HSMP Internal Guidance

Work Permits (UK) has now received a number of requests through the Freedom of Information Act relating to the internal guidance used by caseworkers when considering applications made under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). We are pleased to announce that we intend to publish much of this information by the end of May 2007. This guidance will be placed on the IND website at the following address: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/

Changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme were announced in Parliament on 7 November 2006 and following a short suspension revised criteria came into force on 5 December 2006 .

Our initial intention was to publish the internal guidance in January/February 2007, however, we are now of the view that publication should be timed to coincide with our first full revision of the guidance which will take on board lessons learned during early implementation.

The internal and external guidance which was developed for the launch of the revised programme is currently being monitored and reviewed as the programme is being implemented to ensure that it best meets the needs of applicants, stakeholders and caseworkers.

As a temporary measure FAQ’s are being used to support applicants in submitting good applications. The aim is to incorporate these into guidance as quickly as possible.

Delaying publication will ensure that those who have requested the information at different times during the initial implementation are not provided with different versions of the guidance notes.