On I January 2021 the UK will have a new immigration system in place. It will apply to EU nationals arriving in the UK from that date alongside rest of the world nationals. The rules are similar to the current rules for work visas but have been made more flexible.
Any business looking to recruit talent from overseas is going to need a sponsor licence before an applicant can be sponsored. The process usually takes 3-4 months and at the moment, applications are going through speedily. We would strongly recommend a business starting the process now in order to be well placed for the new rules and to avoid the rush of applications towards the end of the year.
For self employeds, we foresee a big growth in the number of applicants for the Global Talent visa. This visa requires a lot of talent or a lot of promise but not a lot of money. It will appeal to those starting out. The application process works well and the government is to be complemented on the success of this route.
In sharp contrast to what has happened with the Start Up visa and the Innovator visa. These 2 visas replaced the Entrepreneur visa on 29 March 2019. Unfortunately some say these visas, in particular the Innovator visa, are not yet fit for purpose. We prefer to say these visas are still finding their feet. The stumbling block is the fact an applicant needs to get their business plan endorsed. The endorsing bodies for the Innovator visa are private companies who want money to endorse and want the applicant to join their programme. And they have a limited number of endorsements to give out. So it is extremely difficult to get an endorsement. There is light at the end of the dark tunnel, thank goodness. Government departments are to become endorsing bodies. Expect a freeing up of this visa route from April 2021.
We can help you with all these routes.
Tom Redfern
tredfern@redfernlegal.com
