UK Immigration Routes Post Brexit

The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 December 2020 at the end of this year to be precise. Many people worry about post-Brexit changes to UK visas.

In this article we plan to outline the major changes that the UK Government has announced to the Immigration Rules after Brexit so far. We would like to explore in detail what visas will be available to the UK after Brexit.

New categories of immigration, and visa routes post Brexit

As we know most UK visas will mostly remain unchanged after Brexit, with the introduction of a few routes below. So, what are the new routes and visas that take effect later this year after UK Brexit? We'll consider them now one by one:

1. Global Talent visa route –

Earlier this year, the Global Talent visa route completely replaced Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent). Global Talent visa route was introduced to support post-Brexit Britain's government vision. However, it is probably unfair to call it a "new" route, since its predecessor, Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent), retained most of the provisions and requirements. In our article here we discuss the Global Talent visa route in depth.

2. Post Study Work Visa

UK Immigration Route for Graduates. This is a thrilling reincarnation of a long-forgotten post-study visa work route that was closed in 2012. The route will allow international Tier 4 students to stay in the UK for 2 years after graduation in order to find employment. The route will be available to graduating students from the summer of 2021, and is a completely new UK visa that will be available after Brexit. While we do not have all the details of the new route yet, it is, nonetheless, a very exciting prospect for most students who will now have 2 years to find employment in the UK, as opposed to a couple of months they are being raced with nowadays.

3. Skilled Migrant Worker visa route

This is a flagship route for workers wishing to be employed in the United Kingdom after the UK leaves the EU. The route applies to both EU and non-EU nationals. Whether the Skilled Worker route will supersede the Tier 2 route is unclear, we expect more information to follow in the weeks and months to come.

The migrant must have an offer in place from a "approved sponsor" (i.e. a company with a sponsor's licence) to be sponsored under a Skilled Worker's Visa, the vacancy must be at a suitable level of skill and the salary must be above the relevant threshold. Those familiar with a Tier 2 (General) visa likely had a deja vu moment.

Conclusion

Overall, there's a lot to get excited about, the UK government seems to have finally abandoned its tens of thousands of immigration approach and Immigration Rules are relaxed accordingly. We expect to see more positive change coming next year.