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The limit for Tier 1 (General) applications made outside the UK has been reached for the month of November. Applications may still be submitted but will not be approved until 1 December.
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More About the Cap
As part of the UK government's decision to reduce net migration to the UK, a cap has been introduced for Tiers 1 and 2 of the Points Based System. The final details of the cap are still being determined, and an interim cap, in place until 31 March 2011, has been introduced in the meantime. More details can be found in Pro-Link GLOBAL's Global Brief here.
The cap is administered on a monthly basis for Tier 1 (General), meaning that the limit allocation is re-opened on the 1st of every month. Currently, the limit is set at 600 approvals per month for Tier 1 (General) applications from abroad.
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Future Predictions
This is the second month running that the cap has been reached. October's limit was reached on 21 October, meaning that any further applications made after that date in October were delayed until November, and counted towards the November limit. The November limit has been reached much earlier - today is only the 10th - and, of course, any remaining applications made this month will now be delayed until December.
December's allocation of 600 approvals is likely to be largely taken up with the carried over applications from November - and so the cap may be reached even earlier for December. Delays are therefore likely to increase in coming months, with each month's approval quota being used up largely or, eventually, completely for applications held over from previous months.
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Who is Affected?
First time applicants for Tier 1 (General) applying from outside the UK are affected. It is important to note that the cap does not affect applications from dependents, applications to switch into Tier 1 (General) from a different immigration category, or applications to extend existing Tier 1 (General) visas.
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ACTION ITEMS FOR EMPLOYERS
- Note that the November cap for Tier 1 (General) applications submitted outside the UK has been reached. Applications will be rolled over to December. This will cause at least three weeks' delay.
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Caveat Lector | Warning to Reader
This is provided as informational only and does not substitute for actual legal advice based on the specific circumstances of a matter. Readers are reminded that Immigration laws are fluid and can change a moment's notice without any warning. Please reach out to your local Pro-Link GLOBAL specialist should you require any additional clarification. |
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