The UK Border Agency has confirmed its plans for the start of its new premium service for trusted sponsors. The service will be rolled out from April 6 2012 and will be offered to A-rated sponsors. The annual fee for large companies will be £25,000 and the services to be provided will include:
- a designated senior person at the UK Border Agency whom the sponsor can call and meet regularly;
- priority access to fast-track slots at the public enquiry offices for same-day processing of visa applications;
- a named sponsor licence unit manager and expedited processing of all sponsorship notifications and changes, including change of an authorising officer and new annual certificate of sponsorship allocations;
- opportunities to attend UK Border Agency events and meet senior officials;
- the immediate return of passports for all postal applications; and
- priority visa services for entry clearance applications overseas.
For small companies, a reduced premium service will be available for an annual fee of £8,000. This is a limited service and there will be no priority access for same-day processing of applications. However, the service will include the allocation of a named sponsor licence manager.
For further information on this topic please contact Ilda De Sousa at Kingsley Napley by telephone (+44 20 7814 1200), fax (+44 20 7490 2288) or email ([email protected]). The Kingsley Napley website can be accessed at www.kingsleynapley.co.uk.