2
In this Order—
- “the 1971 Act” means the Immigration Act 1971 ;
- “the 1981 Act” means the British Nationality Act 1981 ;
- “the 1997 Act” means the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997 ;
- “the 1986 Order” means the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 ;
- “the 2008 Regulations” means the Immigration (Biometric Registration) Regulations 2008 ;
- “approval letter” means a letter signifying approval to an application or request, from a body or a panel of individuals designated by the Secretary of State as competent to issue such letters in respect of a person making or intending to make an application for entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom;
- “
assessment of overseas qualification
” means an assessment, by a qualifications assessor, of an overseas qualification, to determine whether that qualification—
  1. meets or exceeds the recognised standard of a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD in the United Kingdom;
  2. was taught or researched in English of the appropriate Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level, or above that level; or
  3. meets the conditions in both (a) and (b);
- “basic service” has the same meaning as provided in regulation 3 of the Immigration Control (Charges) (Basic Service) Regulations 2003 ;
- “biometric immigration document” has the same meaning as provided in section 5 of the UK Borders Act 2007 ;
...
- “British citizen” means a person who has that status in accordance with the provisions of the 1981 Act, the 1997 Act or the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 ;
- “British National (Overseas)” means a person who has that status in accordance with the provisions of the 1986 Order;
- “British overseas citizen” means a person who has that status in accordance with the provisions of the 1981 Act or the 1986 Order;
- “British overseas territories citizen” means a person who has that status in accordance with the provisions of the 1981 Act;
- “British protected person” means a person who has that status in accordance with the provisions of the British Protectorates, Protected States and Protected Persons Order 1982 ;
- “British subject” means a person who has that status in accordance with the provisions of the 1981 Act;
- “certificate of registration or naturalisation” means a certificate of registration or naturalisation issued under the 1981 Act;
- “certificate of sponsorship”—
  1. in respect of the United Kingdom means an authorisation, allocated by the Secretary of State to a sponsor and issued to a person by that sponsor, in respect of an application, or potential application, for entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom as a sponsored worker;
  2. in respect of the Isle of Man means an authorisation, allocated by or on behalf of the Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man to a sponsor and issued to a person by that sponsor, in respect of an application, or potential application, for entry clearance to enter the Isle of Man as a sponsored worker;
- “confirmation of acceptance for studies” means an authorisation, allocated by the Secretary of State to a sponsor and issued to a person by that sponsor, in respect of an application, or potential application, for entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom as a student;
- “consular function” means any of the functions described in Article 5 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations set out in Schedule 1 to the Consular Relations Act 1968 or functions in the United Kingdom which correspond with those functions;
- “consular premises” has the same meaning as provided in Article 1(1)(j) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations set out in Schedule 1 to the Consular Relations Act 1968;
- “
contact point meeting
” means, in relation to an applicant under Appendix Innovator Founder to the immigration rules, a meeting between the applicant and an endorsing body to assess progress against the applicant’s business plan
- “contractor” means a person with whom the Secretary of State has entered into a contract, by which the person agrees to provide certain services in connection with immigration or nationality;
- “
endorsing body
” means an organisation which is approved by the Secretary of State to endorse an individual or business in connection with an application under the immigration rules
......
- “entry clearance” –
  1. subject to sub-paragraphs (b) to (d), has the same meaning as provided in section 33(1) of the 1971 Act ;
  2. in relation to the Isle of Man has the same meaning as provided in section 33(1) of the 1971 Act as extended to the Isle of Man ;
  3. in relation to the Bailiwick of Guernsey has the same meaning as provided in section 33(1) of the 1971 Act as extended to the Bailiwick of Guernsey;
  4. in relation to the Bailiwick of Jersey has the same meaning as provided in section 33(1) of the 1971 Act as extended to the Bailiwick of Jersey;
...
