Publish Date:05/03/2024
The UK announces steps to ease hiring of skilled foreign workers for local businesses. A major change in the sponsor license renewal process is effective from April 6, abolishing the requirement for renewal every four years.
There is a relief for businesses sponsoring skilled workers from outside the UK, eliminating administrative burden and costs. Under the new automated approach, existing sponsor licenses expiring on or after April 6, 2024, are automatically extended by ten years. No action is required for sponsors with valid licenses within this timeframe.
The previous system required renewal applications 90 days before expiry, incurring fees ranging from £536 to £1,476 and the processing times for renewals could take up to eight weeks under the old system.
Sunak government's measures include a significant salary requirement increase for working visas to £38,700 that aims to decrease net annual immigration by 300,000, with additional curbs on overseas care workers and termination of the 20% salary discount for shortage occupation list workers.
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