Part Suitability Checks in UK Visa Decisions (2026)

part suitability

  Section A: What is Part Suitability?   Part Suitability is the single reference point in the Immigration Rules for character, conduct and public interest issues. It replaced Part 9 on 11 November 2025 and now underpins most refusal and cancellation decisions. Outcomes are set as either mandatory or discretionary, with route Appendices and human […]

UK Citizenship Test 2026 Updates

uk citizenship test

  Section A: What the Life in the UK Test is   The UK citizenship test, formally known as the Life in the UK Test, forms part of the Knowledge of Language and Life (KoLL) requirement for both British citizenship (naturalisation) and settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain, ILR). The test is designed to assess an […]

Irregular Hours Holiday Pay UK 2026: Calculation & Rules

irregular hours holiday pay

Irregular hours holiday pay has become one of the highest-risk areas of UK employment law compliance for employers with flexible workforces. Following legislative reforms effective for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, employers now face a materially different legal framework for calculating holiday entitlement and holiday pay for workers whose hours vary. […]

Home Office to Reform UK Immigration & Asylum Appeals

immigration appeal

  Proposals to reform UK immigration & asylum appeals system   The proposal is to abolish the current First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) as the primary forum for asylum and immigration appeals and to replace it with a new appeals body. The new body would hear asylum appeals and, according to the Home Secretary’s […]

Can Employers Refuse a Holiday Request 2026

employer refusing holiday request

Employers in the UK have legal control over when annual leave is taken, but not over whether statutory holiday can be taken at all. That distinction sits at the heart of disputes involving an employer refusing a holiday request, and it is where many otherwise well-intentioned businesses create avoidable legal and commercial risk. Holiday refusals […]

Spouse Visa Extension After 2.5 Years: Remain in the UK

UK Spouse Visa Extension After 2.5 Years

  Section A: Spouse visa extension overview   The spouse visa sits within the wider UK family visa route and allows a non-UK national to live in the UK with their British citizen partner or a partner who already holds settled status or another qualifying status under the Immigration Rules.   1. Duration and conditions […]

Rolled-Up Holiday Pay UK 2026: What, When & How It Works

rolled up holiday pay

Rolled up holiday pay has re-entered UK employment law as a lawful payroll mechanism, but only in tightly defined circumstances and with significant compliance conditions attached. Since April 2024, employers can use rolled up holiday pay for certain categories of workers, reversing a long-standing prohibition rooted in EU law. That change has prompted renewed interest […]

Sponsor Licence 2026: Apply to Hire Overseas Workers

sponsor licence

  Section A: What is a Sponsor Licence?   A sponsor licence is a legal requirement for UK organisations that want to hire non-UK resident skilled workers. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), a division of the Home Office, operates the sponsor licence application process to verufy if organisations meet the requirements to sponsor foreign national workers. […]

UK Holiday Pay 2026: Entitlement, Calculations & When

holiday pay

Entitlement to holiday pay is one of the most frequently misunderstood and misapplied areas of UK employment law. For employers, errors in holiday pay calculation are rarely minor administrative issues. They create exposure to unlawful deduction of wages claims, backdated liabilities, workforce dissatisfaction and, in some cases, reputational damage where non-compliance becomes systemic. Holiday pay […]

Going on Holiday While on Sick Leave 2026: Rules, Pay & Risks

can you go on holiday whilst on sick leave uk

Employees going on holiday while on sick leave is one of those issues that looks simple on the surface but carries disproportionate legal, operational and reputational risk for employers. For HR teams and business owners, it sits at the intersection of working time law, sickness absence management, discrimination risk and employee relations. Mishandling it can […]