Tier 1 applicants required to provide criminal record certificates
July 27 2015
The government has introduced a new requirement for Tier 1 entry clearance applicants to provide criminal record certificates. From 1 September 2015, investors and entrepreneurs applying for entry to the UK will need to supply certificates from any country they have lived in for 12 months or more in the 10 years prior.
TIER 1 (INVESTOR) AND TIER 1 (ENTREPRENEUR) – OVERSEAS CRIMINAL RECORD CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENT
Dear colleague,
TIER 1 (INVESTOR) AND TIER 1 (ENTREPRENEUR) – OVERSEAS CRIMINAL RECORD CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENT
In April 2015, we introduced a new rule to require applicants to provide an overseas criminal record certificate from any country they have lived in continuously for 12 months or more over the past 10 years. This change is an important step in preventing foreign criminals from coming to the UK
This requirement will be introduced in phases, and will start with Tier 1 (Investor and Entrepreneur) applicants, and their adult dependants. The requirement does not currently apply to extensions or in-country switching applications.
In order to manage the roll-out of this requirement, we are starting with Tier 1 (Investor) and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) applicants and their adult dependants before applying more widely. By starting with a small category of applicants, we will be able to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the policy.
This requirement will apply to all applications submitted on or after 1st September 2015.
Updated policy guidance on Tier 1 (Investor) and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) will be published on Monday 20 July to provide further information, and to allow applicants sufficient time to gather the necessary documentation. The statement of changes, which provides more detail on this policy on p10 and p39, can be found on Gov.UK.
For questions or enquiries, please refer to the contact UK Visas and Immigration page on Gov.UK
Laura Brasnett
Immigration & Border Policy Directorate
Home Office
UK Visas and Immigration is making changes to student visas.
Tier 4 visas: Immigration Rules changes
From: UK Visas and Immigration
First published: 14 July 2015
The government announced changes to the Immigration Rules on 13 July. Many of these affect Tier 4 of the points-based system.
The main changes will:
stop new students at publicly funded colleges from working, bringing them in line with those at private colleges (from August)
allow university students to study a new course at the same level but only where there’s a link to their previous course or the university confirms that this supports their career aspirations. There will be credibility interviews and sanctions against universities who abuse this rule (from August)
ban college students from extending their Tier 4 visas in the UK unless they are studying at an ‘embedded college’, one which has a formal, direct link to a university that is recognised by the Home Office. This will require them to leave and apply for a new visa from outside the UK if they wish to study another course (from November)
ban college students from being able to switch visas to Tiers 2 or 5 in the UK, and require them to apply from outside the UK (from November)
reduce the time limit for study at further education level from 3 years to 2 years. This brings the maximum period into line with the length of time British students generally spend in further education (from November)
stop Tier 4 dependants from taking a low or unskilled job, but allow them to take part-time or full-time skilled work (from the autumn)
These changes will help reduce immigration abuse ensuring the UK maintains a competitive offer and attracts the brightest and best international students. The UK continues to welcome genuine students to our world class universities.
