§ The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Beverley Hughes)Today I am making changes to the immigration rules that enable participants on the sectors based scheme (SBS) to extend their leave in the UK to those people whose original permit was for less than the maximum period of 12 months. Permits can be issued for a maximum of 12 months, but in many cases they are shorter. One of the key aspects of the SBS is that participants who have been granted leave for less than one year, and whom the employer wants to retain, can extend their leave, in country, for the remainder of the 12 months that the initial leave did not cover. As hon. Members already know, from 1 April there will also be a new charge of £121 for those who wish to extend their leave under the sectors based scheme. This charge may be picked up by the employer.
This procedure has been operating administratively since the launch of the scheme, and the changes to the immigration rules will simply put extensions of stay on SBS on a firmer footing within the rules.