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Summary
- The government has decided to put on hold the complete reopening of the economy till July due to the threat of the Delta variant.
- There are a host of new rules that becomes operational 1 July onwards.
- Right to work, outdoor marriage registration, and furlough scheme, among others, are set to have new rules.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rear its ugly head, the government decided to put on hold a complete reopening of the economy till July. It has also brought in a host of new rules that become operational today onwards.
These laws would change a lot of things like how people travel overseas, how they work, how they drive and a lot more. There would be changes in work laws that would impact the workforce, and hence employers must be aware of them. Lockdown rules would also be changing from 1 July onwards.
Here is a list of laws that would change:
Right to work
Citizens of EU, Switzerland, and EEA would have to prove their right to work 1 July onwards. They would not be able to use national identity card or passport to establish working rights in the UK, except if they are Irish citizens. The employees must register online with the right to work checking service, and the employer has to be given the share code and date of birth of the employee.
The employee can use the online checking service if they hold UK visas and have an Immigration account. The employee must ensure that their UK Visas and details of their immigration account are up to date.
The online right to work checking service can be used as well if the employee holds a biometric residence card or permit. In case of the absence of UK immigration status that could be shared digitally, original documents could be used to claim the right to work. This could be the current passport having a vignette, an endorsement, or a visa.
All employers must ensure that their employees have legal rights to work in UK.
Marriage visitor visa
A marriage visitor visa is necessary if:
- To register a civil partnership or to get married in the UK
- To give notice of civil partnership or of marriage in the UK
- If the applicants have no plans of settling in the UK after a civil partnership or marriage
- Other eligibility requirements are fulfilled.
A marriage visitor visa is not required to convert a civil partnership into a marriage, and it could be done by applying for a standard visitor visa. The marriage visitor visa would also not be necessary for Irish citizens, those that, as part of the EU Settlement Scheme, have a settled or pre-settled status, and those whose application to the EU Settlement Scheme is awaiting a decision.
Furlough changes
From 1 July onwards, employers have to contribute to the furlough scheme. The government would make a 70 per cent contribution of up to £2,187.50, and a 10 per cent additional contribution has to be made by employers. This would give employees 80 per cent of their previous earnings, to a monthly limit of £2,500.
In the next two months of August and September, government’s share would decline to 60 per cent, and employers will have to pay 20 per cent, but the limit would be the same £2,500.
Till now, businesses were making the National Insurance and pension contributions, and it was optional for them to pay above the government contribution of 80 per cent. But 1 July onwards, government’s share would be reduced, and employers would have to pay.
Driving licences
The licences that expired in 2020 between February and November had been given an extension of 11 months because of the pandemic last year, which means that those that had to expire in August 2020 would be defunct this July.
To avoid getting caught, those whose licenses are set to expire in July should have renewed them before June-end. A fine of £1,000 would be issued to drivers and anything between three to six penalty points due to failure to drive with a valid licence.
Covid-19 and statutory paid medical leave
Employees would be eligible for paid medical leave from the first qualified date of their off, and the date would be dependent on their reason for leave. Bosses will have to pay on 6 July if anyone from their employee’s support bubble or extended family in Wales or Scotland has either tested positive for Covid-19 or is showing symptoms.
The change in rule would ensure that employees can claim sick leave if there is a need to self-isolate after someone, they met has Covid.
New Graduate Visa
Applications for the new graduate category would open from 1 July onwards. This category of visa would permit overseas students on successful completion of their higher studies as a tier 4 migrant or as a student to be eligible to apply for a work visa for 2 to 3 years of employment, including self-employment.
Outdoor legalisation of civil partnership and wedding
This rule would become functional 1 July onwards. In a boost to the events and wedding sector, civil partnerships and weddings would be allowed to take place outdoors for the first time.
Lockdown norms
The lockdown norms would change 19 July onwards, which was supposed to have happened on 21 June. But the spread of the Delta variant made the government put a hold on the plans till 19 July.
The new changes would be announced a week ahead of the last leg of easing norms, that is on 12 July. These plans would include allowing big events, reopening nightclubs, and junking the rules of six. It might also take a call on social distancing norms and wearing masks in public for fully vaccinated citizens.
Travel restrictions
Visitors from which countries would be allowed to travel to the UK are being studied and revised accordingly in three weeks. The next set of revised announcements are due in July-mid.
It is expected that the government would allow adding more countries to the green list. UK citizens travelling to green listed countries would not have to go through the mandatory 20 days quarantine norms. To boost the aviation industry, the government is planning to allow people who have been completely vaccinated to visit any country, except those on the red list, without the need to quarantine on return.
