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Time Business News
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Top 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for a UK Skilled Worker Visa
The UK Skilled Worker Visa offers international professionals the opportunity to live and work in one of the world's leading economies. However, the application process can be complicated, and many applicants make mistakes that result in delays or even rejections. In this guide, we will explore the top 7 mistakes to avoid when applying for a UK Skilled Worker Visa to ensure that your application process is smooth and successful. One of the most common mistakes applicants make is failing to secure a valid job offer from a licensed sponsor. For the UK Skilled Worker Visa you must be offered a position by an employer who holds a valid sponsorship license approved by the UK Home Office. Before you begin the visa application process, ensure that: The company offering you the job is registered as a licensed sponsor with the UK Home Office. Your job role is on the official list of eligible occupations for the visa. Your employer can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for your position. Without a valid job offer from a licensed sponsor, your application will be rejected. Another major mistake is failing to meet the minimum salary requirements. In 2025, the UK government has set specific salary thresholds that your job must meet to be eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa. Check the salary requirements carefully before applying. Generally, the salary must be at least: £26,200 per year, or per year, or £10.75 per hour (whichever is higher). However, certain professions, like healthcare and education, may have slightly different salary thresholds. If your job does not meet these minimum salary requirements, your visa application will likely be refused. Applicants often forget that proficiency in the English language is a requirement for the Skilled Worker Visa. The Home Office expects applicants to prove their English proficiency through an approved English test or by providing evidence of an English-speaking educational qualification. Ensure you meet the following: Take an approved English language test (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL). If you are from an English-speaking country or have completed a degree in English, you may not need to take the test. Failure to meet the required English proficiency level could lead to your application being rejected. Submitting incomplete or inaccurate documents is one of the most common reasons visa applications are rejected. It's important to ensure that all your documents are complete, up-to-date, and accurate. Here's a checklist to ensure you submit the right documents: Valid passport or travel document. or travel document. Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from your employer. from your employer. Proof of English proficiency (IELTS or equivalent). (IELTS or equivalent). Proof of financial support to show you can support yourself (unless your sponsor covers this). to show you can support yourself (unless your sponsor covers this). Criminal record certificate (from certain countries). (from certain countries). Medical certificates (e.g., TB test for applicants from some countries). Failure to provide all the required documents can result in delays or rejection. Many applicants are caught off guard by the visa application fees and immigration health surcharge (IHS). These costs can vary depending on factors such as the length of your stay and whether you are applying with dependents. Be prepared for the following costs: Visa application fee : This can range from £610 to £1,220 depending on the length of your visa. : This can range from £610 to £1,220 depending on the length of your visa. Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) : This is typically £624 per year for the duration of your stay. : This is typically for the duration of your stay. Additional fees for dependents: You will also need to pay extra fees if your family members are accompanying you. Don't forget to budget for these costs in advance to avoid any surprises. The visa application process can be time-consuming, so it's crucial not to wait until the last minute to submit your application. Delays in submitting required documents or applying too late can significantly impact your chances of getting approval on time. Start your application as early as possible to give yourself enough time to: Secure your job offer and Certificate of Sponsorship. Gather all the required documents. Take the English language test if necessary. Complete the online application and pay the required fees. Ideally, you should aim to submit your visa application at least 2 to 3 months before your planned travel date to ensure enough processing time. Some applicants choose to apply on their own without professional guidance, thinking it's a straightforward process. However, navigating the Skilled Worker Visa process can be complex, and even minor errors can lead to delays or rejections. Farani Taylor Solicitors can guide