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General points

This category includes workers whose skills are needed by a UK based employer (as well as intra-company transfers, ministers of religion and sportspeople, which we will not be looking at in this module). We will be focusing in particular on applications made under Appendix Skilled Worker. First, some general points may be made in relation to the worker category.

Until 1 December 2020, there was a Resident Labour Market Test – in other words, an employer wanting to act as a sponsor for the purposes of the IR, they would have to go through to process to show that there was no one settled in the UK who could do the job. This requirement has been dropped, though there are still restrictions on who a sponsor can employ.

The rules for the Skilled Worker route are in Appendix Skilled Worker are split into validity, suitability, eligibility, maintenance and criminal record requirements.

Validity requirements (SW 1)

To apply under Appendix Skilled Worker, an applicant must:

• Pay the application fee.
• Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
• Provide biometrics.
• Provide a passport or satisfactory equivalent document.
• Have a Certificate of Sponsorship that was issued to them by their sponsor no more than 3 months before the date of application.
• Be aged 18 or over on the date of application.

The applicant may apply either from outside the UK, or within the UK. However, if the applicant is within the UK, they must not be in the UK on any of the following bases:

1. as a Visitor; or
2. as a Short-term student; or
3. as a Parent of a Child Student; or
4. as a Seasonal Worker; or
5. as a Domestic Worker in a Private Household; or
6. outside the Immigration Rules.

Suitability requirements (SW 2)

The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9 (general grounds for refusal).

If the applicant is applying for permission to stay (that is, they are already in the UK), then they must not be in breach of immigration laws or on immigration bail. (Note also that there are some forms of status which prohibit a person applying to switch to Skilled Worker status – see SW 1 above.)

Eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker

Entry requirements for a Skilled Worker (SW 3)

If a person is applying from outside the UK, then (unsurprisingly) they must apply for and obtain entry clearance before they arrive in the UK.

If they are from a country designated by the SSHD as being one where there is a risk of tuberculosis (listed in Appendix T), then they must also provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they are free of active pulmonary tuberculosis.

Mandatory points requirements

SW 4.1 states that an applicant must gain 50 mandatory points, comprising:

• A Certificate of Sponsorship (20 points). SW 5 sets out specific requirements for this to be valid, including:
  • The employer being an approved sponsor;
  • Confirmation of details of the applicant, the job, and the salary;
  • Confirmation of payment of the Immigration Skills Charge.
• A job at the appropriate skill level (20 points). SW 6 sets out specific requirements in relation to this, in particular:
  • The job must fall within a category described in Appendix Skilled Occupations.
    • Appendix Skilled Occupations is essentially a list of the types of job the UKVI deems appropriate;
    • Each job is given a Standard Occupational Classification – a code number, which must be used in the application;
    • Each job is also assigned a going rate, which is the UKVI’s view of what constitutes an appropriate salary;
  • The employment must be genuine; and
  • The decision maker must be satisfied that the applicant is suitably qualified and experienced for the job.
• Sufficient knowledge of English language (10 points). Additional detail in relation to this requirement is set out in Appendix English Language. Essentially the applicant must either
  • pass a test to level B1 (intermediate) in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; or
  • hold the nationality of a specified majority English-speaking country; or
  • have a degree that was taught in English.

Tradeable points requirements

SW 4.2 states that in addition to the 50 mandatory points, the applicant must gain 20 tradeable points. The term ‘tradeable’ essentially means that the 20 points can be gained in a number of ways:

• The applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both £25,600 and the going rate (SW 8).
• The applicant has a PhD in a subject relevant to the job (the sponsor must provide a ‘credible explanation’ as to how it is relevant) and their salary equals or exceeds both £23,040 and 90% of the going rate (SW 9).
• The applicant has a PhD in STEM subject relevant to the job and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both £20,480 and 80% of the going rate (SW 10).
• The job is in a shortage occupation (as defined in Appendix Shortage Occupation List) and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both £20,480 per year and 80% of the going rate (SW 11).
• The applicant is a new entrant to the labour market and their salary equals or exceeds both £20,480 per year and 70% of the going rate (SW 12).
• The job is in a listed health or education occupation (within Appendix Shortage Occupation List) and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both £20,480 per year and the going rate (SW 13).

