Consultation on the work routes leading to settlement closes on the 9 Sept

09 September 2011 The 12 week public consultation on employment related settlement, Tier 5 and overseas domestic workers will close at midnight on Friday 9 September 2011. The consultation has so far received over 11,000 responses and sought views on a range of proposals, including: • re-branding the Tier 2 (Skilled worker) route as temporary, ending the assumption that settlement will be available for those who enter on this route; • allowing certain categories of Tier 2 migrant, for example those earning over £150,000 or occupations of a specific economic or social value to the UK, to retain an automatic route to settlement; • creating a new category into which, after 3 years in the UK, the most exceptional Tier 2 migrants may switch and go on to apply for settlement; • allowing Tier 2 migrants who do not switch into a settlement route to stay for a maximum of 5 years with the expectation that they and any dependants will leave at the end of that time; • introducing an English language requirement for adult dependants of Tier 2 migrants applying to switch into a route to settlement; • restricting the maximum period of leave for Tier 5 temporary workers to 12 months; and • closing or reforming routes for overseas domestic workers. Please note that until any announcements are made, the existing rules for settlement will apply. We would like to thank all those that responded to the consultation. We will now analyse all the responses and the results will be published on our website. Source: UKBA