The eight-week UK Home office national consultation on reform of the student route to the UK, which closed on 31 January, saw proposals being made to reduce the number of people coming to the UK to study at below degree level; proposals were already made to remove the post study work permit visas after studies in UK; and introducing a tougher English language requirement.
Soon after the consultations, Immigration Minister Damian Green reiterated the Government's plans to review student visas in a speech to the think tank Reform.
But Green’s assertion was met by voices in favour of the foreign students. Some people reacted by saying the USA is welcoming foreign students and allowing work opportunities. Why can’t the UK? they questioned.
Some others were of the view that inability of the UK local graduates to compete against foreign students educated under the same system was an indicator of flaws in the British students and not the foreign ones.
And others said, David Cameron was worrying that most of the UK jobs are going to foreigners rather than UK residents, but this clearly understands the laziness of UK residents and their skills are not highly compete against foreign workers. In addition International students annually contribute over £5.3bn to UK economy.
Though the public consultations have drawn to a close, Foreigners in UK is seeking your opinion on the issue . SO PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUABLE COMMENTS BELOW by selecting openID or Name/url.
8th February 2011: The new shorter list of occupations eligible for migration under Tier 2 of the points-based system, as recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), is apprehended to cut the number of qualifying occupations from 192 to 121.
The worse affected will be foreign hairdressers, estate agents and even hotel managers. In fact, the door will now be virtually closed to non-EU workers in more than 70 professions.
The move could eventually see just under 10,000 fewer workers a year being granted visas.
Giving details, the UK Border Agency has asserted: `Occupations which were qualified as skilled to the old level, but are not to the new one, include retail managers, hairdressing and beauty salon managers, laboratory technicians, and estate agents.
The move follows the Government's pledge to cut net migration.
Elaborating on the new recommendations on the occupations to be removed from Tier 2 of the PBS, the UKBA said: `The MAC has recommended a new shorter list of occupations eligible for migration under Tier 2 of the points-based system.
`As part of its review of the immigration system, the government raised the threshold for Tier 2 visas to graduate level and commissioned the MAC to examine which occupations should qualify.
`The government asked that the MAC use the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 4 and above as the relevant benchmark. This will reduce the number of occupations qualifying for Tier 2 visas by 71, down from 192 to 121.
`The shorter list of occupations means that Tier 2 applicants will only be able to apply for jobs covering the most skilled 39 per cent of the labour market rather than the current 56 per cent’.
Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, Professor David Metcalf, said: 'Skilled foreign workers make a valuable contribution to the British economy but, in the context of limits on migration, it is essential that the immigration system is designed to select those migrants we need the most.
'We have recognised this by ensuring our recommendations will allow the most skilled to continue to come and work here.'.
If you have legal status in the UK or are a British citizen, your foreign family members may be eligible to apply for a settlement visa from outside the UK to come and live with you here on a permanent basis, if they prove to be financially dependent on you.
If they meet the eligibility criteria, your dependent family member will need to apply for a settlement visa at the visa applciation centre closest to where they live.
The appropriate form to apply for a visa to enter in view of settlement is a Form VAF4a.
Online Settlement applicants should also complete Application form VAF4A Annex (ELT) - English language requirement.
Once in the UK or if they are already in the UK on temporary leave, they can apply for permanent settlement using Form SET(F) – settlement .
Eligibility criteria:
A dependent relative can apply for a settlement visa if they are related to you in one of the following ways:
• mother or grandmother who is a widow aged 65 years or over; or
• father or grandfather who is a widower aged 65 years or over; or
• parents or grandparents travelling together of whom at least one is aged 65 or over; or
• parent or grandparent aged 65 or over who has entered into a second relationship of marriage or civil partnership but cannot look to the spouse, civil partner or children of that second relationship for financial support; and where the person settled in the United Kingdom is able and willing to maintain the parent or grandparent and any spouse or civil partner or child of the second relationship who would be admissible as a dependant; or
• parent or grandparent under the age of 65 if living alone outside the UK in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances and mainly dependent financially on relatives settled in the United Kingdom; or
• son, daughter, sister, brother, uncle or aunt over the age of 18, if living alone outside the United Kingdom in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances and mainly dependent financially on relatives settled in the United Kingdom; and
You will need to prove that:
• you are joining or accompanying a relative who is present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement; and
• you are financially wholly or mainly dependent on that relative
• you can, and will be accommodated adequately, together with any dependants, without recourse to public funds, in accommodation which the sponsor owns or occupies exclusively; and
• you can, and will, be maintained adequately, together with any dependants, without recourse to public funds; and
• you have no other close relatives in your own country to whom he could turn for financial support.
Children under age 18:
If both parents are living and settled in the UK or are applying for settlement, your children can join you if, in addition to the requirements stated above, they can show that they:
• are not leading an independent life;
• are not married or in a civil partnership;
• have not formed an independent family unit; and
• are aged under 18.
If only one parent is living and settled in the UK or is applying for settlement, children can apply only if:
• one parent is dead and the other is settled or coming to settle here; or
• that parent has the sole responsibility for looking after them; or
• there are serious reasons why they should be allowed to join their parent in the UK.
For all of the above, ‘parent’ includes: a step-parent where the father or mother is dead; either the father or mother of an illegitimate child; and, in certain circumstances, an adoptive parent.
How to apply
To apply, you will need to make your application online on the UKBA Visa Services website or fill in the UKBA settlement visa application form and send it to the visa application centre in your country.
You will need to provide the following, along with the completed form:
• Your passport or travel document.
• A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of yourself.
• The GBP 1680 visa fee. This cannot be refunded, and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
• Supporting documents relevant to your application.
For any questions regarding the subject covered in this guide, please register in our forum and post your question under the appropriate category.
FEES FOR SETTLEMENT VISAS
The current application fees for Settlement visas requested from outside the UK (valid from 22 November 2010) are:
Spouse / civil partner of a settled person: £750
Parent, grandparent and other dependant relative of a settled person: £1680
Former members of HM armed forces: £750
Fiance(e) / proposed civil partner of a settled person: £750
Unmarried / same sex partner of a settled person: £750
Adopted child dependant of a settled person; view to settlement: £750
Child coming to UK for adoption; view to settlement: £750
Child (under 18) dependant of a settled person;view to settlement (fiance(e)/ proposed civil partner may receive only 6 months validity): £750
Spouse / civil partner / partner of exempt member of armed forces (under Para 276R or Para 276AD of Immigration Rules): £750
Child of exempt member of armed forces (under Para 276R or Para 276AD of Immigration Rules): £750
Family reunion - under Part 11 Asylum, Immigration Rules: FREE OF CHARGE
Returning resident: £245
If you are applying for permanent settlement from inside the UK:
The application fee using form SET(F) for a child or adopted child under the age of 18 of a parent(s) or relative(s) settled in the UK is:
* £900 if you are applying by post
* £1,250 if you are applying in person
The application fee using form SET(F) for a parent, grandparent or other dependent relative aged 18 or over of a person present and settled in the UK is:
* £1,680 if you are applying by post
* £1,930 if you are applying in person (but note that the premium service is currently unavailable for this application type)