Additional details of how salary is determined are set out at SW 14.

Maintenance (SW 15)

Apart from the salary requirement, there is a general requirement in relation to applicants’ finances at the time of application.

The applicant must have held funds equalling £1,270 for 28 days as at the date of application.

However, if the applicant has held permission to stay in the UK for more than 12 months (if they are extending their permission to stay as a skilled worker, or if they are switching from another status within the UK) then they do not have to meet this requirement.

Criminal records (SW 16)

Depending on the job being applied for, the applicant may need to complete a criminal records check. A complete list of which jobs will require a criminal records check is set out at SW 16.

This needs to be completed, before application, for each country where the applicant has spent more than 12 months in the past ten years.

Rights of appeal

There is no right of appeal if an application as a Skilled Worker is refused.

Instead, there is a right to seek Administrative Review (SW 17), which is essentially a review of the decision by another UKVI decision maker. Administrative Review is not covered in detail in this module.

Extensions of leave

There is now no limit on the amount of time a Skilled Worker visa holder can spend in the UK. Previously, a Tier 2 (General) worker (the equivalent status before 1 December 2020) was only able to spend a maximum of six years in the UK. Now, applicants can be granted permission up to a maximum of five years at a time, with unlimited extensions.

To apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, the applicant will still be required to be employed by the sponsor for the ‘foreseeable future’. The applicant must be earning at least £25,600, and the going rate for the job, when they come to apply for ILR. If they are working in a shortage occupation they will need to be paid above £20,480 and the going rate for the job.

Dependants (SW 29-46)

A Skilled Worker may be accompanied by dependants (who are defined as spouses, civil partners, unmarried or same sex partners (who have lived with the Skilled Worker for at least two years), or children under 18 who are financially dependant on the Skilled Worker).

They will have to apply for entry clearance from outside the UK before traveling to the UK and any permission to stay will be for the same length of time as the Skilled Worker. They should make any applications for extension or settlement at the same time as the Skilled Worker.

Intra-company transfer

The intra-company transfer category is for employees of multi-national companies who are being transferred to a UK based branch of the same organisation for training purposes or to fill a specific vacancy that cannot be filled by a British worker. There are four sub-categories of intra-company transfer: short term staff, long term staff, graduate trainee, and skills transfer.

Documentary evidence

Paragraph 245AA of the Immigration Rules sets out some points concerning the requirements in relation to what evidence must be submitted in respect of an application under the PBS. For example, it states that documents will only be considered if they have been submitted with the application. Documents will only be considered after the application where, for example, the document is in the wrong format, or does not contain all of the specified information. In such circumstances the person considering the application will contact the applicant or the applicant’s representative to request the correct documents, which must be provided within a specified timescale.

Sponsorship under the PBS

The current law provides that prospective UK employers must hold a licence to employ migrant workers, and education providers must hold a licence to offer educational courses. In obtaining a licence, these institutions are recognised as sponsors by the UKVI for the purpose of the IR.

Recognised sponsors agree to meet a number of sponsorship duties. These include a duty to inform the UKVI if migrants do not turn up for their job or course, or if they are absent without permission for a significant period. The UKVI monitors compliance with these duties.

Sponsors must apply to join the register of sponsors. If awarded a licence, they are added to the register of sponsors and will be able to issue certificates of sponsorship. The licence is valid for four years, after which the sponsor must re-apply.

The Immigration Act 2016 enables the SSHD to levy a skills charge on those hiring non EU (now, non British) nationals as skilled workers (see s. 70A Immigration Act 2014). The Immigration skills charge was introduced in April 2017 and is currently set at £1000 per employee per year (with a reduced rate of £364 for small or charitable organisations, including universities).

