Technology Scotland understands the challenge many of our members face when recruiting the necessary skills to support their businesses. Recruitment from Europe provides an important route to meeting this challenge and the imminent changes to the UK immigration system as a result of Brexit will undoubtedly be the cause of some concern.

With this in mind, Technology Scotland teamed up with TalentScotland, part of Scottish Enterprise, to arrange a free webinar, providing information and guidance on the changes once free movement ends. The event took place Thursday 12th November, 2-3pm, and was hosted by Technology Scotland, led by TalentScotland and supported by their immigration specialists Brodies LLP.

The webinar provided an overview of the new UK Immigration System, providing practical steps and guidance to help attendees negotiate the changes in 2021 and covered important areas including:

  • Overview of the new UK immigration system
  • Who is exempt from sponsorship
  • What you can do to prepare now
  • Potential costs and time associated with this
  • Brief overview of Tier 2 sponsorship duties
  • Outline of support available through TalentScotland

To continue to support Scottish based SME’s, TalentScotland provides a range of support through their website. Below you will find some helpful links:

Visa and immigration updates – keep up to date with the latest changes to visa and immigration information.

Tutorial: Applying for a sponsorship licence – your opportunity to learn how to apply for a sponsorship licence with help from an immigration specialist.

Tutorial: Assigning a COS – your opportunity to learn how to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) under the new points based system.

Tutorial: Sponsor Licence Compliance – your opportunity to learn how to fully comply with your sponsorship duties, providing practical tips you can take forward.

Key questions to consider before sponsoring a non-European Economic Area national to work for you in Scotland.

Applying for a sponsor licence.– if you are an employer in Scotland who wishes to hire a migrant worker, you will need to obtain a sponsor licence to become a Home Office registered sponsor.

Find more resources from TalentScotland here.