Tier 2 Visa for Skilled Migrants

The following information is about the UK's new points based system, which has not been fully implemented yet. It's possible that information may change over the course of the following months, so please check back periodically.

Tier 2 Visa Overview

Under the United Kingdom's new points based system there are five tiers that cover employment and student-based immigration into the country. Tier 2 visas cover skilled migration into the UK for those who have a job offer from a UK employer, replacing the current UK Work Permits scheme. Tier 2 is only for foreign workers who are citizens of countries outside the European Economic Area.

Tier 2 visas for skilled workers are meant to fill jobs where there are shortages in the labor market, such as engineering, information technology, and education. It also covers elite sports people and long-term religious workers. Tier 2 is expected to go into effect in Autumn of 2008, and will replace the following immigration categories:

• general work permit employment
• ministers of religion
• airport-based operational staff
• overseas qualified nurse or midwife
• sabbatical posts
• seafarers
• named researchers
• Training and Work Experience Scheme
• Jewish agency employees
• overseas media representatives (journalists and other news media)

For specific information on Tier 2 visas for sports people and ministers of religion, see the relevant sections below:

Sports People

Ministers of Religion

Ministers of religion and sports people on temporary assignment will not fall under Tier 2. Tier 5 for temporary workers will cover these immigration categories.

The Tier 2 Points Test

The following information concerns immigrating to the UK as a general skilled worker under a Tier 2 visa. To be successful in your application as a Tier 2 skilled worker, you will be required to score 70 points from three sets of criteria:

• Attributes (sponsorship, qualifications, and future earnings)
• Maintenance (your ability to support yourself and any dependants
• English Language Ability

Points for Certificate of Sponsorship

If you wish to apply for a Tier 2 visa, you will be required to have a valid job offer and show a certificate of sponsorship from your future employer. You can score a maximum of 50 points for your certificate of sponsorship.

Your employer will only be able to issue a certificate of sponsorship to you if the position requires a skill level of NVQ Level 3 or higher.

For positions currently on the shortage occupation list, you will score 50 points for your certificate of sponsorship. If the position you will fill is not on the shortage occupation list, you will score 30 points for your certificate of sponsorship and your employer will be required to submit a Resident Labour Market test to show that an EU/EEA citizen could not be found to fill the vacancy.

Points for Qualifications

You can score up to 15 points for your qualifications:

Only your highest qualification is eligible for points.

You can also score a maximum of 20 points for the earnings you expect to make at your new job in the UK:

Points for Maintenance

To be successful in your application under Tier 2 for skilled workers, you must score 10 points under the Maintenance requirement to show that you can support yourself and any dependants that you bring with you to the UK. To score the required 10 points, you must be able to show that you have GBP 800 in a savings account that you will have at your disposal while you are in the UK. If you will bring any dependants, you must show that you have an extra GBP 600 for each dependant.

Points for English Language Ability

You must also show that you can speak English at a basic level to be successful in your application for a Tier 2 visa. This requirement is also worth 10 points. You must be able to speak English at a level that shows familiarity with everyday expressions, basic phrases, and be able to introduce yourself to others and answer basic personal questions about yourself.

You can show your competence in English by:

• passing a test in English equivalent to the required level
• having come from a majority English-speaking country
• having taken a degree taught in English

If you do not have a job offer and you are highly skilled, you may want to look at the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) if you are applying from a country other than the UK or India, or the General Highly Skilled Migrants section of Tier 1 if you live in India or are legally residing in the UK.

Once implemented, workpermit.com will have all the information and expertise to assist people in migrating to the UK under Tier 2 for skilled workers.

If you are an employer and need assistance now in obtaining a work permit for a non-EU national to work in the United Kingdom, please see our free evaluation form.