Applying under the PBS

An applicant should first ensure they are eligible by checking they have the requisite points under the relevant category.

The applicant should then complete the relevant application form which can be downloaded from the UKVI website. Detailed guidance on completing the form is also available on the website. The applicant should submit the form together with the correct fee and the correct supporting evidence to the UKVI. Supporting documentation will be verified if there is any doubt that it is genuine. If the documentation is confirmed as being false or if there is cause to doubt the genuineness of any document submitted by the applicant (reasonable steps having been taken to verify the document), the application will be refused.

If an application is unsuccessful because the requirements have not been met, the fee will not be refunded.

Migrants who wish to work and study in the UK must apply under the PBS. The main provisions of the PBS are now found is specific appendices of the IR. As the PBS is subject to frequent change, it is important when giving advice in relation to the PBS to refer to the most up to date version of the rules, and the relevant schedules, which are found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-rules.

Each type of application has different conditions, entitlements and entry requirements for migrants wishing to work in the UK.

The Tier system previously included students and workers, but is now restricted to Entrepreneurs and Investors. These are still called ‘Tier 1’ categories, though in actuality there are no longer any other meaningful Tiers.

Previously:

• Tier 2 related to skilled workers with a job offer and a sponsor. The main current provisions relating to workers are discussed below.
• Tier 3 related to low skilled workers to fill temporary shortages in the labour market.
• Tier 4 related to students.
• Tier 5 related to certain types of temporary worker ‘whose entry helps to satisfy cultural, charitable, religious or international objectives’.

Under Appendix V of the Immigration Rules (‘IR’) there are a number of different categories of visitors; the standard visitor; visitor for marriage or civil partner; visitor for permitted paid engagements and transit visitors. We will be dealing primarily with the standard visitor category.

Appendix V was introduced to the IR in April 2015 (replacing the old Part 2 of the IR), and amended on 1 December 2020. All references in this section are to the current Appendix V. The structure of Appendix V is similar to the structure of Appendix FM, IR; you will consider Appendix FM in Chapter 5.

For a standard visitor, the following are relevant to whether an application is successful:

• General requirements (‘entry requirements’ and ‘validity requirements’ – Parts V1 & V2).
• Suitability Requirements (Part V3).
• Eligibility requirements (Part V4), which can be further divided into:
  • General eligibility requirements (V4.1);
  • Genuine visitor requirement (V4.2 and V4.3);
  • Prohibited activities and payment requirements (V4.4).

General Requirements

Entry requirements for visitors (Part V1)

Many visitors can apply for leave to enter at the port of their arrival. Their application can be considered by an Immigration Officer then and there.

Other visitors, however, must apply for entry clearance before arriving in the UK. They are:

• Visa nationals. (This simply means ‘nationals of countries listed in Appendix VN’ – it includes 111 countries, though there are some exceptions, e.g. for diplomats.)
• Persons seeking a visit visa in order to marry in the UK. (NB this means marrying in the UK and then leaving the UK; persons wishing to marry in the UK and then remain in the UK should seek a fiancé visa.)
• Persons seeking to visit for longer than 6 months (e.g. some academic visitors).

All of these types of visitor must obtain entry clearance (often called a ‘visa’ – though the term is frequently used for any type of leave to remain) before they arrive in the UK. If they do not, and simply apply at the port or arrival, their application will be refused (V1.2).

A non visa national may apply for a visit visa, but is not required to unless they are visiting the UK to marry or to stay in excess of 6 months.

Application Procedure (Part V2)

A non visa national, who does not require a visa, simply needs to apply for leave to enter at the UK border. An immigration officer will assess the application and determine if the suitability and eligibility requirements are satisfied.

Where a visit visa/entry clearance is required is must be obtained prior to travelling to the UK, an on-line application is usually required, with a fee, supporting evidence, a valid travel document and biometric data.

