New Points Based Immigration System – visa costs
30 October 2020
On 22 October 2020 the Government laid out 500 pages of new Immigration Rules, which will form the basis of our new Points Based Immigration System. Most of the changes will apply to non-EU nationals from 1 December 2020 and to EU citizens arriving in the UK from 1 January 2021. This article forms part of a series taken from our October edition of Employment and Immigration Law Update covering the latest changes to the rules. In this article the Immigration Team looks at the impact of the changes on visa costs, with the overarching changes to the system covered here.
The Home Office has published its new fees from 12 November 2020 and the good news is that there has been a freeze on all application costs. This is of course subject to the increases in the Immigration Health Surcharge which came into force from 27 October 2020.
There is a new priority application fee to expedite a Sponsor Licence application, which will cost £500. This certainly suggests that they envisage an increased number of applications with backlogs forming, so early applications are recommended.
The Immigration Skills Charge will continue to apply, with the same reduced rates for charities and small sponsors.
You can also watch our webinar on the new system, although please note this was recorded before the new rules were published!
This article is from the October 2020 issue of Employment and Immigration Law Update, our monthly newsletter for HR professionals. To download the latest issue, please visit the newsletter section of our website. For more details regarding any of the matters covered in this update, please contact a member of our Immigration Team.
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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 October 2020.