The Governments desperate bid to peg net migration figures to something resembling Prime Minister David Cameron’s ill-considered “tens of thousands” pledge is continuing apace as more and more companies are seeing their Tier 2 sponsorship licences suspended or revoked.
Companies with Tier 2 sponsorship licences have a range of responsibilities to adhere to on an ongoing basis and Theresa May’s Home Office investigators are becoming increasingly hard-line in looking for non-compliance with licence requirements. Those with Tier 2 sponsorship licences are at greater risk than ever before of having their licences downgraded, suspended or withdrawn.
Responsibilities of Tier 2 sponsors include checking that any migrant they employ is legally entitled to do the job in question. Any such employee is required to have appropriate and recognised qualifications and registration for the job in question. The Home Office also requires employers to keep current passport, visa and contact information on file for all Tier 2 sponsored immigrants.
Tier 2 sponsors are required to have human resource systems in place allowing them to monitor an employees’ immigration status. If a Tier 2 visa migrant ceases to be sponsored, is absent from work or terminates their contract, sponsors should report the change on the sponsorship management system to UK Visas and Immigration. If Tier 2 sponsored workers are not complying with their visa conditions, UK Visas and Immigration should also be informed by the employer.
In August, former government advisor and executive officer of the Coalition for a Digital Economy (COADEC), Guy Levin, criticised the Tory government’s handling of the Tier 2 visa for migrants. In response to the Government’s plan to further tighten visa rules, Levin said:
“The proposals are already having a negative effect, increasing the perception that the UK does not welcome foreign workers and is not an attractive proposition for anyone looking to start-up a business here.”
Sanwar Ali, News Editor of workpermit.com, said:
“We believe that the Tier 2 Sponsorship licence system is putting an excessive burden on employers. Employers are in effect having to act as immigration officers enforcing immigration controls.
“The Home Office is taking a very aggressive attitude when deciding whether or not to revoke sponsorship licences. Many of the decisions to suspend and revoke Tier 2 sponsorship licences are very unfair.
“Even employers who have worked very hard to comply with the Tier 2 sponsorship licence regulations are having their sponsorship licences revoked. We cannot help thinking that the reason for this is to try and reduce levels of immigration into the UK.”
