In a surprising case of real-life cheats seemingly inspired by fictional spy thrillers, we've seen reports of cheats trying to scam UK immigration officials by helping migrants pass the Life in the UK test, using state-of-the-art spy gadgets that Q would be proud of.

Designed to test applicants on both their English language skills and UK-specific knowledge, the Life in the UK test is a set of 24 questions that must be completed according to strict exam conditions at an official testing centre. Most of the test questions are about life in the UK, as described in the 'Life in the United Kingdom' handbook, with a number of questions specific to which part of the UK an applicant lives in (i.e. England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).

Typically, concentrated study and preparation is what's key to passing the test.  However, two individuals have been caught illicitly trying to help some migrants take a shortcut to UK residency, using James Bond-esque surveillance gadgets. 

By equipping UK immigration applicants with hidden communication devices, Steven Lee and Rong Yang would help migrants pass the test, even though many of the fraudulent applicants had little to no comprehension of English. 

Using a buttonhole camera secreted on the applicant, Lee and Yang were able to view the test questions on a laptop screen outside the testing centre, before passing the correct answers back to the applicant through a hidden earpiece.

Unfortunately for Mr Lee and Ms Yang, it seems unlikely that they'll find a quantum of solace as a result of their illicit actions; both individuals have been convicted of breaching immigration law and will be jailed for eight months.

Of course, for those willing to take an honest approach to their test preparations, there are a number of options available, such as the Visa Bureau Life in the UK Test Preparation site. With over 1,000 test questions, accurate simulations of the official timed test and an online version of the handbook, it gives you everything you need be prepared, all in one place.

- Tom Blackett is the Online Editor for the UK Visa Bureau

If you're a UK employer that employs non-EU migrant workers, then time is running out!

Simply put, you're required to have an Employer Sponsorship Licence by November 1, 2008. and companies without an employer sponsorship licence by that date will be unable to bring in new non-EU migrant workers to the UK or extend the work permits of current employees.

What's more, the new requirements also shift a lot of the burden of responsibility from the Home Office to the employers. In fact, businesses in the UK will now be responsible for:

• Ensuring that they are licensed to hire migrants and comply with current immigration regulations;
• Issuing certificates to foreign workers to allow the worker to apply for entry clearance to the UK; AND
• Ensuring that any foreign workers employed by the business are fully compliant with UK immigration law.

To better explain the changes, we've put together the Employer Sponsorship Licence Information Package.

The information package is a great first step for any employer looking to apply for an employer sponsorship licence, and explains the service that the UK Visa Bureau provides. We recommend that any UK employer of non-EU migrants read the document in full (as well as any supplementary information on employer sponsorship requirements on our website), and then call a member of our licensing team directly on 0800 043 0711.

- Marissa Murdock is the Casework Department Manager for the UK Visa Bureau. To contact the UK Visa Bureau, call 0800 043 7011 or complete a UK visa application.

As we organise ourselves for the next wave of UK immigration changes to take effect, there's some worry that the people who will be most affected by the introduction of Tier 2 are also the ones least prepared.

I say this after I saw some alarming reports that stated by mid-August, there were still only 170 employers that had applied for a sponsorship licence. While I'm sure that this figure has gone up since then (especially with the recent television campaign launched by the UK Border Agency), it's vital that UK employers looking to employ non-EU migrants understand the preparations they need to make. A sponsorship licence is essential for any employer looking to hire migrants under the new Tier 2 system.

I'm not alone in my concern, as the Home Office is worried that a mad flurry of late applications for sponsorship licences will have a bottleneck effect and cause disruption to the skilled migration program.

UK business owners have been warned by the Home Office that their sponsorship licence applications must be received no later than October 1.  Employers without a sponsorship licence will be heavily penalised if they hire illegal workers and will be banned from employing workers from outside the EEA if caught doing so.

Bearing in mind these severe penalties for non-compliance, I think it should be evident just how vital it is for all employers and educational establishments to comply with the requirements of sponsorship. Simply put, if you enrol or employ any non-EU citizen who does not have settled status in the UK, then you are legally entitled to have a sponsorship licence.

