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Immigration for Business
Immigration Services for Businesses
The immigration rules for those seeking to enter the United Kingdom for work or business continue to face radical changes under the points based system.
Our experienced immigration lawyers are tracking the latest developments and are on hand to assist employers, business start-ups and employees with both straightforward and complex immigration issues.
Our services include:
. Entry Clearance and Leave to Remain for Employees
. Sponsorship Licences
. Conducting in house seminars to employers and HR departments on the
. New changes and avoiding pitfalls in applications.
. Entry Clearance and Leave to Remain for Employees
Under the new immigration Points Based System, all employees (including prospective employees) who are outside the United Kingdom and who seek permission to work in the United Kingdom need to apply for permission to enter the United Kingdom (known as entry clearance). If they are already in the United Kingdom, then permission to remain in the United Kingdom (known as leave to remain) should be applied for.
The new system requires applications for entry clearance and leave to remain to be accompanied by a detailed immigration history, an employment history, details of the proposed job title and responsibilities, as well as an employer profile. It is strongly advised that employers, who are sponsors, protect their licenses by abiding by the published rules. This is particularly important given that immigration officials from the UK Border Agency are empowered to visit employers in order to monitor compliance.
For further details on the categories of persons allowed to work in the United Kingdom, please see the Working in the United Kingdom section.
Sponsorship Licences
Since November 2008, employers have been able to apply for a licence to allow them to employ Tier 1 and Tier 2 workers. Once issued, the Sponsorship Licence allows employers to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to foreign workers whom they wish to employ. Employers in possession of a Sponsorship Licence may only issue a Certificate of Sponsorship once they are satisfied that the employee fulfils the immigration requirements with respect to skills and labour market requirements. Once a Certificate of Sponsorship is issued, the immigration authorities check the application further before issuing permission to the employee to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.
In exchange for the ability to issue Certificates of Sponsorship, the sponsor must agree to assist the UK Border Agency by fulfilling various duties and obligations. The licence of a sponsor can be withdrawn if the holder does not assist the immigration authorities. If the licence is withdrawn, this can lead to the immigration authorities terminating permission to enter or remain to all foreign workers sponsored under the relevant licence within 8 weeks. If this happens, all foreign workers will be required to leave the United Kingdom unless they can find alternative sponsorship.
For further information, please contact our business immigration team.
Westkin Associates
info@westkin.com
24 – 25 Nutford Place, Marble Arch
London , W1H 5YN United Kingdom
02075693040
C 2011 Westkin Immigration Associates – London Immigration Lawyers
