• Home Office Visa Update (Again)

The Home Office has yet again updated it’s visa guidance to include information for those outside the UK whose leave has expired before they are able to return to the UK and update information referring to the free replacement of expired vignettes. People whose 90 day vignette has expired need to apply for a replacement by completing the online form. The cost of replacing an expired 90 day vignette is £154 and applicants will need to make an appointment to resubmit their biometric information.

There is also an online form for people who left the UK with valid leave before 17 March 2020 and intended to return to the UK and make an application for Indefinite or Further Permission to Stay, but you were unable to do so before your leave expired because of travel restrictions related to coronavirus.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents

BEIS Brexit webinar

• Updated Visa Guidance

The Home Office has updated it’s guidance on visas to say that if you are a business that is sponsoring a person coming to the UK under the following routes

• Skilled Worker visa
• Health and Care Worker visa
• Intra-company Transfer visa
• T2 Worker visas
• T5 Temporary Worker visas

And they are waiting for their work visa application to be decided, you may allow them to start work before their visa application has been decided if:

• you’ve assigned them a CoS and either:
  • they are applying under the Health and Care visa
  • their CoS was assigned before 1 January 2021
• the employee submitted their application before their current visa expired
• the role they are employed in is the same as the one on their CoS

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-tier-2-4-and-5-sponsors

EU (Future Relationship) Bill approved

The EU (Future Relationship) Bill has been approved by Parliament and received Royal Assent. Further details about the bill are available here.

The Department for Health and Social Care has updated guidance on healthcare for visitors. The key message for EU nationals from 1 January 2021 is:

• If you are visiting the UK from an EU country and you fall ill or have a medical emergency during your temporary stay in England, you can use a valid EHIC issued by your home country to access healthcare.
• Your EHIC also covers you for the treatment of pre-existing medical conditions and for routine maternity care, providing the reason for your visit is not specifically to give birth or receive treatment.
• The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance as it will not cover any private medical healthcare, being flown back home, or lost or stolen property. You should still get travel insurance.

If you are visiting the UK from Norway, you will be entitled to medically necessary healthcare. You will need to show a valid Norwegian passport.

MPs approve the UK’s post-Brexit trade deal

Today the European Union (Future Relationship) Bill was laid before Parliament. It has been debated and voted on in the Commons with 521 who backed the bill against 73 votes.

The Bill is currently being debated in the House of Lords – with the vote taking place at around 10.30pm tonight. Once it has completed the process it will be passed to the Queen for Royal Assent at around 11pm. 

Other guidance updates

• The ‘Travel to the EU’ section of the Foreign travel insurance page has been updated to reflect that UK-issued European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) will still be accepted in EU countries, with different guidance for people travelling to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland from 1 January 2021.