Nikhil Kabariya

Earlier this month, the Home Office published a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 1160). One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a new Innovator Founder visa route, which will replace the existing Innovator route from 13 April 2023. The Start-up route will close.

This new route is quite similar to its predecessor, as applicants would still need to be supported by an endorsing body to show that their business proposal is innovative, viable and scalable. It is envisaged that there will be three new endorsing bodies under the Innovator Founder route. The previous endorsing bodies (known as “Legacy Endorsing bodies”) will then generally only be able to continue endorsing those already under the Innovator route who apply to extend their stay for the same business concept assessed in a previous application.

A welcome change with the new scheme is the removal of the requirement for applicants to have a minimum of £50,000 available to invest in the business. The idea behind this is to provide more flexibility for those who do not require a significant level of investment to deliver their business idea.

Another key difference under the Innovator Founder route is the removal of the restriction on secondary employment. This means that individuals can engage in other employment in addition to working for the business they have established, provided that the role is at a skill level of at least RQF level 3 (equivalent to A-levels or above).

There is also greater flexibility in terms of the timing of contact point meetings between applicants and their endorsing bodies to assess the applicant’s progress. The new scheme only requires at least two contact points as opposed to the set timeline under the previous route of contact points at 6, 12 and 24-month intervals from the date an application is granted.

It remains to be seen whether these changes will attract more people to come to the UK with their business ideas.

If you require immigration advice in relation to the above, we can help. Please contact us on 020 7401 6887 or by email at contact@gryklaw.com.

In early August, a notice was published on the Metropolitan Police’s website stating that the Police Registration Scheme had come to an end. After some confusion about whether the scheme had been withdrawn, the Home Office confirmed on their website that it closed on 4 August 2022.

The Police Registration Scheme was in place for many years. It required nationals of over 40 countries, stateless persons, and those with non-national travel documents to register themselves with the police if they were aged 16 or over and granted more than six months’ limited leave to enter or remain in the UK under certain categories. There were some exemptions to the scheme. For instance, individuals with refugee status or leave as the partner of a person settled in the UK were not normally required to register.

Those with the condition imposed on their visa had to update the police with changes to their personal details, including their name, address, and visa details. Criticism about the usefulness of the scheme grew as efforts to introduce an online portal over the Covid pandemic did not appear to assist much with the efficiency of the service.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that there is no longer a need for people to comply with a requirement to register. This applies to individuals with the condition listed on their visa who have already registered with the police, meaning that they do not have to notify the police about changes to their personal details. Any new visas will not contain the condition. The police announcement explains that those who have been issued a visa containing the requirement but are yet to travel to the UK will be informed before travelling or have a new visa issued to them. It is unclear how this will happen in practice.

Although the law giving effect to the requirement to register has yet to be changed at the time of writing, the assumption is that it will not be enforced given that the Home Office and Metropolitan Police have confirmed the withdrawal of the scheme.

Nevertheless, certain changes must still be reported to the Home Office as requested for those with visas or biometric residence permits. See the government website for more information.

If you require advice in relation to the above, we would be happy to help. Please contact us on 020 7401 6887 or by email at contact@gryklaw.com.

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