The Home Office published guidance last week on the new system, due to take effect from 1 January 2021. It advises employers to apply sooner rather than later for a sponsor licence if they want to hire skilled overseas nationals.
Philip Barth, head of immigration at Irwin Mitchell said: ‘If the government has warned businesses to apply now, then they anticipate there will be a backlog of applications that is created by the end of this year, potentially resulting in costly delays for both the business and the applicant involved in the process.
‘If only a tiny percentage of those SMEs who are employers are going to need a sponsor licence, that means many thousands of employers will need to apply. Will the Home Office have the capacity to deal with this influx?
‘We are accordingly advising our business clients to apply sooner rather than later when there will inevitably be a last-minute rush.’
Those looking to work in the UK from abroad will need to meet a variety of requirements, including a minimum salary threshold and a job offer at the required skill level, adding up to a total of 70 points. Businesses recruiting overseas nationals into skilled roles next year will need a sponsor licence, if the employee doesn’t have existing rights such as settled status or indefinite leave to remain.
Barth said: ‘The government is forging ahead with its new immigration system, despite the spotlight being on the key workers in the coronavirus pandemic who would be classed as “low skilled” by next year and who would not meet the skills or salary threshold for the skilled worker route.’
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