How customers and agents contact UKVI is changing
Dear colleague
How customers and agents contact UKVI is changing. From 1 June all customer enquiries from the UK and overseas will be handled by a new commercial partner Sitel UK.
The main changes for customers applying from outside the UK are:
All phone numbers and opening hours will change.
The number of languages offered is reducing to eight including English to reflect current usage.
Customers who contact UKVI by e-mail will be charged.
There are no changes to those who contact us from within the UK or to sponsor or premium services.
Charges and paying
Customers applying from outside the UK who choose to contact us by e-mail will now be charged £5.48 per e-mail. This includes the initial e-mail enquiry plus any follow-up e-mails to and from the contact centre relating to the same enquiry.
Phone calls for customers applying from outside the UK will be paid for as they are now, via credit or debit card. E-mails will be paid for by entering card details prior to submitting an enquiry. Customers who do not have access to a credit or debit card may choose to use a trusted third party such as an agent or sponsor.
Opening hours for customers applying from outside the UK
Our English service phone line is open 24 hours Monday-Friday, with other languages available at times that reflect standard business hours where possible, see table below.
Language
Number
Opening hours (British Standard Time)
English
+44 (0)203 481 1736
Monday-Friday, 24 hours
Arabic
+44 (0)203 481 1737
Sunday-Thursday, 05.00-13.00
Cantonese
+44 (0)203 481 1739
Monday-Friday, 01.00-09.00
French
+44 (0)203 481 1740
Monday-Friday, 09.00-17.00
Hindi
+44 (0)203 481 1741
Monday-Friday, 04.00-12.00
Mandarin
+44 (0)203 481 1742
Monday-Friday, 01.00-09.00
Russian
+44 (0)203 481 1743
Monday-Friday, 06.00-14.00
Spanish
+44 (0)203 481 1738
Monday-Friday, 13.00-01.00
The new contract will see a number of changes for customers, to help the government reduce costs and ensure those who benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution.
Customers should continue to access immigration guidance and information through www.gov.uk.
British Embassies overseas are unable to help with visa related enquiries.
If you have any further questions, check our Q&A.
Regards
UK Visas & Immigration
Increase in Home Office fees
5th April 2017
The UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) pursuant to the Legislation laid in Parliament has announced a number of updates to immigration, visa and nationality fees.
The key changes are:
Fees for visitors, full-time students and workers will be restricted to a 2% increase in line with the government’s inflation target;
Application fees for British Citizens applying for registration and naturalisation will increase by 4%;
Settlement and indefinite leave to remain will increase by up to 22.5%. This reflects the significant benefits and entitlements that a successful applicant receives and includes: access to education, general public services and the UK labour market;
All premium services (excluding sponsorship premium services) will also increase by up to 23%;
Fees for entry clearance to enter the Channel Islands will rise in line with 2017/2018 fee changes seen in the rest of the UK;
On 1 June 2017, a new optional email enquiry service will be introduced overseas which will complement the existing telephone helpline service. The fee for the telephone helpline service will remain unchanged; and
For the third year running, there will be no changes to the fees for applications or services under the sponsorship system.
A full list of the new fees can be found on www.gov.uk
As if the additional burden of the Immigration Skills Charge and Immigration Heath Surcharge wasn’t enough for employers, the fee increase (in certain cases up to 22% increase) is icing on the cake.
Immigration Skills Charge now in force
As predicted earlier this year on this post, the UK government has clear intention to reduce number of foreign workers in the UK by every possible means!
Home Office changes to the Immigration Rules, introduced on 6 April 2017, included the controversial Immigration Skill Charge (“the Charge”).
The original proposals for the Charge were widely criticised. The Home Office stated that the Charge was ‘subject to approval by Government’, but media headlines indicated Parliament’s disapproval. However, the Home Office went ahead and implemented the Charge. It seems that other than slamming down the proposal, the Prime Minister and her Government found it too trivial for further attention.
Who is impacted by the Charge?
The Charge affects every business that sponsors a migrant worker under Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (Intracompany Transfer) visas. The sponsoring employer must pay an additional charge for each foreign worker they employ.
Exemptions
The Home Office allowed some exemptions. Those wishing to sponsor workers who are:
switching from a Tier 4 (Student) visa
a worker who has a Tier 2 (Intracompany Transfer) Graduate Trainee visa
a worker who will do a job with a PhD level standard occupational classification (SOC) code.
The Charge does not apply to dependants of sponsored workers.
How much is the Charge?
Small or charitable sponsors will pay £364 for the first 12 months for each assigned certificate of sponsorship. For each additional 6 months it will cost £182. So, for a worker who is sponsored by the same sponsor for five years (the longest period a worker can be sponsored), the employer will pay £1,820.
Medium or large sponsors will pay £1,000 for the first 12 months with £500 for each additional 6 months, with the total sum of £5,000 for the five years of sponsorship.
If the worker will be in the UK for over 6 months but less than a year, the sponsors must pay the charge for the full 12 months.
How is payment made?
The Charge is paid at the same time as the sponsor assigns a certificate of sponsorship via the Sponsorship Management System (‘SMS’).
The amount will be automatically calculated for the Sponsor, depending on the size of the business or organisation and the length of the assigned sponsorship certificate.
The Home Office does not accept payments by instalments, and the full charge must be paid immediately.
The Charge must be paid within 10 working days from assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship.
The sponsor will receive a full refund if the worker’s visa application is refused or withdrawn; or if the application is successful, but the worker decides not to start the employment with the sponsor.
If the Home Office endorses the worker’s permit for a period shorter than the sponsor’s assigned Certificate of Sponsorship, or where the worker switches to another sponsor, the sponsor will receive a partial refund.
Conclusion
The Charge has no doubt been introduced to help with the Government’s stated objective to reduce net migration. It remains to be seen whether the Charge will be sufficient to deter an employer from sponsoring an overseas worker or instead, train a local worker.
A government spokesperson is reported as saying: “For too long there has been under-investment in training for UK workers but this government is committed to building home-grown skills and wants to encourage employers to do the same. The introduction of the immigration skills charge will help encourage employers to invest in training so that UK workers have the right skills to fill jobs.”