you through the entire application process. Our team of experienced immigration lawyers will ensure: All your documents are in order. You meet all the eligibility requirements. Your application is submitted on time and correctly. Having expert legal support increases your chances of success and minimizes the risk of costly mistakes. Applying for a UK Skilled Worker Visa is an exciting step toward advancing your career and life in the UK. By avoiding these 7 common mistakes, you can increase your chances of having a smooth and successful application process. Farani Taylor Solicitors is here to help make your visa application as easy as possible. We specialize in UK immigration law and are committed to providing personalized legal advice tailored to your situation. Book a free consultation with us today to get expert guidance and start your journey to the UK with confidence. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Secret filming reveals brazen tactics of immigration scammers
Recruitment agents who scam foreign nationals applying to work in the UK care sector have been exposed by BBC secret filming. One of the rogue agents is a Nigerian doctor who has worked for the NHS in the field of psychiatry. The Home Office has acknowledged the system is open to abuse, but the BBC World Service's investigation shows the apparent ease with which these agents can scam people, avoid detection, and continue to profit. Our secret filming reveals agents' tactics, including: Illegally selling jobs in UK care companies Devising fake payroll schemes to conceal that some jobs do not exist Shifting from care to other sectors, like construction, that also face staff shortages Reports of immigration scams have increased since a government visa scheme - originally designed to let foreign medical professionals work in the UK - was broadened in 2022 to include care workers. To apply for the visa, candidates must first obtain a "Certificate of Sponsorship" (CoS) from a UK employer who is licensed by the Home Office. It is the need for CoS documents that is being exploited by rogue relocation agents. "The scale of exploitation under the Health and Care Work visa is significant," says Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of Work Rights Centre, a charity that helps migrants and disadvantaged people in the UK access employment justice. "I think it has turned into a national crisis." She says there is "systemic risk inherent" in the sponsorship system, because it "puts the employer in a position of incredible power" and has "enabled this predatory market of middlemen to mushroom". The BBC sent two undercover journalists to approach relocation agents working in the UK. One met Dr Kelvin Alaneme, a Nigerian doctor and founder of the agency, CareerEdu, based in Harlow, Essex. His website states his business is a "launchpad for global opportunities catering to young Africans", claiming to have 9,800 "happy clients". Believing the BBC undercover journalist was well connected in the UK care sector, Dr Alaneme tried to recruit her to become an agent for his business, saying it would be very lucrative. "Just get me care homes. I can make you a millionaire," he said. As a potential business partner, our journalist was then given unprecedented insight into how immigration scams by agents like Dr Alaneme actually work. Dr Alaneme said he would pay £2,000 ($2,600) for each care home vacancy she was able to procure, and offered £500 ($650) commission on top. He then said he would sell the vacancies to candidates back in Nigeria. Charging candidates for a job is illegal in the UK. "They [the candidates] are not supposed to be paying because it's free. It should be free," he said, lowering his voice. "They are paying because they know it's most likely the only way." The BBC began investigating him following a series of online complaints about his relocation services. Praise - from south-east Nigeria and in his mid 30s - was one of those who complained, claiming he paid Dr Alaneme more than £10,000 ($13,000) for a job in the UK. He says he was told he was going to be working with a care company called Efficiency for Care, based in Clacton-on-Sea. It was only when he arrived that he realised the job didn't exist. "If I had known there was no job, I would have not come here," he says. "At least back home in Nigeria, if you go broke, I can find my sister or my parents and go and eat free food. It's not the same here. You will go hungry." Praise says he messaged Efficiency for Care and Dr Alaneme for months, asking when he could start working. Despite promises of assistance from Dr Alaneme, the job never materialised. Almost a year later, he found a position with another care provider willing to sponsor him to remain in the UK. Our investigation found that Efficiency for Care employed - on average - 16 people in 2022, and 152 in 2023. Yet a letter sent from the Home Office to the company dated May 2023 - and seen by the BBC - showed it had issued 1,234 Certificates of Sponsorship to foreign workers between March 2022 and May 2023. Efficiency for Care's sponsorship licence was revoked in July 2023. The care