Briefings
Work Permit Scheme to close from November 2008
Personal
Immigration
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| September 2008 |
The Government has announced that Tier 2 of the new Points Based System ("PBS") will become active from the end of November, which means the current Work Permit Scheme will close from that date.
To ensure that you are able to employ foreign nationals under the new Work Permit regime from November onwards you must register as a sponsor by 1 October 2008. This concept of sponsorship is at the heart of the Government's plans under the PBS.
Depending on your internal systems and compliance with the Immigration Rules you will either be registered as an "A" or "B" rated sponsor, although in the worse case you will not be registered at all and will therefore be barred from employing overseas nationals. "B" rated sponsors will find it more onerous to employ overseas nationals so it is crucial that you become "A" rated.
The registration process will include an audit of your employee files by the UK Border Agency, with a focus on the overseas nationals working for you. It is crucial that all employees are legally entitled to work for you in the UK and that you have appropriate systems in place to comply with the Immigration Rules and UK Border Agency policies.
We are able to assist you with the entire registration process and can work with you to achieve an "A" rated status under the PBS. Given the tight deadlines involved it is imperative that you take action as soon as possible.