Suitability Requirements (Part V3)

Generally all visitors are subject to the suitability requirements. Essentially the applicant must not fall foul of the suitability requirements as this will lead to the application being refused. Part V3 cross-refers to Part 9 IR, which sets out the types of behaviour which can lead to refusal. These are quite wide-ranging. Some are mandatory – that is, the officer must refuse an application if they apply. Others are discretionary – that is, the officer may refuse an application if they apply.

Examples of grounds for mandatory refusal include:

• Where the applicant is subject to an exclusion order or deportation order (9.2);
• Where the applicant’s presence in the UK is ‘not conducive to the public good’ (9.3);
• Where the applicant has relevant criminal convictions (9.4).

Examples of grounds for mandatory refusal include:

• Where the applicant has been involved in a sham marriage (9.6);
• Where false representations have been made (9.7);
• Where the applicant fails to provide information when reasonably required to do so (9.9);
• Where the applicant has unpaid debts to the NHS (9.11) or unpaid litigation costs awarded to the Home Office (9.12).

Eligibility requirements (Part V4)

A standard visitor must satisfy all of the following requirements:

1. A genuine intention to visit (V4.2). This requires that the applicant will leave the UK at the end of their visit, does not intend to live for extended periods in the UK through frequent or successive visits and is genuinely seeking entry for a purpose permitted by the visitor route. The permitted purposes are set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities. For example for a standard visitor this will include coming to visit family or for a holiday.
2. The applicant must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. This includes the costs of the return or onward journey. There is no set level of funds required for an applicant to show this. A visitor’s travel, maintenance and accommodation may be provided by a third party where the decision maker is satisfied that there is a genuine personal or professional relationship between the visitor and third party. Further the third party must not be in breach of the immigration laws at the time of the decision or when the visitor enters the UK. The third party may be asked to provide a writing undertaking confirming this (V4.3).
3. The applicant must not intend to work in the UK (V4.4). There are some limited exceptions, set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities. For example a visitor may undertake incidental volunteering for no more than 30 days for a charity registered with the Charity Commission, or an expert witness may visit the UK to give evidence in a UK court.
4. The applicant must not receive payment from a UK source for any activities undertaken in the UK. Again, there are some limited exceptions, set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities.
5. The applicant must not intend to study in the UK, except where permitted by Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities. Requirements include that the institution must be accredited, and that it must not be a state funded school or academy.
6. The applicant must not intend to receive medical treatment other than private medical treatment or to donate an organ (the visitor must satisfy the additional requirements for these categories of visit, under V7 or V8).
7. The applicant must not intend to marry or form a civil partnership except where they have a visit visa endorsed for marriage or civil partnership (V12).

If the application is successful the applicant will be granted a period of leave of up to 6 months (for most standard visitors), with conditions of no recourse to public funds, no study and no work (subject to the permitted activities set out in Appendix PA etc).

Extension of stay as a visitor (Part V15)

The maximum period allowed for a standard visitor is six months (V17). If a person is granted a visitor visa of less than six months they may be able to apply to extend that period up to the six-month maximum. A standard visitor for private medical treatment may be granted a further extension of stay as a visitor for 6 months, provided it is for private medical treatment.

Cancellation & curtailment (Part 9)

Leave granted to a person can be cancelled, or curtailed, in certain circumstances, set out in Part 9 IR. Examples includes where false representations or false documents were provided (whether or not material to the application, and whether or not to the applicant’s knowledge); or material facts were not disclosed in relation to the application. Leave can also be cancelled or curtailed where the visitor ceases to satisfy the requirements of the visitor rules or has breached any conditions of their leave.

The interpretation of the Immigration Rules and the evidence required

The UK Visas and Immigration (‘UKVI’) on-line guidance sets out the kind of documents that should be produced in respect of an application seeking leaving to enter as a visitor. The decision maker must

• if you are employed, a letter from your employer granting leave of absence from your job for a specified period – the letter should also say how long you have been employed by that employer, in what job(s), and when you are expected back at work;
• if you are self-employed, evidence of your business activities and financial standing;
• evidence of any property you own in your home country;
• if you are a student, a letter from your school or college stating the course you are on, its start and finish dates, and the dates of the holiday period when you intend to visit the UK;
• evidence of any family or social ties and responsibilities to return to;
• evidence of any firm travel plans you have made;
• bank statements going back over a period of several months; and
• evidence of savings available to you.

