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UK General Election Comment
On 8 June 2017 the UK goes to the Polls to vote for the next Government. When Theresa May announced the General Election on 18 April 2017 she probably thought that this will result in a big increase in support for the Conservatives and a substantially increased majority in the House of Commons. This seems increasingly unlikely. The Conservative Party manifesto has turned out to be very unpopular amongst many voters.
While most Pollsters think the Tories will still win, the Commons majority may be quite small. From an UK visa point of view in recent years we have witnessed shocking abuses of power by the Home Office and an organisation sponsored by the Home Office, and unjust and unfair visa policies. It is therefore my view that it is necessary, at the very least, to have a strong opposition to prevent further human rights violations. The Labour Party is more “pro-immigration” than the Conservatives. However, many may be put off by the Labour manifesto with it’s hard line left wing stance. Will there be an electoral shock with Jeremy Corbyn becoming the next Prime Minister? Who knows. People did not think that Trump would become President of the United States. It still happened. The next few days will be interesting.
Sanwar Ali, Editor, workpermit.com News
Tier 2 UK visa and Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence system barely used by Britain’s small businesses
A report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says that the Tier 2 visa system is barely used by Britain’s small businesses. Recently released research revealed that 95 per cent of UK small firms had never used the Tier 2, points-based immigration system and few were in possession of a Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence.
Given the lack of foreign workers being employed by Britain’s small businesses, the CIPD has urged them to “provide training and development opportunities to up-skill staff post-Brexit.”
Immigrants urged to apply for US EB5 Green Card and L1 visas in wake of Trump H1B Visa crackdown
US President, Donald Trump, officially ordered a review of the H1B visa in April 2017, sparking concerns that access to the US work visa will get tougher. The cap for the 2018 H1B scheme was reached within a few days of being introduced at the beginning of April.
A report published by Forbes – a leading global media company – states that Chinese investors are turning to the US L1 visa to extend their stay in America. The report comes amid increasing uncertainty over the future of the EB5 green card program.
Some Tier 2 visas for employers with Tier 2 Sponsorship Licences subject to criminal record checks
As of 6 April, 2017, teachers applying for Tier 2 visas outside of the UK to work for employers with Tier 2 Sponsorship Licences will be subject to criminal record checks as part of their application. Nursery, primary and secondary school teachers will be required to provide criminal record certificates as part of new legislation. According to reports, workers and any adult families coming to Britain with them, must provide criminal record certificates from all countries they have lived in for 12 months or more in the previous 10 years prior to their application.
288 Tier 2 Visa Certificates of Sponsorship Unused from UK Visa 2016/17 Annual Limit
Following the latest Tier 2 visa allocation meeting, the number of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) that went unused from the 2016/2017 annual limit stands at 288, according to UK Visas and Immigration data. The department published its March report citing that its figures were correct as of 29 March, 2017.
An employer with a Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence needs to apply for restricted Certificates of Sponsorship for immigrants they wish to employ on tier 2 visas who are living outside the UK. Under the current UK visa system, unused Tier 2 restricted CoS to employ people who are currently based outside the UK can be reclaimed after three months. This increases the availability of restricted CoS used.
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