The Home Office has approved new Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) Criteria for international player visas effective from today.
The Football Association has designed a new football solution alongside stakeholders to provide additional access to exceptional international talent which falls outside the current GBE criteria.
This will allow clubs playing in the English league the ability to sign players who do not meet the current points requirements.
A maximum of four players will be available to Premier League and Championship clubs and two for League One and League Two teams.
FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham said: “As English football’s governing body, we oversee the whole football ecosystem, and we wanted to create a new model which would meet the different objectives of our football stakeholders.
“We worked closely with the clubs and the leagues, and have designed a progressive solution which will give clubs additional access to international talent and incentivise playing opportunities for English talent.”
A key component of the new ruling is clubs who have given at least 35 percent of total playing minutes to English-qualified players will be able to sign the full complement of overseas players.
Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers are a prime example of a club who will benefit having prioritised domestic and homegrown players.
The size of the pool of players available to Rovers was reduced significantly by the work permit rules, but the new regulations change the landscape.
Director of Football Gregg Broughton and manager Jon Dahl Tomasson have extensive knowledge of the Scandinavian market and will now be able to exploit it during the summer transfer window.
