Kathleen O’Donnell, senior manager at immigration firm Fragomen, talks about the options available for recruiting skilled workers into your business.
The predicted ramp up of activity in the Sheffield City Region will, as ever, lead to the need to source more skilled workers.
Employers have found that some personnel from the EU that they used to recruit without restriction before Brexit, have not applied for EU settled status, which allows them to work here for any employer and leads to settlement.
The scheme is now closed, although the Home Office does accept late applications in exceptional circumstances. This means knowledge of other routes to work is even more relevant for recruiters, so they can guide people who may not be eligible to make a late EU Settled Status application.
Here is a summary of the options available – these have further broadened with the addition of the new Global Business Mobility Routes.
UK Sponsor Licence - Once you have applied for this one-off application, you can then sponsor migrants in the Inter-company transfer (becoming Global Mobility Routes in early April) and Skilled Worker categories.
Global Business Mobility routes - this route will open on April 11 and there will be five sub-categories - It is for businesses seeking to establish a presence here or transfer staff on temporary assignments so it will not lead to settlement. As individuals will be on assignment in the UK, you should also consider the Social Security implications of the move.
Skilled worker visa - suitable for many types of hire - leads to settlement after 5 years; must have passed an approved English test or via a university degree unless they are a national of a majority English speaking country.
Frontier Worker visa – the ideal commuter visa; employee must be from the EU, living outside the UK and have started working in the UK by 31 December 2020.
Visitors - only allowed to undertake certain activities in limited circumstances. This route may work for you for short visits and certain provisions may allow a field engineer to come and install or maintain a piece of equipment for you, for example. Otherwise, the Global Business Mobility routes may be more suitable.
Permission to work in their own right – employees may qualify in their own right, for example by being married to a British citizen or someone who already holds permission to work.
We provide tailored immigration support, including assisting with visa applications for employees and their families, specialist compliance advice and regular client briefings, alerts and events.
While finding the right staff has always been an issue for companies, it’s important to remember talented personnel from further afield can be sourced – provided you comply with the rules by having the right professional support and advice.
To find out more, visit: www.fragomen.com
