Earlier in March 2022, the UK Government made several changes to the UK immigration rules.
The UK Government also, in the same Statement of Changes, announced several new UK Immigration routes. These new routes will be welcome news for persons looking to come to the UK.
The new immigration routes will only become effective later in 2022.
Breytenbachs are especially excited about the possibilities these routes will offer business people and entrepreneurs looking to come to the UK.
Below we look at some of the new exciting new UK immigration routes.
Global Business Mobility Route
The Global Business Mobility Route will open on 11 April 2022.
The UK Government plans to introduce this route to simplify the UK immigration offer for businesses by bringing together, reforming and expanding various business mobility routes. The UK Government believes that this new route will make mobility across the UK border frictionless.
The new route will accommodate the following categories of persons:
- Senior executives and specialists who are undertaking temporary assignments at UK branches or subsidiaries of the business. This route will replace the current Inta-Company Transfer route.
- Graduate trainees who undertake a placement in the UK as part of a structured training program. This leg of the route will replace the Inra-Company Graduate Trainee route.
- Teams who are sent to the UK to establish new branches or subsidiaries of an overseas business. This route will replace the Sole Representative of an overseas business route.
- Service suppliers who have to undertake work covered by one of the UK’s commitments on trade in services. This leg of the new route will replace the service supplier provisions in the Temporary Work International Agreement route.
- Provision for secondments to UK businesses in connection with high-value contracts for good or investment. The secondment provisions are a new immigration provision and do not replace any current immigration routes available.
Scale-Up Visa
The Scale-Up visa will only open for applications in August 2022.
It will be available to talented individuals recruited by a UK Scale-up sponsor. The individuals will have to have the skills needed to enable the scale-up business to grow.
Individuals will have to show that they are employed in graduate-level occupations through minimum PAYE earnings.
The route will allow for extensions of stay and settlement.
Breytenbachs will publish more information on the Scale-up Visa route as soon as more guidance is issued.
High Potential Individual Route
The High Potential Individual Route will open on 30 May 2022. This exciting immigration route will be available to recent graduates of top global universities looking to work in the UK. Applicants will not need a job offer before coming to the UK.
The Home Office will update a list of eligible universities annually.
The visa will be valid for two years, and if you have a PhD degree, you will receive a three-year visa.
The route will not lead directly to settlement. Still, it will offer a chance to high potential individuals to eventually switch to immigration routes that lead to settlement in the UK.
Breytenbachs will publish more on this route closer to the route’s opening.
How Breytenbachs can help you
If you have any queries on any of the new UK Immigration routes or would like to discuss any UK immigration issues, please feel free to contact us.
