Information below provides an update on developments around the new immigration system. New immigration routes will open later this year for people who are not UK or Irish nationals to live, work and study in the UK from 1 January 2021.
Online Guidance
4 pieces of guidance have been published this week for overseas teachers, trainee and schools and providers that recruit them.
These aim to provide a simple overview of the immigration system, tailored for school sector and signposting people to the relevant Home Office guidance.
- Recruiting teachers from overseas: guidance for schools
- Teaching in England: guidance for overseas teachers
- Recruiting trainee teachers from overseas: guidance for accredited ITT providers
- Training to teach in England: guidance for overseas graduates
More updates will be provided as further Home Office guidance becomes available and application processes go live.
Webinars
We are planning on holding some webinars with the Home Office next half term to talk schools and ITT providers through the changes and answer any questions or concerns they may have. Dates and further information will be provided in due course.
Settlement Salary Threshold
Earlier this year the Home Office suspend the planned annual increases to the settlement salary threshold and review how this would operate in the new system. The settlement threshold is the amount a teacher would need to earn to apply to remain in the UK indefinitely after they have been here on a visa for 5 years or more.
The Home Office have decided that for teachers, this threshold will be linked to national pay ranges in the same way as the visa salary threshold will be. This will also apply to teachers on a current Tier 2 visa who apply for settlement after January 2021.
Skilled Worker route
The Home Office have now confirmed that for the new skilled worker route there will be:
- no limit on the number of years a person can stay – under the current Tier 2 route this is restricted to 6 years.
- no 12 months ‘Cooling off’ period – under Tier 2 once someone leaves the UK they cannot apply for a new Tier 2 visa for a year.
- no restriction on entering the UK more than 2 week before the job starts – the visa will start from the expected date of travel instead.