The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) released an advisory to inform Filipinos, who wish to work, study or live in United Kingdom (UK) that there have been recent changes in the immigration system of UK. The new policy regarding the Points-Based System of Immigration (PBS) started to take effect this April.

The DFA said that according to the reports from the Philippine Embassy in London, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) had announced the major changes in the PBS. It said, "Filipinos are advised to check detailed information on the guidelines and requirements for applying to work or study in the UK on the website of the UK Border Agency at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk."

It also reminded Filipinos to check the validity of any job offers in UK especially if they got the job online. They recommended checking job orders with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) by visiting www.poea.gov.ph or the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-UK (POLO) by sending an email at polo.london@yahoo.co.uk or embassy@philemb.co.uk.

According to the DFA, the UK government implements the changes to reduce net migration and to ensure that they will only get to select the best foreign students and workers in UK. They also want the people to trust the immigration system more and to minimize abuse of the system.

Here are the changes in the new UK immigration system:

They will no longer accept new applications for the Tier 1 General Category which are  for the highly-skilled migrants. However they would allow transitional arrangements for existing Tier 1 visa holders who want to extend their stay in UK.

There is a new Exceptional Talent visas for those who are gifted in science and the arts. Another new visa is the Prospective Entrepreneur Visas. They will also speed up the processing of visa of investors who want to settle in UK.

On the other hand, a limit of 20,700 out of country applications will be imposed for the Tier 2 (Skilled Migrants) Category. They are hoping that by setting a limit, they   would be more selective and get the best applicants.

The Skilled Migrants category (Tier 2) will only accept graduate occupations as specified by the UKBA and the Migrant Advisory Committee (MAC). The present list includes medical practitioners, nurses, engineers, IT operations technicians and finance/investment analysts. One can view the complete list on www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk. The new immigration policy will also require said sponsors (employers) to apply for Certificates of Sponsorship (COS) with the UKBA.

The new limit will not include the following: COS for Intra-Company transfers, In-Country applications (those already in the UK), and people whose annual income is more than £150,000. 

In the Students category (Tier 4), sponsors need to be accredited by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OFSTED) and its devolved equivalents. They should also be a UKBA Highly Trusted Sponsor.

Students in a university or educational institution which are publicly-funded will still be allowed to work for 10 to 20 hours a week. Other students will not be eligible for employment.

Students of postgraduate courses and government-sponsored students for more than a year will be permitted to bring dependents. Their dependents are allowed to work in UK.

Finding employment in UK via post-study scheme will not be allowed except for those with an offer to work for a skilled job under Tier 2.

The DFA further explains, "The current changes and limits will not apply to those who are already in the UK and who entered the country under a different set of guidelines."