Entry clearance meaning

Sponsor licence revocation challenges: no need for a global assessment During the first half of 2024, the Administrative Court has delivered a series of inconsistent rulings on whether the Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD) must undertake a global assessment when deciding to revoke a sponsor licence. All the claims have featured care providers running care homes who have brought challenges to revocation decisions taken by the SSHD. In R (Supporting Care Ltd) v SSHD [2024] EWHC 68 (Admin) (19 January 2024), His Honour Judge Siddique quashed the SSHD’s decision on the single basis that he had ‘failed to conduct an adequately reasoned global assessment of all relevant considerations in deciding whether to revoke or downgrade the sponsor licence.’ (para [55]). The dispute concerned entirely the necessity for such holistic evaluation in sponsor licence revocation decision-making by the SSHD...

For our first overview of HC 1691, concentrating on matters addressed in the EM, see LNB News 05/03/2026 54. Suitability All changes apply to decisions made on or after 26 March 2026. Extension of para SUI 11.3 to entry clearance applications In a notable development omitted from the EM, the discretionary basis for refusing permission to enter and stay applications at para SUI 11.3—introduced when Part 9 was replaced by Part Suitability on 11 November 2025—has now been extended to entry clearance applications. As set out in the Practice Note: Suitability grounds for refusal and cancellation of permission, this provides the Home Office with an additional basis to refuse an entry clearance application where an individual is, or has been, in breach of immigration laws, even if the mandatory, time-limited re-entry bans in para SUI 12.1 have expired, and even where the applicant has not taken steps to frustrate immigration controls...

In this issue: Key developments General election announced for 4 July 2024 UK immigration control: how it works Sponsored work Students EU law rights and EU Settlement Scheme Challenging immigration decisions and enforcement Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Key developments Future developments—Immigration calendar Please note our Immigration calendar highlights key upcoming developments relevant to business immigration advisers. General election announced for 4 July 2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sought and secured the King’s consent to dissolve Parliament and has scheduled a general election for 4 July 2024. As a consequence, Parliament will be prorogued on 24 May 2024 and dissolved on 30 May 2024, in line with the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022. This commentary reviews the ramifications of the announcement for bills currently before parliament, alongside the effect on government and public bodies in the period up to the election. See News Analysis: General...

This Practice Note considers the eligibility criteria for indefinite leave to remain under the Tier 1 (Investor) category. The Tier 1 (Investor) category closed to fresh applications, without notice, from 16.00 on 17 February 2022 through Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules CP 632. Holders of existing leave on this route may still prolong their permission, including applying for entry clearance from outside the UK where they have held Tier 1 (Investor) leave at any point in the 12-month period before the application date, and may pursue settlement. Requests to extend, whether made inside or outside the UK, must be filed by 17 February 2026. Applications for indefinite leave to remain must be submitted before 17 February 2028. Specific timings for each cohort are outlined below. In line with other pre-simplification ‘legacy’ routes—and particularly as this route was partly closed due to concerns it enabled the movement of illicitly obtained wealth—both extension and settlement applications are expected to attract rigorous scrutiny. For more on the closure, see: LNB News...

The Skilled Worker route The Skilled Worker route allows UK employers holding a valid sponsor licence to hire, or continue to employ, skilled individuals who are neither British nor Irish nationals. It is the principal route for entry to, and residence in, the UK for employment. The Practice Note: Sponsoring a Skilled Worker reviews the eligibility requirements connected to a sponsor issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), including the necessary skill level and salary. Once a CoS has been issued, and provided the applicant meets all other criteria, they can apply for entry clearance or permission to stay...

ARCHIVED : The Tier 1 (Investor) category was closed to initial applications, without warning, from 16:00 on 17 February 2022 through Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules CP 632. Applicants with existing permission in this route can still seek to extend their leave, and may apply for entry clearance from outside the UK if they have held Tier 1 (Investor) leave within the 12 months before the date of application, as well as apply for settlement. Extension applications, whether made in the UK or abroad, must be lodged by 17 February 2026. Applications for indefinite leave to remain must be submitted by 17 February 2028. For additional details, see: LNB News 17/02/2022 76. This Practice Note—last updated before the post-Brexit work and study routes introduced in December 2020 via Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 617—has been kept in archived form for historical interest. Anti-money laundering duties and other client due diligence processes, together with advisers’ own regulatory compliance...

[ Insert your current residential address ] Entry Clearance Officer, [ Insert address of decision-making centre to which the application is being sent ] [ Insert date ] Dear [ insert organisation name ] Application for entry clearance as a [ spouse OR civil partner OR unmarried partner ] under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules I am a national of [ insert nationality ] and the [ spouse OR civil partner OR unmarried partner ] of [ insert name of sponsoring partner ]. My birth date is [ insert date of birth ] and my age is currently [ insert age ]. I confirm that I am not related to [ insert name of sponsoring partner ] in any manner that is barred for [ marriage OR civil partnership ] in the UK...

Dear [ Applicant ], Skilled Worker entry clearance visa We are instructed [ by [ Sponsor ] ] to support you [ and your dependants ] with an application for UK entry clearance (a visa) under the Skilled Worker route. This route permits non‑British or Irish citizens who have a job offer from a UK employer holding a valid sponsor licence to work in the UK. Eligibility I understand you have been offered a post by [ Sponsor ] as a [ role ], with annual pay of £[ salary ] and a working week of [ number of weekly hours ] hours. Your sponsor confirms the role is within Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020 code [ SOC 2020 code ], listed in Table [ Table number ] of Appendix Skilled Occupations of the Immigration Rules. For you, the applicable general salary threshold is [ general threshold amount ] and the going rate is [ going rate amount ]...

[ To be produced on the official letterheaded paper of the overseas business ] [ Address to either: Chief Immigration Officer [ insert port of entry ] (non-visa nationals) or Entry Clearance Officer [ insert entry clearance post ] (visa nationals) ] [ Add date ] Dear [ insert organisation’s name ] [ Provide the visitor’s full name, date of birth, and nationality exactly as stated in the passport ] Request for entry to the UK for a business visit This correspondence is submitted to back the request of the person named above for permission to enter the UK as a visitor within the standard visitor category for a duration of [ insert number of days/weeks/months ]...

Practice Note: Applying under the Representative of an Overseas Business category Please see Practice Note: Applying under the Representative of an Overseas Business category, which sets out the eligibility criteria and process (including application form and fee details) for submitting an initial application or seeking an extension under the UK immigration route for Representatives of an Overseas Business. The note explains the eligibility criteria for Sole Representatives of an Overseas Business...