Immigration newsletter 30 Mar 2010

The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) announced full details of the changes to UK Tier 1 and Tier 2 visas on 18 March 2010.UKBA reminds people that the changes will take place on 6 April 2010. It should also be noted that 2 and 5 April 2010 are public holidays in the UK which may mean that the last day for applications under the current immigration rules may be 1 April 2010.

The new immigration rules mean that you will need a higher salary under Tier 1 visa criteria to gain points. If you come under the Tier 2 intra company transfer category this will from 6 April 2010 no longer lead to indefinite leave to remain (permanent residence).

The following UK Visa Application Centres in South India will be closed during part of this week and next Monday:
 

• Visa Application Centres in Hyderabad, Cochin and Bangalore will be closed from 31 March to 5 April 2010. You have until 30 March 2010 to submit your applications to VFS.
• The visa application centre in Chennai will also be closed from 1 April to 5 April 2010. You have until Wednesday 31 March to submit your application.

UK Visa application centres in West India in South Mumbai, North Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad will be closed during the Easter Holiday period. UK Visa application centres will be closed on 2 April 2010 and will open again on 5 April 2010.

UK Visas also say that visa applications received on Thursday 1 April and Monday 5 April will only be processed by the UK Border Agency after Tuesday 6 April.

This is a reminder that the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will start accepting H-1B visa applications again from 1 April 2010 for the Fiscal Year 2011 (FY2011) quota.

It is a very useful visa category for companies to bring in highly skilled professional level workers. In recent years the H-1B visa quota has been fully used up almost as soon as they have become available. Probably this year it is unlikely that the H-1B visa will be used up so quickly. However, nobody really knows how long the H-1B will be available for.

There are likely to be changes to the shortage occupation list for Tier 2 Visas following recommendations by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) in their latest report:
 

• MAC recommends that the pharmacists category on the UK shortage occupation list for tier 2 visas be expanded to include community pharmacists. This will benefit you if you work for a private employers rather than the Government funded National Health Service (NHS). 
• MAC recommends that the Scotland shortage occupation list remains unchanged.

UKBA announced recently the launch of the 'Highly Trusted Sponsor Scheme' for education providers under the Tier 4 student visa scheme. Education providers can apply right away. The register of highly trusted sponsors will be available from Tuesday 6 April 2010.

UK Immigration say that those accepted as highly trusted sponsors will find it easier to sponsor tier 4 student visas.