Business Immigration

Business Immigration Services

There are many obstacles to overcome for those who wish to employ workers from outside the UK. With our business immigration services, we help businesses like yours to overcome these obstacles with our expert guidance and support, compliance training and foreign staffing solutions.

Many businesses depend on international talent to remain competitive, however, employing this talent isn’t always an easy task. In the UK a business cannot simply employ a foreign worker. They must first be given permission from the Home Office to be allowed to sponsor a foreign workers’ visa application before the applicant can apply for their visa to enter the country to work for you.

At Cartwright King we offer business immigration services for UK businesses large and small that are looking to recruit any number of foreign workers to join their ranks

Get in touch with a Cartwright King Business Immigration Lawyer today for specialist advice.

How Cartwright King’s Business Immigration Solicitors Can Help 

Whether you’re a non-UK national looking to invest in the UK, or a British business looking to recruit highly skilled talent, Cartwright King’s Business Immigration Lawyers will do everything they can to make this possible. We will partner with you to guide you through the complexities of the UK immigration system. We can help with:

We can also assist with:

• Home Office compliance visits
• Right to rent checks and civil penalties affecting landlords
• Settlement application for all business visas
• Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange visa

Important UK Business Immigration Information

Following the end of free movement between the EU and UK from 1 January 2021, all non-UK nationals – including EU nationals (excluding citizens of Ireland) – would now require a visa to enter the UK.

If you, or your family member(s) are a citizen(s) of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, and started living in the UK prior to 1 January 2021, you could be eligible to remain or settle in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). 

The EUSS exempts you from requiring a visa to remain in the UK. You have up until 30 June 2021 to apply for the scheme.

If you do not qualify for the EUSS, you will need a visa to live, work, study and invest in the UK. 

If your business is looking to hire EU and non-EU staff, you will need a UK Visa and Immigration approved Sponsor Licence. The Skilled Worker visa route replaced the Tier 2 (General) visa route on 1 December 2020.

Speak to a specialist Cartwright King UK Business Immigration Lawyer for advice on the new immigration rules and COVID-19 entry restrictions.

Expert Business Immigration Advice

Immigration Challenges Faced by British Businesses

As a business, you can face many challenges employing foreign workers. You may need to apply for a sponsorship licence, and you must check all your employees’ rights to work.

With our specialist business immigration services on hand, you won’t need to worry. We will help you to:

• employ foreign workers safely
• apply for sponsorship licences
• carry out right to work checks

Additionally, we will work with your internal teams providing them with business compliance training.

If you are looking to apply for an Innovator, Start-up, or Global Talent visa get in touch with our immigration team.

UK Immigration Law on Employing Foreign Workers

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to prevent illegal work. That is why you need to make sure that you have the right evidence to prove that each of your employees has the right to work in the UK.

All data and evidence showing your employees’ right to work should be stored safely and securely within your HR systems, in compliance with the code of practice.

Furthermore, if you wish to recruit employees from overseas and sponsor their work visas, you must apply for a sponsor licence first.

If you employ workers from overseas, you need to be very careful and make sure you are following UK immigration law to the letter.

Our expert business immigration solicitors can make sure you don’t make any mistakes whilst you make the most of your national and international talent. We are here to guide and advise you on your business immigration policies and procedures, recruitment processes and employee management systems.

To find out more, speak to our business immigration team today or request a callback.

Sponsor Licences

If you wish to recruit overseas workers in your UK business for permanent or long-term positions, your company must secure a sponsor licence.

To be able to apply for your business’s sponsor licence you should not have:

• Any past criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes like money laundering
• Any history of failing to carry out your sponsorship duties

We assist by assessing your eligibility for a sponsor licence, and when you’re ready, we can apply for the license on your behalf.

During Your Sponsorship Licence Application

The Home Office will check your application for your sponsorship licence thoroughly.

While you’re applying for a sponsorship licence you can expect to receive a visit from officers of the Home Office. The Home Office will check:

• That you have the processes and human resource practices to meet your sponsorship duties now, and in the future.
• That you are compliant with your legal responsibility to prevent illegal working, and other related immigration legislation.

Once you have secured your sponsor licence, you will need to continue to meet your duties as a licenced sponsor. Therefore, you will need to ensure that you have systems in place to maintain compliance. Inspections can be made at short notice. If the Home Office believe you have failed to comply with your duties, your licence could be suspended, revoked, or downgraded.

We provide ongoing support for businesses that already hold a sponsor licence to ensure that you maintain compliance. Contact our UK business immigration specialists today for assistance regarding your sponsor licence duties.

Business Immigration Services Including Right to Work Checks

In the UK each business must check that all their employees have the right to work.

An employer should carry out these checks before employment begins. Additionally, you should store the proof of the employees’ right to work in a safe place. The employer should keep the document in a safe place for the entire duration of their employment.

When You Don’t Check Employee Rights

Failing to check your employees’ right to work, or to store documents that prove that right to work checks have been properly carried out, can lead to fines of up to £20,000.

Therefore, if it can be proven that you knowingly employed migrants without the right to work, the penalties can be severe. Such a breach of UK law is very serious.

Please note that you need to check the right to work for anyone working for you. That means that even if you are using contractors, you must have valid checks in place.

How Our Business Immigration Services Can Help You

We can help educate you and your team in every aspect of compliance. As a result, you will never fall foul of the small print.

Speak to Our Business Immigration Solicitors

Our immigration solicitors are here to guide businesses like yours through the complex UK business immigration processes with ease. Get in touch and see how we can support you in growing your business by employing foreign workers, ensuring your compliance with immigration law and sponsoring visa applicants.

We offer a 30-minute consultations with one of our immigration solicitors. Our solicitors hold the call over the phone or via Skype or a meeting can be held in our offices. We do not offer free advice and will charge a non-refundable £95 fee per consultation.