Migration New points based system begins.
06 February 2008.
Details of Britain's new Australian-style points based immigration
system (PBS) were announced today as the Government published
the rules for highly skilled foreign workers applying to come
to the UK.
The regulations will start coming into force on 29 February
when any highly skilled foreign nationals currently working
in Britain who want to extend their stay will need to apply
under the new system. In April, the new system will begin
to be rolled out overseas when anyone from India who wants
to work in the UK as a highly skilled migrant will need to
apply under PBS. By the summer the new highly skilled system
will operate worldwide.
Speaking from Delhi during a visit to discuss how PBS will
work with the Indian Government, Borders and Immigration Minister
Liam Byrne said:
"Our points system is starting on time and on plan.
I've no problem with taking the best systems in the world,
like Australia's points system, and bringing them to the UK.
This is a key part of the huge shake-up to our border security
this year."
"The points system means only those migrants Britain
needs can come to the UK. We know that migrants contributed
to our economy to the tune of £6 billion to GDP in 2006.
A strong system for highly skilled migrants is vital to Britain
winning these benefits because these migrants are well-educated
and pay lots of tax."
"We want India to come first because India is Britain's
most important market for highly skilled migrants."
The Highly Skilled tier
1 will build upon the success of the Highly Skilled Migrant
Programme by continuing to attract the most talented people
with the skills the UK needs to remain a global leader in
the fields of finance, business, and technological innovation.
The announcement follows the completion in January of the
Border and Immigration Agency's global rollout of fingerprinting
for all visas three months early.
Now every person in the world coming to the UK on a visa has
their fingerprints taken and their details checked against
watch-lists - if they're on the list for the wrong reason
they can't come in and could be banned from applying to come
again for up to 10 years.
Newcomers to the UK.
This section gives information on living and working in the
United Kingdom for those who have arrived here for the first
time, whether you are staying a few months or settling here
permanently.
There is information about:
- work
- housing
- healthcare
- education
- driving
You can find more detailed
information about a wide range of aspects of life in this
country on the Directgov
website.
If you are a refugee or
an asylum applicant, there are organisations that can offer
you help and advice on adapting to life in the United Kingdom.
See Help
and advice for more information and contact details.
Other useful sources of
information about life in the United Kingdom include:
- Citizens
Advice, which has offices in towns and cities nationwide;
- the yellow phone book, known as the Yellow Pages, and
one called Thomson Local;
- local councils, for information about services in your
area such as education, social services and public transport;
and
- public libraries, many of which also have free computers
you can use to search for information.
Working In the UK
This page gives general information about working in the
United Kingdom, including your rights and responsibilities.
You can find more detailed information on the Directgov website.
Whether or not you can work in the United Kingdom depends
on your residency status and any conditions we have placed
on it. British citizens and anyone with right of abode may
work without restrictions. If you have a residence permit
that allows you to live here, it will say what restrictions
there are on your employment, if any. For instance, you may
be restricted to being self-employed, or to working only for
a particular employer. If you have a residence permit as a
retired person of independent means, you will not be allowed
to work at all.
You can find work by looking:
- in newspapers (including free newspapers);
- at Jobcentre Plus, a government employment centre with
offices in all areas of the country;
- in employment agencies; and
- on boards in supermarkets and shop windows.
If you need training, you can find details of courses available
at public libraries or in local newspapers, or look at the
Training
and workplace learning pages of the Directgov website.
Before giving you a job an employer may want to check whether
you have been in trouble with the police, either in the United
Kingdom or in your home country.
This check is always needed when you will work with children
or in the security industry and may be needed for other jobs
too. You should be honest if you have been in trouble with
the police. It does not always mean that you will not get
the job.
When you get a job, your employer should give you a contract
in writing within two months of you starting work. This should
set out your pay, holidays, sick pay and pension, and say
how much notice you must give if you want to leave.
There is a national
minimum wage and people in full-time employment should
receive at least four weeks paid holiday a year.
You must pay income
tax and National
Insurance on your pay. National Insurance helps pay for
state healthcare and pensions. If you work for an employer,
he/she will take it directly from your pay and send it to
the government.
You should receive a pay slip that shows how much you have
been paid and how much has been taken out for tax and National
Insurance.
If you are self-employed, you should contact your local tax
office for advice on paying tax and National Insurance. You
can find
your local tax office on the website of HM Revenue and
Customs.
You have a right to:
- be treated fairly regardless of your gender, race, nationality,
sexuality, religion or any disability you have;
- be paid the same wage for a job regardless of whether
you are a man or a woman;
- join a trade union; and
- time off for medical care if you are pregnant and time
off after the baby is born (known as maternity leave.
Employers and Sponsors.
This page provides key guidance and information provided by
the Government for United Kingdom employers on employing migrant
workers, including those under the new points-based system.
Our immigration system for managing applications by people
who wish to come to the United Kingdom to work, train or study.
On our website
Sponsorship
under the points-based system
Information for employers on applying for a licence to sponsor
and bring migrants in to the United Kingdom under the points-based
system.
Preventing
illegal working
Information about employers' responsibilities in relation
to the law on preventing illegal working, including important
details of changes to the law introducedon 29 February 2008.
Bringing
migrants to work in the United Kingdom
Guidance for employers on bringing migrants to the United
Kingdom to work through the work permit arrangements.
Support
for employers
Information on a range of support available to employers of
migrant workers, including assistance with checking a person's
entitlement to work in the United Kingdom.
Useful Websites
Business
Link
The Business Link website provides advice on employing migrant
workers, including a useful interactive guide to assist employers
in checking a person's entitlement to work in the United Kingdom.
Other localised business service sites have similar information.
Business
Gateway
Visit this website for advice if your business is in lowland
Scotland.
Highlands
and Islands Enterprise
Visit this website for advice if your business is in the Highlands
and Islands of Scotland.
NI
Business Info
Visit this website for advice if your business is in Northern
Ireland.
HM Revenue &
Customs
The HM Revenue & Customs website has a range of information
for employers, including guidance on determining a person's
employment status (whether they are employed or self-employed).
Public
Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online
PRADO, on the Council of the European Union website, is a
very useful resource for checking the authenticity of European
documents, including those issued by the United Kingdom.
Preventing illegal
working
This page provides information
for United Kingdom employers about the prevention of illegal
migrant working.
Illegal working hurts good business, undercuts legal workers
and creates illegal profits. It also puts illegal workers
themselves at great risk. By working together with employers
we can level the playing field and tackle the exploitation
of vulnerable migrants.
Complying with the
law
Employers should check all prospective employees' entitlement
to work in the United Kingdom, or they risk breaking the law.
The checks that should be, or have been undertaken depend
on when the employee is, or was recruited. Employers can find
details on these pages about their current legal responsibilities
and check whether they complied with law when taking on employees
in the past.
Support for employers
The overwhelming majority of employers and migrants to the
United Kingdom are law-abiding and wish to comply with their
legal obligations.
We are keen to support them and make this as simple as possible.
These pages provide details of the advice and information
available to employers on employing migrant workers in hard
copy, over the telephone and online.
Engagement with
employers
The Government maintains regular dialogue with employers and
other key stakeholders on illegal working and related issues
through the Illegal Working Group, details of which are also
available on this site.
See also
News & updates
More
news
News
feeds
Reports & publications
Internet links
Practical advice for businesses
Contact
Sponsor
and employers' helpline
0845 010 6677
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