London/Mumbai, April 21: The UK government has unveiled a range of measures to entice talented Indian workers, but has made life more difficult for some entrepreneurs and investors. On 15 March 2022, the Government laid out a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. The new rules designed to attract ‘the brightest and best’ from around the world. The aim of the policy changes is to boost UK productivity, making the nation more competitive. There are several remarkable key changes made by the Ministry like the closure of some well-established business immigration routes like Sole Representative VISA and UK’s Tier 1 VISA.
These closures have created a real problem for businesses in India wishing to expand into the UK, for which Global Mobility routes are unsuitable. Therefore, A Y & J Solicitors, an expert immigration legal practice based in London, has pioneered a new, legal process called Self-sponsorship. It has been developed for the easy access to British SME market and possible citizenship for business owners who do not qualify for regular UK visas.
This innovative idea allows those with a genuine intention to open a business in the UK a route to realize their ambitions. The process involves establishing a UK company, and then applying for a sponsor license, which allows that company to sponsor an overseas worker on a Skilled Worker visa. That skilled worker will be the applicant, who, in effect, will be sponsoring themself to work in their own company. Under this scheme, after five years the visa holder may also qualify for residency and after six, for citizenship.
There are other options like Innovator visa but it can only apply to those with innovative ideas and businesses. This limitation precludes a vast number of smaller business owners.
Mr Yash Dubal, Director, A Y & J Solicitors said, “These big changes in the UK immigration system needs the advice offered to seek legal help from a reputable immigration expert when weighing up the possibilities of emigrating. UK Self Sponsorship VISA may work well for entrepreneurs that do not qualify under the other VISA rules. It’s a very good option for someone who doesn’t qualify for an Innovator Visa. As long as you have a genuine intention to open a business in the UK and want to run an active trading company in the UK you can follow this route and get a skilled worker visa to work within that business.”
The UK SME sector is an attractive option for expanding the businesses. At the start of 2020 there were 5.9 million small businesses, up 1.9% on the previous year. They are the lifeblood of the UK economy.