On 4 March 2021, the Home Office announced a new statement of changes to the immigration rules. These changes will come into force on 6 April 2021. It is mainly related to the work and study routes within the points-based system. However, there are updates to other parts of the rules as well.
It will benefit the employees from abroad, particularly those in essential health and care roles from positions added to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).
The SOL is a hallmark of the current Tier 2 work immigration route. It assesses occupations where employers have difficulties hiring ample numbers of workers with the required skills to fill their vacancies.
The Home Office considers that migration is a reasonable answer to the shortages. These occupations are then subject to more favourable migration arrangements allowing employers to assess a wider pool of suitable candidates. A professional skill level is based on the period it would take to train a recruit to grow fully skilled in the execution of the tasks linked with a job.
The Shortage Occupation list has been expanded to include the following occupations in the UK list:
- Modern foreign language teachers.
- Health services, public health managers, and directors
- Residential day, domiciliary care managers, and proprietors
- Laboratory technicians
- Senior care workers
- Pharmacists
- Health professionals not elsewhere classified
- Physiotherapists
- Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
Other visa changes
International students in the UK are benefited from the new graduate visa which will start on 1 July 2021.
The visa will allow students to stay in the UK for two years upon finishing their studies. Students with a doctorate will be permitted to stay for three years.
There will also be some immigration rule changes for global talent visas.
It will now be possible to skirt the endorsement criteria if you have received a prestigious prize.
These prestigious prizes include prizes such as a Nobel prize, Grammy, Golden Globe, etc. Individuals with such a distinction will be able to apply directly for this visa.
Additional changes
On 3 March 2021, the UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a series of reformations to the current UK immigration system. Mr. Sunak introduced some changes they want to implement in 2022.
These changes include plans for the introduction of a new ‘Global Business Mobility Visa’ and ‘Elite Points-Based Visa’. Additional changes include the following:
- Elite points-based visa- The government has committed to introducing a new ‘Elite’ points-based visa by March 2022. This will include a ‘scale-up stream, allowing highly-skilled migrants with a job offer from an acknowledged high-growth business to pass for a fast-track visa, without any sponsorship or any other third-party endorsement.
- Global talent visa-The UK Government will amend the Global Talent visa by permitting international prizes and scholarship holders to automatically qualify for the initial promise subcategory.
- Innovator Visa- Survey of the Innovator visa to make it more comfortable for persons with the right skills to obtain a permit;
- Global Mobility visa-The Government also expects to introduce a Global Mobility visa in the Spring of 2022. The overseas business will have an opportunity to set up presence or transfer staff to the UK by using this route.
- Sponsor Management System- The govt will welcome plans to modernize the immigration sponsorship system.
- Global Entrepreneur program- The government will look into expanding the global entrepreneur program.
Chinese Students’ Negative Response to Studies in the UK
