subject: Need To Know Information Concerning Uk Visas And Uk Immigration [print this page] The 15th March 2012 saw a document put before the UK Parliament proposing changes to current UK Immigration rules. Many of these changes are likely to affect people from all over the world who wish to migrate to the UK. The changes will be implemented from the 6th April 2012 and involve stricter policies being put in place to control the UKs borders.
As the process of entering the UK becomes more difficult for foreign nationals, many people are relying upon the services of UK Immigration Barristers and other forms of help in order to gain access to the UK.
UK Immigration is perhaps one of the most complex areas of UK law and many people are often left confused by what the necessary requirements are in order to obtain a UK Visa. The UK Immigration system was officially introduced way back in 1922, but many entered the UK illegally as they did not satisfy a whole host of criteria.
Times have changed since then and the legal requirements for entering the UK have undergone many changes, but still the UK has seen Immigration numbers continue to rise. In 2009 alone, it is estimated that over 500,000 people arrived in the UK, many of which came from India, Somalia, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Latest figures in 2012 still show numbers of around 250,000 year-on-year, however, the UK Government wants to see this reduced to numbers in the tens of thousands. The latest changes put before Parliament on March 15th 2012 is the Governments response to tackling this.
So what does this mean for Immigrants looking to enter the UK?
It means that Immigrants need to be better prepared and understand UK Immigration rules and the process of obtaining a UK Visa. In its present state UK Immigration uses a Points Based System to assess Immigrants and this system is applied across 5 Tiers.
These Tiers are broken into sub-categories and applicants apply depending on the type of Visa they require and they have to meet the criteria of the Points Based System in their chosen category.
The Tiers are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and under each Tier the following sub-categories are:
Tier 1 Highly Skilled Workers, Investors and Entrepreneurs.
Tier 2 Skilled Workers.
Tier 3 Unskilled Workers.
Tier 4 Students.
Tier 5 Temporary Workers.
In some categories, a person wanting to enter the UK as a legal immigrant may require a sponsor that is endorsed by the UK Border Agency. This is perhaps more common in the Tier 2 category for those looking for employment in the UK and the Tier 4 category for those looking to come and study in the UK.
In addition to meeting criteria of a Points Based System in order to become a legal immigrant in the UK, immigrants are also required to pass an English language test.
