Re:locate Magazine | Immigration & Visas | Immigration Update January 2007

Immigration experts Smith Stone Walters report: ‘The UK has decided to limit access to its labour market following countries’ accession to the European Union. In the UK, low-skilled workers from Romania and Bulgaria will be restricted to existing quota schemes to fill vacancies in the agricultural and food processing sectors. There will be no net increase in these schemes, and workers will be required to have an authorization document.’

New language standards for immigrants

From 2 April 2007, all adults applying for settlement in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’ or ‘permanent residence’) will need to pass a ‘Life in the UK’ test or an English language course, reports immigration experts at Smith Stone Walters. The Government has announced that this new condition will be in addition to the usual requirements for settlement and will affect applicants aged 18 to 65. The requirement aims to ensure residents have the requisite language skills and citizenship knowledge to integrate successfully into British society. It also forms part of the Government’s managed migration five-year strategy.

To meet the new requirement, from 2nd April 2007, applicants must either:

Pass a ‘Life in the UK’ test, if they already possess a good standard of English
(ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) Entry 3 standard or above); or
Pass an ESOL with citizenship course, if their standard of English is below ESOL Entry 3 standard.

This change will not affect any applicants applying for settlement prior to the 2nd April 2007. For more information, see www.smithstonewalters.com

New Forms and Guides

Regarding British citizenship applications, the Home Office recently announced that new forms and guides have been introduced for naturalisation applications and the registration of minors (children under the age of 18). The guides are intended to provide easy and more comprehensive advice on how to make successful applications. They also cover new regulations and development. These are:

The extension of the good character requirement to all applicants over the age of 10. Exceptions are applications from
Applications from stateless persons
Persons who are solely British overseas citizens, British protected persons or British subjects.
The requirement for all applicants to apply through separate applications including separate application forms for each applicant in a family application.
New processes aimed at reducing waiting times. With effect from Monday 5 February applications for naturalisation which are not supported by fees or documentary evidence (eg passports) will be returned unprocessed. Applicants will be asked to resubmit them with sufficient documents to enable them to be considered.
Identity checking will be enhanced to reduce fraudulent applications. This will include the use of passport style photographs and endorsement by referees. Checks will also be carried out to ensure that referees are qualified to act.
Clear warnings on the consequences of fraud and unacceptable behaviour towards knowledge of life in the UK test centre personnel.
The opportunity for those who are not of sound mind, who were previously debarred from applying for naturalisation, to apply at the discretion of the Home Secretary.

For more information, see www.smithstonewalters.com.

Back