Support for businesses and workers 😷

By -
We are asked what the UK Government is doing to help small businesses and workers. As many of our customers are business owners or employed by such, here is a summary as it stands at the moment. Please remember it can change at anytime. 
The main point is that the Government is taking measures, and we believe there is no need to worry whether the current extraordinary situation will affect your immigration status in terms of meeting the visa rules. These circumstances will be taken into account when your visa application is considered in the future. 

If you run your own business:  
A migrant-run business will be eligible for support. This is not ‘public funds' and won’t breach an endorsement on your visa (if applicable to your situation). 

There will be exemption from business rates for 12 months and grants for those who don’t pay business rates. Broadly, it will be applicable to businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure. You can read more on the link below including how it will be implemented via your council. 

You probably heard the Government offering to pay (or rather reimburse you) your workers’ sickness pay for 2 weeks if they stay at home, whether they are sick or not. If you are a director of your own company, you are also an employee and also entitled to sickness pay yourself, assuming your earnings are above threshold of £118 per week. 
Since              then, the new measures have been introduced under Job Retention Scheme. Here the Government will reimburse 80% of wages of workers who would have otherwise been made redundant. To avoid mass redundancies, the Government is asking ti designate the employees in question as 'furloughed workers', meaning they aren't working but remain on the books.    
If you are self-employed (without a limited company):   
Initially, the Government offered to claim Universal Credit that would bring the same 2-week sickness pay as for the employees. Since then, however, it has announced that it would pay the self-employed 80% of their income. It will be calculated as average income in the last 3 years.  Details to come. 
If you are employed:  
The above-mentioned sickness pay will apply. 


If you pay mortgage or rent: 
Mortgage ‘holidays’ were proposed to 3 months but there are no details yet. Most banks, however, are already providing a dedicated support line for all matters including a mortgage, credit card, overdraft and access to savings before maturity date where applicable.   
There are no announcements on help with rent, other than a promise to do something. 
  
More details:  
Detailed guidance for employers, businesses and employees: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19  
Newspaper: What coronavirus means for your money: Will you get paid to self-isolate? What if schools close? And what if you're laid off? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-8122675/What-corona-means-money.html  

Visa application process:   
For latest on how the Government offices are working including English test centres in the UK and overseas:   https://1st4immigration-visas.blogspot.com/2020/03/covid-19-what-happens-to-your-uk-visa.html
We   at 1st 4Immigration are working as normal with the documents and applications processed electronically. 
Advice sessions are running over What’s App, Skype, email, phone:  https://www.1st4immigration.com/book-a-consultation/ 

If you have any questions please get in touch.
1st 4Immigration team 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Updated May 2020: UK visa work continues - latest update

By -
UK immigration authorities continue to process visa applications, albeit not as fast as they normally would. The visa centres are beginning to gradually re-opening from 1 June 2020 in the UK and abroad. Regardless of when your particular centre re-opens, it is still possible to submit your application online. If your visa expires soon, you can apply for your next visa "on-time", i.e. before your current visa expires, by making such an application online and then waiting for the further steps. This keeps you within the Rules and does not make you an overstayer.  Even better, the actual documents (supporting evidence) can be submitted later, thus giving you even more time to prepare while remaining within the Rule on visa expiry dates. We usually have 45 days to provide the documents (ie upload them online to the Government portal) after the online "submission" mentioned above. This is extended for as long as it will take to clear up the backlog.  If you...
Read more

🇬🇧 Spouse vs Fiancée visa: pros and cons

By -
Image
    How are they different? What are advantages of each of them? Our helpful table below gives you the visa options for partners of UK citizens. Spouse visa (including civil partners) Fiancée visa Marital status Have to be married (or get married) and apply for a UK visa as a Spouse. Can come to the UK, get married within 6 months and then apply for a Spouse visa. Where to apply? Can apply outside the UK, in a country where a foreign spouse lives or works (but not visiting). Can switch inside the UK from most categories. Only outside the UK This includes a situation where the current UK visa allows switching to a Spouse visa but the couple has to take the Fiancée route (such as if they need time to meet the Financial Requirement). Duration of the visa 2.5 years, then extension for another 2.5 years, then permanent residency after 5 years. 6 months, then Spouse visa for 2.5 years, then extension for another 2.5 years, then permanent residency after 5 years on Spouse visas only ...
Read more

UK Visas and Immigration plans to go paperless in 2018. If it works, family visas – for spouses, partners, children etc – will be submitted online instead of the current paper forms and supporting documents.

By 1st 4Immigration - #1 UK Immigration Experts -
Image
How do we know? We, 1 st 4Immigration Ltd,   were chosen by the UKVI to take part in a survey to provide a feedback on the upcoming system. We are very honoured! As can be seen on the Home Office letter (pictured), we were selected as one of only approximately 50 firms in the whole country, following the request of the Home Office to the OISC. We had a visit from 2 Home Office officials in November 2017. What a great day and what a productive visit! The officials informed us they had been trying hard to promote the online application process for in-country applications, such as FLR(M) for spouses and partners of UK citizens. The online applications have existed for entry clearance (when applying outside the UK) for many years now. Yet the in-country online application process has so far been relatively unknown and unused. It can be found here: https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/family-routes At the moment most FLR(M) and FLR(FP) applications ar...
Read more