Employers who sponsor employees from outside the European Economic Area under a Tier 2 visa will have to pay the ‘immigration skills charge’ from 6 April 2017.
The charge will be levied at £1,000 per employee per year, but small organisations and charities will pay a reduced rate of £364 per year.
Surprisingly for such a significant change, the applicable regulations have not yet been published by the Home Office, but it is thought that the definition of ‘small’ will follow that set out in the Companies Act 2006 (Section 382).
The charge will not apply to Tier 2 migrants already in the UK applying to extend their Tier 2 stay, either with the same or with a different sponsor, and there are various exemptions for highly skilled jobs. Further information is available on the Government’s website.
For details of how immigration law will affect your business, contact us.