Immigration Minister Liam Byrne has announced that Tier 1 of the new Points Based System for immigration will "go live" on 4 March 2008. Tier 1, for the highly skilled, will initially be piloted in the US and India for a three month period and will subsequently be rolled out worldwide. Tier 2, for skilled workers with a job offer, will be launched in the third quarter of 2008.

Click here for a summary of the Points Based System and the steps you will need to take to allow a successful transition.

We will provide further practical content on the Points Based System launch following the Minister's "Statement of Intent", expected late November/December. We will host a client seminar on 17 January 2008 followed by a series of workshops to guide you through the Points Based System roll out. Please save this date when we will deliver full information on:

  • Securing "A rating" for your company on the "Sponsors Register"
  • Managing data and compliance issues for the employer "sponsor"
  • Streamlining Tier 1 and Tier 2 application procedure for employer and employees

and demsontrate technology designed to aid the transition.

We maintain excellent links with the Home Office and have been working on consultation on numberous aspects of the Points Based System. The Home Office's current consultation exericise is on charging employers under the Points Based System, as with any reforms comes cost consequences. Please click here for further details.

This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq

Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.

The original publication date for this article was 30/10/2007.