23 February 2009
The UK Border Agency has once again announced a further clamming of immigration law, set to adversely affect young aspiring South African professionals wishing to spread their wings and pursue a career abroad. A new addition to the radical UK immigration regime, issued by the UK Border Agency (UKBA), has imposed a new criterion on Tier 1 Visa applications, where any highly skilled foreign national must possess a master's degree (rather than a bachelors degree) and earn an annual salary of R 291 000 (ÂŁ 20 000) to gain permission to work in the UK.
According to expert, South African based immigration firm 1st Contact, the new legislation is set to protect the interests of British nationals in the face of the economic slump.
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For many years young South Africans were granted the opportunity to live, work and travel in the UK with the popular Working Holiday Visa or a Tier 1 Highly Skilled Migrant Visa. After the abolishment of the Working Holiday Visa for South Africans, together with the recent announcement of the invalidity of the South African passport to enter UK terrain, the Tier 1 Highly Skilled Migrant Visa, one of the only viable immigration options left for South Africans, is now under threat.
1st Contact affirm that, in an attempt to safeguard UK citizens from potentially losing their jobs to foreign workers, the UK are also imposing restrictions on UK based companies wishing to recruit foreign workers, where the following restrictions have been implemented to date:
1. UK employers will need to advertise job posts to UK residents through a UK job Portal, JobCentre, before they are able to consider recruiting a foreign employee outside of the EU.
2. The UK Skills shortage list will no longer be used as a tool for recruiting foreign workers, but rather as a means of upskilling British nationals to decrease the UK's dependency on foreign skills.
1st Contact urges all South Africans who are in the process of obtaining their Tier 1 Highly Skilled Migrant Visa, to live and work in the UK, to move extremely quickly in confirming their application, since the new legislation governing UK Tier 1 Visas is set to come into full effect , as early as, April 2009.
UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith says " Just as in a growth period we needed migrants to support growth, it is right in a downturn to be more selective about the skill levels of those migrants, and to do more to put British workers first".
For media requests, please contact Catherine Silver from 1st Contact at (021) 657 1535 or 083 608 3735, or e-mail Catherine at
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About 1st Contact
1st Contact Visas is an immigration consultancy incorporated in 1998 with the aim of becoming the premier visa service provider to people wishing to migrate around the world. Part of the 1st Contact Group, 1st Contact Visas has offices in London, Melbourne and Cape Town and has helped thousands of people move around the world, be it to immigrate, travel or work www.1stcontactvisas.com
Source : Ends /sss
Date : 23 Feb 2009 11:26
