Following the announcement made by
the United Kingdom Boarder Agency, confirming that Australia, Canada, Japan and
New Zealand have received their official deemed sponsorship status and are thus
included in the UK’s newly proposed Tier 5 Youth
Mobility Scheme, allowing the citizens of these 4 countries to work and
travel in the UK – it is now final that South Africa has been excluded from
this newly proposed scheme.
According to Stephen Atkinson from
expert immigration and financial services group 1st Contact, after the initial
wave of disappointment that struck South Africa in June 2008, when the British High Commission announced the
abolition of the working holiday visa, potentially denying South Africa’s youth
the opportunity to travel and work in the UK, there still remained a glimmer of
hope that SA may still be included in the UK’s newly proposed Youth Mobility
Scheme. The initial abolition of working holiday visas for South Africans
was due to the SA government’s refusal to commit towards a reciprocal
arrangement with Britain.
Says Atkinson “Although we were
waiting with baited breath to determine if there was one last chance of South
Africa being included in the UK’s new Youth Mobility Scheme, set to come into
full effect on 27 November 2008, it has now been confirmed that South Africa is
excluded due to a failed effort to comply with 3 basic criteria in order to
achieve a deemed sponsor status. We can therefore say with certainty that we
believe the door is firmly shut for young South Africans wishing to work and
travel in the UK, as freely as they did in the past.”
He adds that fortunately other
options for employment-type visas to the UK are still available to South
Africans. The Tier
1 visa presents an opportunity for skilled, qualified migrants, while the Ancestry
visa can be used for those with a grandparent born in the UK. Lastly,
Partner/Spousal visas are an option for South Africans whose spouses or
partners have UK or EU citizenship.
According to Atkinson the 3 criteria
that South Africa has failed to comply with in order to secure a deemed sponsor
status, include:
- The failure to
implement effective arrangements within the UK for the return of South
African nationals.
- Failure to constitute a low
risk status in terms of the potential abuse of the UK
immigration control systems, determined by a risk value under the YMS risk
formula.
- The provision of
reciprocal youth mobility arrangements for UK nationals.
www.1stcontactvisas.com
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