company can no longer recruit from abroad, but continues to operate. It told the BBC it strongly refutes the allegation it colluded with Dr Alaneme. It said it believed it lawfully recruited staff from Nigeria and other countries. It has challenged the Home Office's revocation of its sponsorship licence, it said, and the matter is now in court. Outside of the UK - watch on YouTube In another secretly filmed meeting, Dr Alaneme shared an even more sophisticated scam involving sponsorship documents for jobs that did not exist. He said the "advantage" of having a CoS that is unconnected to a job "is that you can choose any city you want". "You can go to Glasgow. You can stay in London. You can live anywhere," he told us. This is not true. If a migrant arrives in the UK on a Health and Care Work visa and does not work in the role they have been assigned, their visa could be cancelled and they risk being deported. In the secret filming, Dr Alaneme also described how to set up a fake payroll system to mask the fact the jobs are not real. "That [a money trail] is what the government needs to see," he said. Dr Alaneme told the BBC he strenuously denied services offered by CareerEdu were a scam or that it acted as a recruitment agency or provided jobs for cash. He said his company only offered legitimate services, adding that the money Praise gave him was passed on to a recruitment agent for Praise's transport, accommodation and training. He said he offered to help Praise find another employer free of charge. The BBC also carried out undercover filming with another UK-based recruitment agent, Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, after several people told the BBC they had collectively paid tens of thousands of pounds for care worker positions for their friends and family that, it transpired, did not exist. They said some of the Certificates of Sponsorship Mr Agyemang-Prempeh gave them had turned out to be fakes - replicas of real CoS issued by care companies. We discovered Mr Agyemang-Prempeh had then begun offering CoS for UK jobs in construction - another industry that allows employers to recruit foreign workers. He was able to set up his own construction company and obtain a sponsorship licence from the Home Office. Our journalist, posing as a UK-based Ugandan businessman wanting to bring Ugandan construction workers over to join him, asked Mr Agyemang-Prempeh if this was possible. He replied it was - for the price of £42,000 ($54,000) for three people. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh told us he had moved into construction because rules are being "tightened" in the care sector - and claimed agents were eyeing other industries. "People are now diverting to IT," Mr Agyemang-Prempeh told the undercover journalist. More than 470 licences in the UK care sector were revoked by the government between July 2022 and December 2024. Those licensed sponsors were responsible for the recruitment of more than 39,000 medical professionals and care workers from October 2020. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh later asked for a downpayment for the Certificates of Sponsorship, which the BBC did not make. The Home Office has now revoked his sponsorship licence. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh's defence, when challenged by the BBC, was that he had himself been duped by other agents and did not realise he was selling fake CoS documents. In a statement to the BBC, the Home Office said it has "robust new action against shameless employers who abuse the visa system" and will "ban businesses who flout UK employment laws from sponsoring overseas workers". BBC investigations have previously uncovered similar visa scams targeting people in Kerala, India, and international students living in the UK who want to work in the care sector. In November 2024, the government announced a clampdown on "rogue" employers hiring workers from overseas. Additionally, from 9 April, care providers in England will be required to prioritise recruiting international care workers already in the UK before recruiting from overseas. Investigation team: Olaronke Alo, Chiagozie Nwonwu, Sucheera Maguire, Nyasha Michelle, and Chiara Francavilla
BBC News
30-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Secret filming reveal ogbonge strategy wey immigration scammers dey use for UK sponsorship jobs
Di BBC secret filming don expose recruitment agents wey dey scam foreign nationals wey dey apply to work for di UK care sector. One of di wayo agents na Nigerian doctor wey bin don work for di National Health Service (NHS) for di field of psychiatry. Di Home Office don acknowledge say di system dey open to abuse, but di BBC World Service investigation show how dis agents dey easily scam pipo, avoid detection, and kontinu to make money. Our secret filming reveal di tactics wey agents dey use including: Reports of immigration scams dey increase since one goment visa scheme - wey dem bin originally design to let foreign medical professionals work for di UK - bin expand in 2022 to include care workers. To apply for di visa, candidates must first get a "Certificate of