The Immigration Salary List (ISL) has replaced the Shortage Occupation List with effect from 4 April 2024. This change comes as a result of recommendations by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). In this guide to the UK Immigration Salary List, we share what we know to date about this new feature of visa sponsorship, and what it means for employers hiring sponsored workers.   What is the UK Immigration Salary List? The UK Immigration Salary List is the replacement for the Shortage Occupation List under the Skilled Worker route of the UK’s Immigration Rules. This is the offi ..read more

Further increases to Home Office services have been confirmed by the Government. These increases follow the wide-ranging uplifts that took effect in October 2023, as well as the more recent increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge and the uplift in the minimum salary thresholds for Skilled Worker visas.   Increased UK visa & immigration fees from 10 April 2024   Under the Immigration, Nationality and Passport (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, the fees for visa, nationality and passport applications will rise over the coming months. The changes are as follows: Skilled Work ..read more

Pre employment screening checks are a critical part of a business’s recruitment and onboarding process. The following guide looks at the various different types of checks that should be conducted and how to carry these out, as well as the legal, practical and financial consequences of failing to do so.   What are the pre employment screening checks? Pre-employment screening checks allow employers to identify risks associated with an individual before an employment contract is entered into. However, employers often face uncertainty as to what checks should be undertaken and how these shoul ..read more

The route from Innovator Founder visa to ILR is relatively straightforward, but the requirements for UK settlement must be met and evidenced in your application.   Eligibility requirements for Innovator Founder visa to ILR The Innovator Founder route is a route for overseas nationals who have come to the UK to establish a business based on an innovative, viable and scalable business idea which they have generated or to which they have significantly contributed. It is also a route to settlement. This means that having lived in the UK on this route for a period of 3 years, an Innovator Foun ..read more

In the UK, it is unlawful to treat someone less favourably than someone else at work because of certain protected characteristics, such as their age, sex, disability, race or religion. This includes treating someone unfairly because of a perception that they possess a particular characteristic. The following guide for employers outlines the law relating to perceptive discrimination, and how this affords job applicants and workers protection from unfair treatment. We also examine the employer’s duties relating to discrimination by perception and the common areas of risk around this, together wi ..read more

The innovator founder visa is a new immigration route that opened to applicants on 13 April 2023. This replaces the previous innovator and start-up visas, and is now the primary visa category for overseas entrepreneurs looking to set up an innovative business in the UK. However, even though this route introduces several favourable changes to attract foreign entrepreneurial talent to the UK — including removal of the requirement to invest a minimum of £50,000 and relaxation of the secondary employment rules — any new business venture must still be endorsed by an approved body. This means that a ..read more

The Home Office has started to contact BRP holders in the UK, advising they will need to take action soon to ensure a smooth transition to the UK’s new eVisa system. eVisas act as digital proof of an individual’s UK immigration status and their rights to work, rent properties and access banking services in the UK​​. Since 1 January 2020, new BRPs have been issued with an expiry date of 31 December 2024, regardless of the individual’s period of leave. eVisas are set to replace physical Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) from 1 January 2025, when affected individuals and employers will only be a ..read more

Following its announcement in December 2023, the UK Government is increasing the minimum salary thresholds for a number of UK work visas with effect from 4 April 2024.   Skilled Worker Minimum Salary Increases   The minimum salary thresholds for a UK Skilled Worker visa application will rise from 4 April 2024 as follows:   Option Minimum Salary Threshold from 4 April 2024 Points Available A The applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both: £38,700 per year; and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code. 20 B The applicant has a PhD in a subject relevant to the job a ..read more

It is unlawful to treat someone unfairly in the workplace because they possess a protected characteristic, such as age, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, race or religion, including if they associate with someone who possesses a particular characteristic. The following practical guide for employers on associative discrimination looks at what this is and when protection from this type of discrimination arises, including common examples, plus the employer’s obligations around associative discrimination in the workplace. We also look at how to deal with associative discriminati ..read more

Unless you have worked in HR or recruitment, you may not have heard about salary benchmarking, yet this is an important tactic that can be used by employers to benefit their business, not least when it comes to boosting recruitment and retention rates. The following guide for employers looks at what salary benchmarking is and the benefits that this can bring to your business. We also look at how to carry out the process of salary benchmarking, together with some best practice tips when implementing this process, as well as some of the other measures to help attract and retain top talent.   ..read more