Article 8 differs from Article 3 in that it is a qualified right, and thus the first part of the Article must be balanced against the competing interests in the second part of the Article. This is the proportionality exercise.

The test of proportionality has been examined by the courts and for some time the Tribunal adopted the view of Lord Bingham in R v SSHD ex parte Razgar [2004] UKHL 27 (‘Razgar’) that a case had to be found to be ‘truly exceptional’ in order to succeed. However this test was held to be incorrect by the House of Lords in Huang and Kashmiri v SSHD [2007] UKHL 11 (‘Huang and Kashmiri’).

Examples of cases involving Article 8 will most commonly arise in the context of family relationships but it should be noted that it also encompasses the area of physical and mental integrity e.g. where a person’s physical or mental integrity will be seriously affected in circumstances that fall short of a breach of Article 3 (see Bensaid v UK (2001) 33 EHRR 10; Razgar).

Who is a family member under Article 8?

The Convention itself does not provide a clear definition of the family, or family life, and definitions have instead developed through case law. As such they have altered dynamically over time and with changing societal perceptions of the nature of ‘family.’

Family life can include various relationships and may be diverse (see Marckx v Belgium [1979] 2 EHRR 330; Singh v ECO New Delhi [2004] EWCA (Civ) 1075).

Children and parents are presumed to share a family life, as held in Ginger Lebbink v Netherlands (2004) 2 FLR 463.

Spouses and partners are presumed to share a family life, as held in Abdulaziz, Cabales and Balkandali v United Kingdom (1985) 7 EHRR 471. There is no specific period of cohabitation required for a family life to exist.

Whose rights must be considered?

In the balancing exercise, a decision maker must give appropriate weight to the rights of all persons affected, not only the applicant. For example, if the applicant is not British, but has a British spouse and children, their Article 8 rights would also be interfered with by a refusal, so they should also be considered. The House of Lords said as much in Beoku-Betts v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] UKHL 39.

The range of people whose rights should be considered may be broadly construed. For example, an applicant may be relying on a relationship with a British spouse. That spouse, however, may have children from a previous relationship, whose rights also need to be considered; and they may have contact with their other parent, whose rights might also therefore carry weight.

The best interests of children

The Supreme Court, in ZH (Tanzania) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] UKSC 4 (1 February 2011), considered the weight to be given to the best interests of children who are affected by the decision to remove or deport one or both of their parents from the UK.

Lady Hale’s leading Judgment concluded that the interests of children in a case should be given significant weight (although this could be outweighed by other considerations, such as serious criminal behaviour by a parent).

Where a child has spent significant time in the UK, they will have formed their own private lives here, through immersion in the culture, education, and other ties. It is therefore sometimes possible to argue that even if a parent has no other basis to remain in the UK, it would now be disproportionate to remove the child, and therefore the parent should be allowed to remain with the child.

This raises the question of how long a child must live in the UK to establish their own private life such that they should normally be removed. In Azimi-Moayed and others (decisions affecting children; onward appeals) v. the Secretary of State for the Home Department [2013] UKUT 00197(IAC), the Upper Tribunal took the view that:

• A child who has accrued seven years’ worth of private life in the UK should benefit from the protection of Article 8 ECHR; but
• The first three years of life should not be taken to count towards this period, because at that age – essentially before nursery – the child is not building their own private life outside their own family.

The possibility of seeking entry clearance

In a number of cases, applications have been made by overstayers. In most applications under the Immigration Rules, there is a requirement that an applicant inside the UK have valid leave when the application is made. Additionally, the Rules prohibit ‘switching’ from a visit visa to most other forms of leave. Applications may be refused on this basis even if the applicant meets all of the other requirements of the Rules.

