Fluency Duty & Foreign Workers: A New HR Compliance Risk
The Government has published a Code of Practice aimed at helping public sector employers comply with their ‘fluency duty’ under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016. Under the Act, public sector workers in customer-facing roles must be able to speak fluent English, and in Wales, English and Welsh. ‘Customer-facing’ applies to roles where speaking […]
UK Registered Traveller Service expanded to 16 new countries
The Home Office has announced the expansion of its Registered Traveller Service to include 16 additional countries. Membership will now be open to passengers from: Argentina Belize Brazil Brunei Chile Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Israel Malaysia Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Uruguay The changes take effect Monday 21 November 2016. According to Home Secretary […]
Changes to UK Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) Visa
The Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) Visa system will soon be amended, making it more difficult for multinational companies to transfer foreign employees into the UK. The changes to the UK Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) Visa were announced in March and are scheduled for initial implementation this Autumn. The amendments were enacted in response to allegations of […]
New Criminal Offences for Employing Illegal Workers
From 12 July 2016 employers face hefty fines and significant jail terms if there is ‘reasonable cause to believe’ they have been employing illegal workers. Before these amendments an employer could plead ignorance when it came to employing illegal workers. Employers would only have criminal charges brought against them if it could be proved they […]
NHS Seeks Solution to UK Nursing Shortage
While uncertainty dominates post-referendum Britain, for the NHS it has to be ‘business as usual’. Critical challenges such as the severe UK nursing shortage continue to demand immediate resolution, to minimise any impact on quality of care and patient safety. The Government has reluctantly agreed that the only viable solution to the UK’s nursing shortage is […]
Tier 2 Visa Reforms: Update for Employers
On 24 March 2016, in a written parliamentary statement, the Immigration Minister, James Brokenshire, announced a number of imminent Tier 2 visa reforms, aimed at restricting the number of Tier 2 visas that are granted. “For too long we have had a shortage of workers in certain roles, and in the past, it has been […]
6 ways to prepare for UK Tier 2 visa changes
With UK Tier 2 visa changes imminent, organisations are advised to start planning now and ensure the survival of their business. Responding to criticism of increased salary thresholds, a spokesperson from the Home Office recently said: “This shouldn’t be catching employers by surprise; after all, they’ve had since 2011 – when the new rules were first […]
Beware Emerging Markets Immigration Risks!
Emerging markets immigration is coming to the fore at a time when immigration rules across the globe are becoming increasingly protectionist. As global businesses look to developing markets in the search for new sales and customers, from an immigration compliance perspective, this raises greater challenges such as enhanced risks, procedural uncertainty and higher overall project costs. Some of […]
Review of Tier 2 – Migration Advisory Committee Recommendations
Following our Webinar on Thursday 28 January when we discussed the recommendations made by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to the Home Secretary, we summarise below the details of their proposed reforms and the restrictions which could have a significant impact on employers who sponsor workers from overseas or wish to do so in future […]
Construction Industry, Operation Magnify and Civil Penalty
In 2015, the government unveiled Operation Magnify, designed to target those suspected of using undocumented migrant workers in three sectors, including construction. The Operation involves contacting Construction firms and asking for them to co-operate and disclose data about their current and previous employees and contractors. Last week, we were contacted by a firm based in […]