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    A calendar of the 2024 key dates for immigration law changes in the UK

    The 2024 Key Home Office Dates Have Been Announced

    The dates for the increase to the skilled worker salary threshold and family income increase have been announced. UKVI also announced that sponsor licence renewals are to be scrapped.

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    Introduction

    The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) office has finally announced the long-awaited key dates for changes to the immigration rules throughout 2024. These changes include reforms affecting care workers' ability to bring dependents and mandatory registration with the Care Quality Commission, alterations to salary requirements for shortage occupation workers, and increases in minimum income thresholds for family visas and Skilled Worker salaries. These adjustments, alongside previous announcements, place additional stress and difficulty on applicants attempting to gain immigration to the United Kingdom.

    What Dates Are UK Immigration Law Changes Being Made?

    1. Reforms to restrict care workers from bringing dependents and a requirement to register with the Care Quality Commission from 11 March 2024;

    2. Removing the 20% going rate discount to the salary requirements for shortage occupation workers from 14 March 2024. The Immigration Salary List is set to replace the shortage occupation list from early April 2024;

    3. An increase to the minimum Skilled Worker salary from the current £26,200 to £38,700 from 4 April 2024;

    4. An increase to the minimum income required for family visas to £29,000 from 11 April 2024. It is important to note that this amount will continue to increase in stages and will finally reach £38,700 by early 2025.

    These rules change come on top of other changes already announced, such as the increase of the Immigration Health Surcharge for all visa applicants from 6 February 2024. Also remember, the changes to the civil penalty for employing illegal workers that came into force on 22 January. See more about this topic by reading our article here.

     

    What Should Applicants And Business Owners Do To Prepare Ahead? 

    Anyone wishing to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa, particularly one in the Health & Care sector, should be aware of the changes that will affect their applications and potentially their dependents.
     
    Sponsor license holders should understand how this change will affect their new hires. Salaries will need to be reviewed in advance of issuing any Certificates of Sponsorship before the above-announced dates. 

     

    One Piece of Good News

    There is one piece of good news, if you check the new message on your message portal via the SMS, it should confirm that from 6 April 2024, all sponsors with a licence expiry date on or after 6 April 2024 will no longer need to renew their licence or pay a renewal fee. The UK Home Office has automatically extended all these licences by another 10 years. However, if your licence is due to expire between 25 January 2024 and 5 April 2024 you will need to renew and pay the fee one more time. Please check your licence expiry date. Also, remember that it is a sponsorship requirement that you access your licence via the sponsor management system at least once a month to check the message board.


    How can Paragon Law help?

    Significant upcoming changes in immigration and visa regulations throughout the United Kingdom will affect subsequent businesses. Therefore, if you have any additional queries on such changes or formal clarification of the situation, please do not hesitate to contact your Paragon Law relationship lead.
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