UK Visas & Immigration has published the bi-annual consolidation of the Immigration Rules, reflecting Statement of Changes HC 584. More than 20 appendices were amended at 00:01 BST today. Headline changes include: • Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) schemes extended to cover short-term Erasmus+ research placements, creating a low-friction route for EU academics. • Hong Kong BN(O) provisions revised so that adult children born after 1997 can now apply independently. • Long Residence settlement rules simplified: time on the Graduate Route will now count towards the 10-year requirement. • Visitor Appendix updated to allow certain hands-on creative assignments previously prohibited, provided no direct client payment is received in the UK. Mobility takeaways Companies hosting secondees under GAE or Visitor rules must update invitation letters to match the new appendix language. HRIS systems should flag Graduate visa holders approaching long-residence eligibility from today. The Home Office will accept applications under either the pre-update or post-update rules for 28 days, after which only the new criteria apply.
Source: Home Office – GOV.UK
