As previously announced, several changes to the Immigration Rules came into effect on Tuesday, 1 October 2013. These changes provide greater flexibility for businesses and workers and include:
- Removing the English language requirement for intra-company transferees;
- Making it easier for graduate entrepreneurs to switch into Tier 2;
- Waiving share ownership restrictions for some senior staff; and
- Allowing certain students to work as interns under the Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange scheme.
Tourist and business visitors also benefit from several updates, including:
- Permitting tourists and business visitors to undertake some study where it is not the main purpose of their visit;
- Expanding the activities a business visitor can carry out in the UK;
- Removing the prospective student route.
Further changes affect the points-based system and family routes. For example, they provide guidance for participants and personnel of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and locally engaged staff in Afghanistan.
For full details of these changes, see the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 628). You can also read the written ministerial statement on Gov.uk.
If you are affected by these updates and planning a UK visa application, please book a consultation with one of our UK visa experts. We can advise on how these Immigration Rules changes impact your application.
Source: UKBA Site
