New Sponsor Guidance for Tiers 2 and 5 is now in force as from 6 April 2015.
Included are a number of new rules and requirements and the most significant are:
- reference to new salary thresholds including a new minimum threshold of £20,800 (up from £20,500) and a new higher rate threshold of £155,300 (up from £153,500);
- clarification of the potential sanctions when a person named as ‘key personnel’ has been involved with an institution whose sponsorship licence has been revoked within the last 12 months;
- confirmation that a sponsor that surrenders its licence on or after 6 November 2014, whilst UKVI is considering taking suspension or revocation action, will be unable to reapply for a new licence until 12 months have passed;
- confirmation that the Tier 2 cooling-off period will no longer apply to migrants who have been granted Tier 2 leave for three months or less.
Sponsor Guidance Appendix A sets out the supporting documents to be submitted with sponsor licence applications. This document has also been revised to include a requirement that detailed information about the reasons for applying for a new sponsor licence, how candidates have been identified, etc. is submitted by those seeking to apply for a sponsor licence.
This is just a brief outline of the new guidance and it is essential that sponsors that hold a licence and entities seeking to apply for a licence read the guidance in full.
For legal advice and assistance on sponsorship issues, please contact us.