Sponsorship" (CoS) from a UK employer wey dey licensed by di Home Office. Na di need to get di CoS documents na im dis wayo relocation agents dey use scam and chop pipo money. "Di level of exploitation under di Health and Care Work visa dey serious," na wetin Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of Work Rights Centre, one charity wey dey help migrants and disadvantaged pipo for di UK to access employment justice tok. "I tink say e don turn into national crisis." She say "systemic risk dey" for di sponsorship system, becos e "put di employer for a position of incredible power" and e don "turn dis dangerous market of middlemen to mushroom". Di BBC bin send two undercover journalists to approach relocation agents wey dey work for di UK. One bin meet Dr Kelvin Alaneme, one Nigerian doctor and founder of di agency, CareerEdu, wey base for Harlow, Essex. Im website tok say im business na "launchpad for global opportunities wey dey serve young Africans", im claim say im get 9,800 "happy clients". Dr Alaneme believing say di BBC undercover journalist get beta connection for di UK care sector, Dr Alaneme bin try to recruit her to become agent for im business, im tok say di business go pay well-well. "Just get care homes for me. I go make you a millionaire," im tok. As a potential business partner, im give our journalist beta information into how immigration scams by agents like Dr Alaneme dey use work. Dr Alaneme say im fit pay £2,000 ($2,600) for each care home vacancy wey she fit bring, and im go offer £500 ($650) commission on top. Im say im go sell di vacancies to candidates wey dey Nigeria. To charge money from candidates for job dey illegal for di UK. "Dem [di candidates] no suppose pay becos na free. E suppose be free," im tok, as im lower im voice. "Dem dey pay becos dem know say e fit be di only way." Di BBC start to dey investigate am sake of plenti online complaints about im relocation services. Praise - from southeast Nigeria wey dey im mid 30s - na one of di pipo wey bin complain, im claim say im pay Dr Alaneme more dan £10,000 ($13,000) for job for di UK. Im tok say, dem tell am say im go dey work wit one care company wey dem call Efficiency for Care, wey base for Clacton-on-Sea. Na wen im arrive im realise say di job no dey exist. "If I bin know say job no dey, I for no come hia," im tok. "At least back home for Nigeria, if I broke, I go find my sister or my parents go and I go eat free food. No be di same hia. You go stay hungry." Praise say im bin message Efficiency for Care and Dr Alaneme for months, im bin dey ask dem wen im go start work. Despite all di promises of assistance from Dr Alaneme, di job neva work. One year later, im bin find one position wit anoda care provider wey dey willing to sponsor am to remain for di UK. Our investigation show say Efficiency for Care bin employ - on average - 16 pipo in 2022, and 152 in 2023. Yet one letter wey di Home Office bin send to di company on May 2023 - and wey di BBC see - show say di company bin don give out 1,234 Certificates of Sponsorship to foreign workers between March 2022 and May 2023. Dem revoke Efficiency for Care sponsorship licence for July 2023. Di care company no go fit recruit from abroad, but dem still dey operate. Di care company tell BBC say dem strongly deny di allegation say dem do collabo wit Dr Alaneme. Di company say dem beliv say dem lawfully recruit staff from Nigeria and oda kontris. Di company also challenge di revocation of dia sponsorship licence by di Home Office, di mata dey for court now. For anoda secretly filmed meeting, Dr Alaneme bin share even more advanced scam wey involve sponsorship documents for jobs wey no dey exist. Im say di "advantage" of getting a CoS wey no dey connected to a job be say "you fit choose any city you want". "You fit go to Glasgow. You fit stay for London. You fit live anywia," im tell us. Dis no be true. If migrant arrive di UK wit Health and Care Work visa and im no dey work for di role wey dem bin give am, dem fit cancel dia visa and di pesin risk deportation. For di secret filming, Dr Alaneme bin also describe how to set up a fake payroll system to hide di fact say na fake jobs. "Say na [a money trail] wey goment need to see," im tok. Dr Alaneme bin also tell di BBC say im dey strongly deny services wey CareerEdu dey offer wey be scam or wia CareerEdu bin act as a recruitment agency or bin provide jobs for cash. E say im company dey only offer legitimate services, im add say di money wey Praise bin give, dem bin pass am thru one recruitment agent for Praise transport, accommodation and training. Im say im bin offer to help Praise find anoda employer free of charge. Di BBC also do one undercover filming wit another UK-based recruitment agent, Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, afta several pipo bin tell di BBC say dem bin don collectively pay tens of thousands of pounds for care worker positions for dia friends and family, and afta evritin, di jobs no dey exist. Dem say some of di Certificates of Sponsorship Mr Agyemang-Prempeh bin give dem na fake - photocopy of real CoS wey oda care companies bin give pipo. We bin discover say Mr Agyemang-Prempeh bin start to dey offer CoS for UK jobs in construction - anoda industry wey dey allow employers to recruit foreign workers. Im bin set up im own construction company and obtain a sponsorship licence from di Home Office. Our journalist, wey bin pose as a UK-based Ugandan businessman wey bin wan bring Ugandan construction workers to join am, ask Mr Agyemang-Prempeh if e dey possible. E answer say e dey possible - for di price of £42,000 ($54,000) for three pipo. