Mr Mike Rayner
Work Permits (UK)
Communications
Managed Migration
Home Office
PO Box 3468
Sheffield
S3 8WA

 

Friday 29 April 2005

Dear Mr Rayner

RE: PUBLICATION OF WORK PERMITS (UK) INTERNAL (CASEWORKER) GUIDANCE

Further to your email of 14^th April 2005, the consultation paper, “Publishing Internal Caseworker Guidance on the Home Office Website: Working in the UK” has been reviewed by the Employment and Business subcommittee of ILPA.

The subcommittee very strongly welcomes the publication of internal caseworker guidance on the internet at an early date and would urge the project team to ensure that the full version of caseworker guidance is made available including sector based information.

The consultation specifically requests consideration of two publishing formats; the first as a web page and the second as a PDF file.

Examples of both formats are given in the notes although it should be pointed out that the website referred to on page 4 of the consultation document (www.workingintheuk.com) is not a site currently in operation and on visiting this website the user reaches a page which states “website coming soon”.

However, it is believed that this link should have referred to www.workingintheuk.gov.uk and it is this website which has been considered for the purposes of the consultation process.

Our view is that the PDF file version is preferable as this is believed to be more user friendly, follows the same format as existing IND guidance and can be printed readily.

However, we have one caveat in connection with this choice of format. This is  that practitioners will see a different document to the one seen by caseworkers. Whilst this is not, of itself, a problem provided that the information contained in the document is the same, it has in the past caused practical difficulties when it has been necessary to draw the attention of a caseworker to a particular provision within guidance notes.

It is suggested that the information available in the PDF document is given clear chapter and paragraph numbering which is replicated in the caseworker’s own version. This will ensure that reference between the documents can readily be made.

In any event, it is particularly important to stress that the internal casework guidance is updated in line with caseworker’s own guidance and in line with current practice. This is not always the case in relation to the IND Immigration Directorate Instructions and this causes both confusion and difficulty in relation to applications.

A format for advising practitioners whenever amendments have been made to the website (such as the ability to subscribe to an email alert service, such as the one available on the FCO website for UKVisas updates) would be useful to ensure that practitioners are clear that they are referring to the current version of the Caseworker Guidance Notes.

I hope that the above information is of assistance to you in your consideration of the project.

Yours sincerely

Rick Scannell

Chair, ILPA