As a UK immigration law specialist, I can provide assistance in successfully applying for the initial licence, as well as the ongoing compliance requirements for employers and educational establishments. However, as the deadline fast approaches, I worry that there could be a lot of disappointed employers and migrants alike come October 1.

- Marissa Murdock is the Casework Department Manager for the UK Visa BUreau. To contact the UK Visa Bureau, call 0800 043 7011 or complete a UK visa application.

I thought I'd take my opportunity on the Visa Bureau Blog to say a few words about the transition from the HSMP to the new Tier 1 General Skilled Migration programme here in the UK.  It's occupied a lot of our time!  It usually does whenever the Home Office makes a major change like this.

Our UK caseworking team and our online editorial team worked hard to make sure that the UK Visa Bureau website was up to date as soon as the change from the old HSMP went ahead.

The changeover has certainly been an interesting experience!  Aside from the days of research, writing and caseworking, the biggest challenge has been getting the message out to clients.  The HSMP, it seems, was a very well known programme.  It was an easy "brand" to remember, and it described exactly what the programme was after - highly skilled people who wanted to live and work in the United Kingdom.  It was so well known that people continue to refer to the new Tier 1 programme as the HSMP.

It's an easy confusion to make.  Both the Tier 1 General Skilled Programme and the HSMP are essentially the same.  Both use a similar points test with similar education, occupation and income requirements, and both are meant to attract highly skilled migrants to the UK.

We've been working to help educate our clients and prospective clients on the changeover.  Our site now has detailed information on the Tier 1 programme, and we make sure that we talk callers to our freephone line through the changes.

But, if people still want to call it the HSMP, that's fine by me.

- Tom Blackett is the Online Editor for the UK Visa Bureau.

If Amanda and her team were excited about the new changes to the Australian working holiday visa last week, then it is the New Zealand Visa Bureau's turn to breathe a big sigh of relief.  After many months of consultation, the UK Government has finally decided to continue running the New Zealand ancestry visa program and allow free access for Kiwis for up to six months.  Phew!

The British Home Office are having a big clean-up of their immigration system, and have been looking at the policies of other countries, mainly Australia, to base their new "simplified" structure on.  Although they're more interested in a new "Path to Citizenship", where migrants have to "earn" their right to become a UK citizen, they were also looking to restrict access to the UK for Commonwealth citizens.

Here in the New Zealand Visa Bureau, we all feared the Home Office would listen to suggestions to restrict the six month visa-free access to three months, or cancel rights to get a five year UK ancestry visa.   Thousands of New Zealanders live, work, and play in London already - city life just wouldn't be the same without the Kiwi contingent! 

Luckily for New Zealanders, the doors have stayed open.  Those who have grandparents born in the UK can still apply for a five-year working and residency visa, and the six month visa-free access is out there for the taking. 

Apparently, PM Helen Clark has been batting for New Zealand so that young Kiwis can keep flying to the UK.  In a press release, she told the country she understands how important it is for young people to have an OE in the UK, and went directly to Gordon Brown to ask him to reconsider.  

And so she should.  The New Zealand Immigration policy has been more than welcoming to UK citizens.  UK travellers also have six month visa-free access to New Zealand, and Brits on a working holiday visa are entitled to 23 months in NZ (everybody else in the working holiday program only get 12 months!). 

Imagine having that much time to see all the breathtaking sights New Zealand has to offer, or watch the adrenaline-pumping activities in the country's adventure capital Queenstown change to match the season.  You could even catch a full live season of the Super 14s Rugby Union competition, or just chill out in a batch for six months on the Coromandel. 

It's no wonder Britons make up the second largest source of tourism for the Land of the Long White Cloud – I think they're getting a pretty good deal!

Thanks to the announcements this week from Ms Clark, it gives me great pleasure to tell our NZ and UK clients they can still go on their well-deserved holiday to the other end of the world, just as their brothers, sisters, mates, parents (even myself) have done before them.  It just wouldn't be fair if the fun stopped here!

- Andy Harwood is the CEO of the Visa Bureau.