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh bin tell us say im don enta into construction becos rules dem don dey "tightened" di rules for di care sector - and im bin claim say agents bin don dey eye oda industries. "Pipo don dey divert to IT now," Mr Agyemang-Prempeh tell di undercover journalist. Goment bin revoke more dan 470 licences for di UK care sector between July 2022 and December 2024. Di licensed sponsors bin dey responsible for di recruitment of more dan 39,000 medical professionals and care workers from October 2020. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh later ask for downpayment for di Certificates of Sponsorship, wey di BBC no gree pay.. Di Home Office don revoke im sponsorship licence. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh defence, wen di BBC challenge am, tok say oda agents bin dupe am too and im bin no realise say im dey sell fake CoS documents. For one statement to di BBC, di Home Office bin tok say dem get "strong new action against shameless employers wey dey abuse di visa system" and dem go "ban businesses wey dey break UK employment laws from sponsoring overseas workers". BBC investigations bin don uncover similar visa scams wey dey target pipo for Kerala, India, and international students wey dey live for di UK wey bin wan work for di care sector. For November 2024, di goment bin announce a suppression on "rogue" employers wey dey hire workers from overseas. Additionally, from 9 April, care providers for England go dey required to prioritise recruiting international care workers wey already dey UK before recruiting from overseas. Investigation team: Olaronke Alo, Chiagozie Nwonwu, Sucheera Maguire, Nyasha Michelle, and Chiara Francavilla
BBC News
30-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Secret filming reveals brazen tactics of visa sponsorship scammers
Recruitment agents who scam foreign nationals applying to work in the UK care sector have been exposed by BBC secret of the rogue agents is a Nigerian doctor who has worked for the NHS in the field of Home Office has acknowledged the system is open to abuse, but the BBC World Service's investigation shows the apparent ease with which these agents can scam people, avoid detection, and continue to secret filming reveals agents' tactics, including:Illegally selling jobs in UK care companiesDevising fake payroll schemes to conceal that some jobs do not existShifting from care to other sectors, like construction, that also face staff shortagesReports of immigration scams have increased since a government visa scheme - originally designed to let foreign medical professionals work in the UK - was broadened in 2022 to include care apply for the visa, candidates must first obtain a "Certificate of Sponsorship" (CoS) from a UK employer who is licensed by the Home Office. It is the need for CoS documents that is being exploited by rogue relocation agents."The scale of exploitation under the Health and Care Work visa is significant," says Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of Work Rights Centre, a charity that helps migrants and disadvantaged people in the UK access employment justice."I think it has turned into a national crisis."She says there is "systemic risk inherent" in the sponsorship system, because it "puts the employer in a position of incredible power" and has "enabled this predatory market of middlemen to mushroom".The BBC sent two undercover journalists to approach relocation agents working in the met Dr Kelvin Alaneme, a Nigerian doctor and founder of the agency, CareerEdu, based in Harlow, website states his business is a "launchpad for global opportunities catering to young Africans", claiming to have 9,800 "happy clients".Believing the BBC undercover journalist was well connected in the UK care sector, Dr Alaneme tried to recruit her to become an agent for his business, saying it would be very lucrative."Just get me care homes. I can make you a millionaire," he a potential business partner, our journalist was then given unprecedented insight into how immigration scams by agents like Dr Alaneme actually work. Dr Alaneme said he would pay £2,000 ($2,600) for each care home vacancy she was able to procure, and offered £500 ($650) commission on then said he would sell the vacancies to candidates back in candidates for a job is illegal in the UK."They [the candidates] are not supposed to be paying because it's free. It should be free," he said, lowering his voice."They are paying because they know it's most likely the only way."The BBC began investigating him following a series of online complaints about his relocation - from south-east Nigeria and in his mid 30s - was one of those who complained, claiming he paid Dr Alaneme more than £10,000 ($13,000) for a job in the UK. He says he was told he was going to be working with a care company called Efficiency for Care, based in Clacton-on-Sea. It was only when he arrived that he realised the job didn't exist. "If I had known there was no job, I would have not come here," he says. "At least back home in Nigeria, if you go broke, I can find my sister or my parents and go and eat free food. It's not the same here. You will go hungry."Praise says he messaged Efficiency for Care and Dr Alaneme for months, asking when he could start working. Despite promises of assistance from Dr Alaneme, the job never materialised. Almost a year later, he found a position with another care provider willing to sponsor him to remain in the investigation found that Efficiency for Care employed - on average - 16 people in 2022, and 152 in 2023. Yet a letter sent from the Home Office to the company dated May 2023 - and seen by the BBC - showed it had issued 1,234 Certificates of Sponsorship to foreign workers between March 2022 and May for Care's sponsorship licence was revoked in July 2023. The care company can no longer recruit from abroad, but continues to told the BBC it strongly refutes the allegation it colluded with Dr Alaneme. It said it believed it lawfully recruited staff from Nigeria and other countries. It has challenged the Home Office's revocation of its sponsorship licence, it said, and the matter is now in court. Outside of the UK - watch on YouTube In another secretly filmed meeting, Dr Alaneme shared an even more sophisticated scam involving sponsorship documents for jobs that did not said the "advantage" of having a CoS that is unconnected to a job "is that you can choose any city you want"."You can go to Glasgow. You can stay in London. You can live anywhere," he told is not true. If a migrant arrives in the UK on a Health and Care Work visa and does not work in the role they have been assigned, their visa could be cancelled and they risk being the secret filming, Dr Alaneme also described how to set up a fake payroll system to mask the fact the jobs are not real."That [a money trail] is what the government needs to see," he Alaneme told the BBC he strenuously denied services offered by CareerEdu were a scam or that it acted as a recruitment agency or provided jobs for cash. He said his company only offered legitimate services, adding that the money Praise gave him was passed on to a recruitment agent for Praise's transport, accommodation and training. He said he offered to help Praise find another employer free of BBC also carried out undercover filming with another UK-based recruitment agent, Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, after several people told the BBC they had collectively paid tens of thousands of pounds for care worker positions for their friends and family that, it transpired, did not exist. They said some of the Certificates of Sponsorship Mr Agyemang-Prempeh gave them had turned out to be fakes - replicas of real CoS issued by care companies. We discovered Mr Agyemang-Prempeh had then begun offering CoS for UK jobs in construction - another industry that allows employers to recruit foreign workers. He was able to set up his own construction company and obtain a sponsorship licence from the Home journalist, posing as a UK-based Ugandan businessman wanting to bring Ugandan construction workers over to join him, asked Mr Agyemang-Prempeh if this was replied it was - for the price of £42,000 ($54,000) for three Agyemang-Prempeh told us he had moved into construction because rules are being "tightened" in the care sector - and claimed agents were eyeing other industries."People are now diverting to IT," Mr Agyemang-Prempeh told the undercover journalist. More than 470 licences in the UK care sector were revoked by the government between July 2022 and December 2024. Those licensed sponsors were responsible for the recruitment of more than 39,000 medical professionals and care workers from October Agyemang-Prempeh later asked for a downpayment for the Certificates of Sponsorship, which the BBC did not Home Office has now revoked his sponsorship licence. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh's defence, when challenged by the BBC, was that he had himself been duped by other agents and did not realise he was selling fake CoS a statement to the BBC, the Home Office said it has "robust new action against shameless employers who abuse the visa system" and will "ban businesses who flout UK employment laws from sponsoring overseas workers".BBC investigations have previously uncovered similar visa scams targeting people in Kerala, India, and international students living in the UK who want to work in the care November 2024, the government announced a clampdown on "rogue" employers hiring workers from overseas. Additionally, from 9 April, care providers in England will be required to prioritise recruiting international care workers already in the UK before recruiting from team: Olaronke Alo, Chiagozie Nwonwu, Sucheera Maguire, Nyasha Michelle, and Chiara Francavilla