- “the former nationality Acts” has the same meaning as provided in section 50(1) of the 1981 Act;
- “immigration decision letter” means a letter or other document which records a decision in connection with immigration or nationality, but does not provide evidence of leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom;
- “immigration employment document” means a work permit, or any other document which relates to employment and is issued for the purposes of the immigration rules or in connection with leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom;
- “the immigration rules” means rules made under section 3(2) of the 1971 Act;
- “leave to enter the United Kingdom” and “leave to remain in the United Kingdom” mean respectively leave to enter the United Kingdom and leave to remain in the United Kingdom given in accordance with the provisions of the 1971 Act or the immigration rules and “leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom” is to be construed accordingly;
- “limited leave” and “indefinite leave” respectively have the same meanings as provided in section 33(1) of the 1971 Act;
- “
overseas qualification
” means a qualification awarded by a body located outside the United Kingdom;
- “premium services” means optional premium services in connection with immigration or nationality ...;
- “
qualifications assessor
” means a body approved by the Secretary of State to carry out assessments of overseas qualifications;
- “registered traveller service” means the discretionary service offered by the Home Office enabling the expedited entry of persons registered on the scheme into the United Kingdom, or the transit of such persons through the United Kingdom;
- “right of abode” has the same meaning as provided in section 2 of the 1971 Act ;
- “sponsor”—
  1. in respect of the United Kingdom means a person licensed by the Secretary of State to issue certificates of sponsorship, or confirmations of acceptance for studies, or both;
  2. in respect of the Isle of Man means a person licensed by or on behalf of the Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man to issue certificates of sponsorship;
- “
Sponsor a Worker
” means the scheme operated by the Secretary of State to give approval to an employer to recruit an individual to a specific work role where that individual is required to make an application for entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom in order to perform that role;
- “sponsor licence” means a licence granted by the Secretary of State to a person who, by virtue of such a grant, is licensed as a sponsor;
- “sponsored worker”—
  1. in respect of the United Kingdom means a person seeking entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom for the purposes of employment (whether paid or unpaid) or some other economic activity, where that person is required by the immigration rules to obtain a certificate of sponsorship
or approval under Sponsor a Worker
;
  2. in respect of the Isle of Man means a person seeking entry clearance to the Isle of Man for the purposes of employment (whether paid or unpaid) or some other economic activity, where that person is required by the Isle of Man immigration rules to obtain a certificate of sponsorship;
- “transfer of conditions” means an addition to a passport, or other document issued to an applicant, which indicates that a person has been given leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom;
- “transit visa” means a document authorising the holder to remain within a port, without passing through immigration control, pending departure from the United Kingdom from that port;
- “travel document” means a document which is not a passport, allowing a person (or, if the person has died, the body of that person) to travel outside the United Kingdom, and is issued by the Home Office to persons who are either refugees, or stateless, or who cannot obtain or use a passport issued by their own country;
- “unsponsored worker”—
  1. in respect of the United Kingdom means a person seeking entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom for the purposes of employment (whether paid or unpaid) or some other economic activity, where that person is not required by the immigration rules to obtain a certificate of sponsorship
or approval under Sponsor a Worker
;
  2. in respect of the Isle of Man means a person seeking entry clearance to enter the Isle of Man for the purposes of employment (whether paid or unpaid) or some other economic activity, where that person is not required by the Isle of Man immigration rules to obtain a certificate of sponsorship;
- “web-chat facility” means an internet-based facility enabling direct communication in real-time between an advisor and an applicant or their representative.
1971 c. 77.
1981 c. 61.
1997 c. 20.
S.I. 1986/948.
S.I. 2008/3048, as amended by S.I. 2009/819, S.I. 2012/594 and S.I. 2015/433.
S.I. 2003/1502.
2007 c. 30.
2002 c. 8.
S.I. 1982/1070.
1968 c. 18.
The definition of “entry clearance” in section 33(1) was amended by section 39(6) of and paragraph 2 of Schedule 4 to the British Nationality Act 1981 (c. 61) (“the 1981 Act”) and paragraph 5 of the Schedule to the Immigration Act 1988 (c. 14).
The definition of “entry clearance” in section 33(1) was extended with modifications to the Isle of Man by the Immigration (Isle of Man) Order 2008, S.I. 2008/680; as amended by S.I. 2015/1765; there are other amendments to that Order but none are relevant for the present purposes.
1971 c. 77; section 2 was amended by section 39(2) of the 1981 Act.
Words in art. 2 omitted (15.3.2017) by virtue of The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/440), arts. 1, 2(3)(a)
Words in art. 2 substituted (15.3.2017) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/440), arts. 1, 2(3)(c)(i)
Words in art. 2 inserted (15.3.2017) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/440), arts. 1, 2(3)(c)(ii)
Words in art. 2 inserted (15.3.2017) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/440), arts. 1, 2(3)(d)
Words in art. 2 substituted (9.3.2018) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/329), arts. 1, 2(3)(a)
Words in art. 2 substituted (9.3.2018) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/329), arts. 1, 2(3)(b)
Words in art. 2 substituted (9.3.2018) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/329), arts. 1, 2(3)(c)
Words in art. 2 substituted (9.3.2018) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/329), arts. 1, 2(3)(d)
Words in art. 2 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020 (Consequential, Saving, Transitional and Transitory Provisions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1309), regs. 1(2), 45(2)
Word in art. 2 omitted (29.6.2021) by virtue of The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/768), arts. 1(2), 2(2)(a)
Words in art. 2 substituted (19.7.2021) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/768), arts. 1(3), 2(2)(b)
Words in art. 2 omitted (7.9.2023) by virtue of The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/977), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(a)
Words in art. 2 inserted (7.9.2023) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/977), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(b)
Words in art. 2 inserted (7.9.2023) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/977), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(c)
Words in art. 2 inserted (7.9.2023) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/977), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(e)
Words in art. 2 inserted (7.9.2023) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/977), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(f)
Words in art. 2 inserted (7.9.2023) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/977), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(g)
Words in art. 2 inserted (10.12.2024) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2024 (S.I. 2024/1192), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(a)
Words in art. 2 inserted (10.12.2024) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2024 (S.I. 2024/1192), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(b)
Words in art. 2 inserted (10.12.2024) by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2024 (S.I. 2024/1192), arts. 1(2), 2(3)(c)
Words in art. 2 omitted (7.3.2025) by virtue of The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025 (S.I. 2025/282), arts. 1(2), 2(2)