Shortage Occupation List 2023

shortage occupation list

The UK’s Shortage Occupation List can be a source of much confusion for employers sponsoring visa workers, particularly when hiring under a sponsorship licence for the first time or recruiting for a different type of role. It is important however for employers, HR professionals and anyone involved in your organisation’s international recruitment to understand the […]

Scale Up Visa Guidance

scale up visa

The Scale Up visa has been designed to help qualifying UK businesses, with the potential for growth, to recruit skilled overseas workers more easily. While scale up workers must initially be sponsored, they will be able to change employers after 6 months, allowing them greater flexibility and choice than other sponsored work visas. In this […]

UK Offshore Wind Workers’ Concession

wind workers' concession

The UK’s offshore wind workers’ concession will end on 30 April 2023 and will not be extended. Wind workers relying on the concession will need to leave the UK by 30 April 2023, and if they want to work in the UK past this date, will need to apply for entry clearance before they start […]

Scale Up Visa Change of Employer

The scale up route opened on 22 August 2022, allowing qualifying skilled foreign nationals to work in the UK for at least 2 years without significant restrictions. For employers, the route aims to help with faster and easier recruitment of talented overseas nationals, especially once visa-holders have already worked in the UK for at least […]

Pre-Licence Priority Service Guide

sponsor licence pre licence priority service

The Home Office pre-licence priority service gives employers the ability to request a fast-tracked decision on their sponsor licence application when recruiting workers under certain sponsored work visas. With standard processing for sponsor licence applications taking an average of 8 weeks, the ability to expedite a decision can be invaluable for employers looking to move quickly […]

Register of Licensed Sponsors List 2023

Register of Licensed Sponsors List

The Register of Licensed Sponsors, previously known as the Tier 2 sponsor list, is a public list of all UK organisations which hold a valid sponsorship licence. The Home Office maintains the sponsorship list to identify all employers that have the required permission to employ sponsored workers under routes such as the Skilled Worker visa and other […]

Returning Resident Visa Guidance

If you have UK Indefinite Leave to Remain and are out of the country for more than two years, you risk losing your permanent residence status. If you do lose ILR, before your travel you will need to apply for entry clearance under the Residents’ Return visa to reenter the UK for the purpose of resettling […]

Adult Dependent Relative (ADR) Visa Guide

adult dependent relative

The adult dependent relative (ADR) route provides qualifying applicants with the opportunity to live in the UK with a close relative on a long-term or even permanent basis. ADR visas, however, are generally only granted in limited circumstances. The following guide sets out the rules relating to this category of visa, from who is eligible […]

Business Visitor Visa UK

UK immigration rules for business visitors

The UK business visitor visa is generally preferred by business travelling employees and their employers since the application process is typically less onerous than other work visa routes. However, the rules on permissible activities under this visa are restrictive, and border officials have powers to question individuals travelling to the UK under the business visitor […]

Long Residence (ILR Applicant Guide)

If you have 10 years’ residence in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). In this long residence guidance, we explain the rules on ILR eligibility under the 10-year route and the application process you will need to follow. We also consider some of the common pitfalls in […]