If you and your family are from the EU (except Ireland) or from Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and were living in the UK before 1 January 2021 you should apply to the settlement scheme. Otherwise you will need to apply for a visa.
DO I NEED A VISA?
If you think you may now need a visa to come to the UK to visit, study or work, you can check by entering the nationality on your passport or travel document and using the gov.uk visa tool checker.
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. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa. To quality for this 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).
UK POINTS BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM
The UK has now implemented a points-based immigration system that treats EU and non-EU citizens equally. Anyone you want to hire from outside the UK, excluding Irish citizens, will need to apply for permission in advance. You now need a sponsor licence to hire most eligible employees from outside the UK. Before applying to be a sponsor you should check that the people you want to hire will meet the requirements for coming to the UK for work.
Business travel to Europe and business travel to the UK for European national clients
Emma Brooksbank works for clients of all sizes in the public and private sectors. She secures visas for clients looking to set up their business in the UK and secures sponsor licences for UK businesses intending to recruit from overseas. Her objective is always to make the immigration system work for Freeths’ clients and their businesses. Emma advises clients on how to mitigate the impact of Brexit with a view to retaining their workforce. She also assists businesses to ensure they have strategies in place to achieve right to work compliance and to protect against the reputational and financial impact of the civil penalty regime. Emma is recognised by Chambers (2021 edition) as a Leading Individual.
