VISAS
We provide the following services: documents preparation, written and telephone correspondence with the client and relevant 3-rd parties, consideration, preparation and submission of application and relevant supporting documents. Copies of documents and postage. Ongoing services include visa updates, consulting services.
SKILLED WORKER VISA:
A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. We can assist you through the whole process from the very beginning till the end and take the stress away from you.
To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:
· work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
· have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
· do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
· be paid a minimum salary - how much depends on the type of work you do
· The specific eligibility depends on your job.
· Knowledge of English - You must be able to speak, read, write, and understand English.
You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa.
If you’re not eligible for a Skilled Worker visa. You may be eligible for another type of visa to work in the UK.
With a Skilled Worker visa, you can:
· work in an eligible job
· stud
· bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
· take on additional work in certain circumstances
· do voluntary work
· travel abroad and return to the UK
· apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements
You cannot:
· apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
· change jobs or employer, unless you apply to update your visa
How long you can stay
Your visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer.
After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.
How much does it cost:
When the candidate applies for a Skilled Worker visa, they’ll need to have enough money to:
· pay the application fee - the standard fee ranges from £610 to £1,408 depending on your circumstances and how long the visa is for (typically 3 to 5 years)
· pay the healthcare surcharge - this is usually £624 per year
· support yourself when you arrive in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)
· You’ll pay a lower application fee if your job is on the shortage occupation list - like the lorry drivers for instance £464
· You’ll be told how much you need to pay when you apply.
If your job is on the shortage occupation list
You and your family will pay a lower application fee if your job is on the shortage occupation list.
The fee for each person applying is:
· £464 if you’re staying for up to 3 years
· £928 if you’re staying for more than 3 years
The fee is the same whether you’re applying from inside or outside the UK.
Therе are also different types of documents you'll need to apply. We are here to help, please give us a call or arrange a meeting to discuss.
SPONSORSHIP LICENCE
If you are a company trading in the UK, you’ll usually need a sponsor licence to employ someone to work for you from outside the UK. This includes citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who arrived in the UK after 31 December 2020.
You will not need a licence to sponsor certain groups, for example:
· Irish citizens
· those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
· those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK
Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll get a visa to work for you in the UK.
How to get a sponsor licence
· Check your business is eligible.
· Check if your job is suitable for sponsorship.
· Choose the type of licence you want to apply for - this will depend on what type of worker you want to sponsor.
· Decide who will manage sponsorship within your business.
· Apply online and pay the fee.
Eligibility
To get a licence as an employer, you cannot have:
· unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering
· had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months
· You’ll need appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored employees and people to manage sponsorship in your business.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will review your application form and supporting documents. They may visit your business to make sure you’re trustworthy and capable of carrying out your duties.
Types of licence
The licence you need depends on whether the workers you want to fill your jobs are:
· ‘Workers’ - for skilled or long-term employment
· ‘Temporary workers’ - for specific types of temporary employment
You can apply for a licence covering one or both types of worker.
Licence fees
You need to pay a fee when you apply. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are, but usually this is between £536 for small sponsors to £1,476 for medium or large sponsors.
TEMPORARY WORK - Seasonal Worker visa
We can help you with the application for a Seasonal Worker visa to come to the UK to:
· work in ‘edible horticulture’ for up to 6 months - for example, picking fruit and vegetables
· work in ‘pork butchery’ for up to 6 months
· do poultry work until 31 December 2021
· drive heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) to transport food until 28 February 2022
You must apply for a Seasonal Worker visa by:
· 15 November 2021 to do poultry work
· 1 December 2021 to drive HGVs
· 31 December to do pork butchery work
You can apply to work in edible horticulture at any time.
You’ll need to:
· have a sponsor
· meet the other eligibility requirements
How long it takes
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.
As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.
Getting a decision
Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
Application fee
The application fee is £244.
How long you can stay
You can stay in the UK:
· for up to 6 months for edible horticulture or pork butchery work
· until 31 December 2021 for poultry work
· until 28 February 2022 for HGV work
You can enter the UK as soon as your visa is valid (up to 14 days before the start date of your job)
APPLYING FOR THE ACCESSION OF A RELATIVE WHO IS NOT FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION
Assistance to people whose spouses, parents or other family members are members of non-EU countries. The applicant can then obtain either a 6-month visa or a 5-year visa. The applicant may or may not be in the UK. As soon as the applicant receives this visa, he / she can apply for NIN Number and work legally. In the event of separation or divorce, the Home Office must be notified if the visa obtained is based on the partner. Waiting time up to 6 months.
FRONTIER WORK PERMIT
A frontier worker is an EU citizen who is employed or self-employed in the UK but resident elsewhere. If you are a frontier worker, and you were working in the UK on or before 31 December 2020 you can still enter the UK for work. However, you must hold a frontier worker permit to enter the UK for work from 1 July 2021 onwards.
If you are an Irish citizen, your rights are protected under the Common Travel Area and you do not need to apply for a frontier worker permit, but you can if you want to.
Frontier worker permit
You can apply for a frontier worker permit on GOV.UK. Applications are free of charge.
There is no deadline to apply, but you will need to hold a valid frontier worker permit, as well as your valid passport or national identity card, to enter the UK as a frontier worker from 1 July 2021. Until then, you can continue entering the UK as a frontier worker using your passport or national identity card.
Eligibility
You can apply for a frontier worker permit if you’re from the EU and you:
· live outside the UK
· started working in the UK on or before 31 December 2020 and continue to work here
· If you have periods of unemployment in the UK, or you are unemployed when you apply for a permit, this may affect your eligibility.
Your frontier worker permit will last for 5 years. You may be eligible for a five-year permit if you’re on maternity or paternity leave when you apply, and you will return to your previous employment, or find another job, at the end of this period.
Applying with retained frontier status
In certain circumstances you may be eligible to apply with ‘retained’ frontier worker status where your permit will last for 2 years. You may meet the requirements to retain your status if you’ve previously been a frontier worker in the UK and one of the following applies:
· you’re temporarily unable to work because of an illness or accident, or due to COVID-19 travel restrictions
· you were working in the UK but are now involuntarily unemployed, and are looking for work in the UK
· you’re in vocational training while involuntarily unemployed
· you’re in vocational training while unemployed, and the training is related to the work you carried out in your previous work
· you’re temporarily unable to work as a result of pregnancy or childbirth
· If you’ve worked in the UK for less than one year before becoming involuntarily unemployed, you can only retain your worker status as someone who is looking for work, for 6 months.
EU, EEA or Swiss citizens who want to begin frontier working in the UK after 31 December 2020 need to apply under the UK’s points‑based immigration system.
Requirements for living outside the UK
You must not be ‘primarily’ resident in the UK. How you meet this requirement depends on how much time you’ve spent here since 1 January 2020. You’ll be eligible if you’ve spent less than 180 days in total in the UK over the course of this 12-month period.
If you’ve spent 180 days or more in the UK within any 12 months, you’ll still be eligible if you returned to the country you live in at least either once every 6 months, or twice in that 12-month period.
You’ll still be able to apply if there are exceptional reasons for you not travelling to your primary residence during this period, such as an illness or accident.
Requirements for working in the UK
You must have:
· started working in the UK while living elsewhere on or before 31 December 2020, either as an employed or self-employed person
· continued to be an employed or self-employed person in the UK and have come to the UK to work at least once every 12 months since then, or meet the requirements to retain your worker or self-employed person status
carried out ‘genuine and effective’ work in the UK