Immigration events during the year

2010 has been a rocky year for immigration around the world. Aftershocks from the global financial crisis of 2008 can still be felt as evidenced by many countries responding to the economic downturn by bringing in more restrictive immigration policies. However, there is evidence that as the economies of many countries improve and unemployment rates fall, skilled immigration will once again play a key role in filling labour gaps.

2010 was a momentous year for immigration around the World.  Below we include a few of the most important immigration stories for 2010:

Unlimited numbers of UK Tier 1 visa applications can still be made from within the UK until the end of March 2010. However, Tier 1 General visa or equivalent will be almost impossible to obtain from April 2011.