United Kingdom: New Statement of Changes Expands Permitted Activities Under Visitor Visas; Relaxes Travel Document Requirements for School Groups from France; and Expands Youth Mobility Scheme

Change

Detail

Impact

Expanded activities under Visitor Visas

• • Individuals on Visitor Visas will be able to work directly with clients if the employee is in an intra-corporate setting, the client facing activity is incidental to their employment abroad, and these activities are required for the delivery of a project or service by the UK branch of the visitor’s employer overseas and are not part of a project or service that is being delivered directly to the UK client by the visitor’s employer overseas.
  • Visitors will explicitly be permitted to work remotely while in the United Kingdom; however, their remote work must not be the primary purpose of their visit.
  • Scientists, researchers and academics will be able to conduct research in the United Kingdom unless they are academics applying for a 12-month visit visa or if they are applying to extend permission from within the United Kingdom.
  • Lawyers will be able to conduct additional activities while in the United Kingdom, including, but not limited to, providing advice, acting as an expert witness, appearing in arbitrations, litigating, and teaching, among others.
  • Speakers on visitor visas will be able to be paid for this activity while in the United Kingdom.
  • The Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) Visitor route will be subsumed under the Standard Visitor route, which means individuals who are conducting paid permitted engagements will no longer need a specific visa to do so. However, individuals will still be required to arrange their PPE activity prior to travel to the United Kingdom and must undertake the engagement within 30 days of arrival.

• The expansion of visitor rules will allow individuals to conduct additional business activities under this visa while facilitating their access to the United Kingdom.
• Some of these changes – including the express allowance for remote working – are expected to further attract business and tourism to the United Kingdom, which will boost revenue for the country.

Travel document requirements relaxed to pre-Brexit rules for school groups from France

• • Children aged 18 and under studying at school in France will be able to visit the United Kingdom on an organized educational trip without passports or visit visas, as is currently required for all other visits to the United Kingdom.
  • Further, EU/European Economic Area/Swiss national children aged 18 and under, who are resident and studying at school in France, will be able to use national identity cards to visit the United Kingdom on an organized school trip instead of passports.
  • Visa national children aged 18 and under, who are resident and studying at a school in France, will be able to visit the United Kingdom on an organized school trip without obtaining a visit visa (but will still require passports).

• The new rules will facilitate the entry into the United Kingdom of children in school groups from France without burdensome documentary requirements, which are needed post-Brexit.
• This change shows the United Kingdom’s developing relationships with EU Member States post-Brexit and encourages the prospects of further immigration cooperation.

Youth Mobility Scheme expanded

• Uruguay has been added to the list of countries and territories participating in Youth Mobility Schemes, with an allocation of 500 places. This program will commence on January 31, 2024.
• Additionally, the total number of allocated places for nationals of Japan and South Korea traveling to the United Kingdom (and vice versa) under the scheme will increase to 6,000, up from 1,500, for Japan and to 5,000, up from 1,000, for South Korea.
• For nationals of South Korea, the age range of eligible applicants will also be expanded to 18-35, up from 18-30.
• Further, nationals of Japan and South Korea will no longer be required to obtain an invitation to apply for the program.

• The expansion of the Youth Mobility Scheme will permit additional young individuals to enter and work in the United Kingdom. This will allow the United Kingdom access to talent that may not have been previously possible under other immigration routes.