Present demand for UK immigration and interest from potential immigrants in obtaining UK visas to come and live in the UK has never been higher. The Managed Migration programme has seen the introduction of the new Points Based System made up of 5 Tiers.

Tier 1 Visas, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4 and Tier 5 have now consolidated all the past visa categories and will allow the Home Office/UK Border Agency (UKBA) the flexibility to alter quickly the criteria around the various, specific British immigration categories – for instance the Highly Skilled Migrant Visa.

At the same time the Government has introduced a new sponsors licensing system for employers to provide work permits for employers/employees, and education providers to sponsor student visas. Independent advice is recommended on issues such as how to make a successful sponsor’s application and how sponsors can ensure they comply with the legal obligations. It will also help sponsors to discharge their duty of care as an employer or education sponsor.

In the past, seekers of British visas faced an array of specific application channels – for work permits; the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme; student visas; spousal, fiancée, or unmarried partner visas; sole representative and innovator visas; UK or Irish ancestry visas; working holiday makers visas; EEA family visas; Indefinite Leave to Remain; and citizenship. Now almost all categories will require an application for Entry Clearance. People wanting to remain may need to sit the new Life in the UK test.

Words and phrases an applicant may still hear include Shortage Occupation List, Long Residency Visas, EEA Family rights, European Treaty, Certificate of Acceptance of Studies, Highly Trusted Partners’ scheme, Youth Mobility scheme, Investor, Entrepreneur, Certificate of Sponsorship, Intra-company transfer, Human Rights Act, UK Right of Abode, De Facto visa and other phraseology specific to the global mobility and immigration industry.

If you are a new and maybe vulnerable immigrant coming to live in the UK you will need - and usually want - a wealth of information to help you deal with culture shock and start living your new life in a law abiding fashion.

By Mathew Collins, author of How to Live and Work in the UK. Visit www.how-to-live-and-work-in-the-uk.co.uk