Clarification on permissible activities on Electronic Travel Authorisation visa
The Home Office has published a list of the activities which cannot be carried out whilst you are in the UK on an Electronic Travel Authorisation (‘ETA’) visa.
The list comprises of the following activities which cannot be carried out:
- Staying in the UK for longer than six months.
- Undertaking paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless you are doing a permitted paid engagement or event or work on the Creative Worker visa concession.
- Claim public funds (benefits).
- Live in the UK through frequent or successive visits.
- Marry or register a civil partnership or give notice of marriage or civil partnership – you’ll need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa.
It is imperative that those who enter the UK on an ETA are aware of what they can and cannot do, otherwise they could face removal from the UK and a potential re-entry ban of up to ten years. Businesses should consider all visitors to their site locations to be confident they’re aligned to the limitations of their immigration status.
eVisa system roll out
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) appear to be on track for the 2025 eVisa roll out and have now updated their process so that Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) holders do not have to wait for an invitation from the UKVI before they can set up their online eVisa account and can now do so immediately.
BRP holders who have a stated expiry date of 31 December 2024 can now create a UKVI account online if they do not already have one in order to access their eVisa. Travel documents or passports can be used to set up a UKVI account in the absence of any BRP cards (for example if it is lost).
Those who cannot see their eVisa details upon logging into their UKVI account have been advised that they do not need to do anything and that the UKVI will contact them further with instructions on how to view their eVisa.
It will be mandatory for all immigration status holders to have registered for an eVisa account after the expiry of their physical permission documents and going forward this will be how travellers prove their immigration status to airlines and carriers.
The eVisa doesn’t impact a person’s status, it is simply a digital way of proving the existing status an individual has and is part of the Home Office ‘digital by default’ initiative.
Migration Advisory Committee to be commissioned to address over-reliance in top sectors
The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has directed the Migration Advisory Committee (‘MAC’) to look at key occupations in order to understand the reasons behind ‘their reliance on international recruitment’.
The following occupational groups were flagged for review:
- Information technology and telecommunications professionals
- Engineering professionals
The purpose of this review will be to understand the reasons for the over-reliance and to consider how future demand in these sectors in the UK can be addressed. The MAC will identify labour shortage causes and suggest ways in order to enhance domestic hiring, with a further review of the Immigration Salary List which replaced the Shortage Occupation List and removed salary discounts for most IT and engineering roles.
It is expected that this may be the trigger of similar reviews of other key sectors in due course.
Key Contacts
The content of this article is for general information only. It is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice. If you require any further information in relation to this article please contact the author in the first instance. Law covered as at August 2024.