The Home Office’s position is that a person in this situation should not ‘jump the queue’ by being granted leave inside the UK. Instead, they should return to their country of origin and make an entry clearance application – thus ‘joining’ the queue.

However, the courts have taken a slightly different view, and have repeatedly said that each case must be looked at on its own facts, and that there will be situations where an exception should be made and a person should not be compelled to leave the UK solely to make an application to return (see Chikwamba (FC) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] UKHL 40 and subsequent cases).

Matters to be taken into account will include the likely length of separation of a family – particularly if there are children involved. They will not generally include the family’s financial circumstances, or the expense of travelling and of making a new application; however, financial issues may bear on the length of separation, so could be arguable on that basis.

In some cases, the fact that a person will be able to re-enter the UK means that there will be no public interest at all in his or her removal. In Parveen v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWCA Civ 932, the appellant had entered the country lawfully and genuinely on a spouse visa and had remained married to her husband and resident in the UK ever since but had not, thirteen years earlier, made an application for leave. Underhill LJ observed at paragraph 28:

‘It is hard to see how it could be right to insist on the empty but disruptive formality of leaving the country in order to correct a venial administrative error made thirteen years previously.’

More recently in Younas (section 117B (6) (b); Chikwamba; Zambrano) [2020] UKUT 129 (IAC), the Upper Tribunal addressed the matter again.

In this case the appellant, a national of Pakistan, had come to the UK on a visit visa, and had an infant child with her British partner. The child was therefore also British. The partner also had two teenage British children from a previous relationship. The appellant applied to vary her leave in order to remain in the United Kingdom with her partner and child.

The Home Office conceded that there were insurmountable obstacles to the couple living in Pakistan, but argued that it would not be disproportionate for the appellant to return there for a limited period to make an entry clearance application.

The appellant argued that she could not do so because the couple could not meet the income threshold (which the Tribunal rejected).

The Tribunal set out its proportionality consideration thus:

‘102. We apply the considerations in section 117B as follows:

a. Section 117B(1) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 provides that the maintenance of effective immigration controls is in the public interest. For the reasons we have set out above, this factor weighs heavily in favour of removal.

…

104. Weighing on the appellant’s side of the balance sheet is that:

a. The appellant’s daughter will be separated from her father (and the appellant from her partner) for up to 9 months. This is a substantial period of time, particularly for the daughter.

b. It is in the best interests of the appellant’s daughter to remain in the UK with both parents rather than temporarily reside in Pakistan with just the appellant.

c. The appellant will face some challenges setting herself up and organising her life in Pakistan, given that she has not lived there previously.

105. Weighing on the other side of the balance sheet is that even though the appellant’s removal will be followed by her re-entry, there is, for the reasons explained above, nonetheless a strong public interest in her being required to leave the UK in order to comply with the requirement to obtain valid entry clearance as a partner.

106. Balancing the factors weighing for and against the appellant, we reach the firm conclusion that her removal, in order to make an entry clearance application from Pakistan, is proportionate.’

In other words, in the particular circumstances of the case, the Tribunal found that the maintenance of immigration control outweighed other considerations.

The possibility of continuing one’s family life outside the UK

Where an Article 8 application based on family life, made within the UK, is refused, the Home Office may argue that the family can continue their family life overseas.
In these circumstances, the applicant will need to consider whether there are any factors which would render that option unreasonable.
– Is one of the family members ineligible to live in the applicant’s country of origin? This is unusual, but possible, depending on that country’s immigration laws.
– Does the spouse need medical treatment? This would not be an Article 3 case, as discussed above: the spouse would be settled in the UK and therefore entitled to receive treatment in the UK.
– Are there significant cultural differences? This is potentially more controversial, but in Amrollahi v Denmark (Application no. 56811/00) 11 October 2002 the European Court of Human Rights took into account the potential difficulty of a Danish woman adjusting to life in Iran.