UK Business Immigration – How To Protect Your Business From Being Caught Out in the “Crackdown”

The Home Office is clearly on a mission to get tough on illegal working – press releases and headlines announcing new measures clamping down on “rogue” employers are a regular occurrence. At the same time, the government faces mounting pressure to reduce legal migration. Changes to salary thresholds in 2024 have already led to a significant drop in Skilled Worker visa applications and the Home Office has further committed to “tackling the root causes behind the UK’s long-term reliance on international workers and action to link migration policy with skills and wider labour market policy”.

We are already seeing a stricter approach by the Home Office in relation to visa applications, sponsor licence compliance and enforcement action. While this enforcement focus is aimed at those who intentionally or recklessly breach their immigration duties, any UK business with overseas workers is likely to be affected – refusals, compliance action and fines are often issued to well-intentioned and generally diligent employers that have unwittingly fallen foul of increasingly complex immigration rules.

In this webinar, Annabel Mace, May Cheung and Carine Elliott offer guidance and practical insights in relation to:

• How the anticipated Immigration White Paper will affect your business
• Practical challenges for visa applications in light of increased scrutiny
• How to mitigate the increased risk of Home Office audits
• New restrictions on recouping immigration costs from sponsored workers
• Right-to-work pitfalls and new checks for workers and contractors