Tier 2 (General) - Changes to the Exceptional Allocation Process

UK business has been highly critical of the interim quota imposed on 19 July for Tier 2 (General) COS.   In particular, the uncertainty around whether extensions would be approved under this process has led to enormous business planning issues.   The UKBA appears to have taken these concerns on board and on 1 November published revised guidance on how the monthly pool of COS will be allocated.  

Full details can be found at revised sponsor guidance.  A new application form has also been published COS(AR) application form.

Key Points

• Before the UKBA will approve a request, it will take into account how many COS a Sponsor has under its existing allocation. The application will not be approved if a Sponsor has a substantial number of unused COS left and this process should only be used when a Sponsor is approaching or has reached its full quota.