Tier 2 Skilled Worker Visa
(This replaces Tier 2 (General) Workers Visa)
Tier 2 Visa Application Solicitors
Tier 2 is the UK immigration category for skilled workers (often referred to as a ‘work permit’, from the old pre-Points Based System terminology). There are four categories of Tier 2 workers: Tier 2 (General) workers, Tier 2 (Minister of Religion), Tier 2 (Sportsperson) and Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) workers. Applicants in all categories will need to be sponsored by a UK employer with the relevant sponsorship licence before they can apply for leave to enter or remain in the UK.
Tier 2 (General) work visa allows migrants to work in the UK with a sponsorship from your employer. This visa has been replaced by Skilled Worker Visa.
A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.
Your spouse/partner and children can apply on this route. Skilled Worker is a route to settlement.
If you or your family are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and started living in the UK before 1 January 2021, you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme (I think we should add more to this with a link). Otherwise you need a visa to work in the UK.
Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Similar to Tier 2 work visa, your UK employer has to be approved by the Home Office and assign you a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) with information about the role you have been offered in the UK. You are required to do a job that is on the list of eligible occupations and be paid a minimum salary.
You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa and be able to speak, read, write and understand English.
You must be awarded no less than 50 mandatory points.
- Sponsorship – 20 points
- Job at an appropriate skill level – 20 points
- English language skills at level B1 (Intermediate) – 10 points
Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Your spouse/partner and children can apply on this route. Skilled Worker is a route to settlement.
The visa application itself can be taken 3 weeks to 8 weeks. You can apply outside the UK or inside the UK.
Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Your spouse/partner and children can apply on this route. Skilled Worker is a route to settlement.
Similar to Tier 2 visa, there are few hurdles you have to go through. However, as long as you have an employer who is willing to sponsor you, an experienced immigration lawyer to assist, the process can be rather smooth.
The requirement on salary varies according to the different job titles and occupancy you may hold. This can be checked against the Eligible occupation codes where going rates are based on Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. The threshold has been lowered by the Home Office and this is of course helpful for UK employers and Skilled workers.
No. Similar to Tier 2 visa, Skilled Worker visa is a type of work visa so it relates to your employment and you are required to be sponsored by your employer under the current immigration rules.
Yes. When your job changes or you have changed your job and your new job is with a different employer, you would have to apply to update your work visa.
Tier 1 refers to 1st tier 1 of the point based system such as Tier 1 (Investor), Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) which was closed last year (2019). These categories are for those migrants who come to the UK by investment or setting up companies in the UK whilst Skilled Worker visa is for migrants who wishes to work in the UK.
You will need to apply within the validity of the visa period for extension or settlement whichever appropriate.
Skilled Worker visa is a work visa and often requires full time employment. You are required to work for the number of hours and being paid appropriately, as stated in the CoS. Your employer/sponsor is responsible for monitoring you and has reporting duty to the Home Office.
Home Office fees do change periodically. Depending on where you will be applying, the fees may vary too. Currently, as of December 2020, it is £704 per person for up to 3 years if you apply inside the UK and £610 per person for up to 3 years when applying outside the UK.
The Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer
This category is for existing overseas employees of multi-national companies whose company wishes to transfer them to a UK branch. The UK company must hold a Tier 2 ICT sponsorship licence. This category is further divided into sub-categories: Long Term Staff; Short Term Staff; Graduate Trainee and Skills Transfer.
Tier 2 Minister of Religion
This category is for those wishing to work in the UK as either a minister of religion or a member of a religious order for a religious organisation which holds a Tier 2 sponsorship licence.
Tier 2 Sportsperson
This category is for elite sportspeople who want to play for a club in the UK with a Tier 2 sponsor licence. Their application must be endorsed by their sport’s governing body.
Tier 2 General
In order to qualify under this category an applicant will need an offer of employment from a UK employer sponsor in a skilled role, i.e. NQF level 6, according to the UKVI Codes of Practice, unless the job is listed on the ‘shortage occupation list’ or is in the creative sector under certain Standard Occupational Codes. The job will also need to pay the appropriate rate for that role according to the UKVI Codes of Practice, whichever is higher.
An applicant must not have been in the UK with Tier 2 leave in the 12 months before any entry clearance application unless the job will pay £159,600 (Tier 2 (General) or £120,000 (Tier 2 (ICT)) a year or more. (This is called a ‘cooling off’ period.)
Unless an exemption applies, before offering the role to a migrant worker, the employer will need to advertise the role to the resident workforce for 28 days by way of a Resident Labour Market Test (the role would need to be advertised via two acceptable media, one of which must be Jobcentre Plus unless the job pays more than £72,500 a year). If no suitable settled worker is identified then the role can be offered to the migrant worker. Employers are exempt from undertaking a Resident Labour Market Test if any of the following applies: the job is on the shortage occupation list’; the job will pay more than £155,300 a year; the applicant is switching from Tier 4 student leave where they have achieved a UK recognised Bachelors or Masters degree during their last grant of leave (and certain other limited exceptions).
Tier 2 General – Applications from outside the UK
Tier 2 Visa applications made from outside the UK will need their employers to apply to the UKVI for a ‘restricted’ Certificate of Sponsorship which needs to be granted and assigned before they can make their application for entry clearance, unless they will be doing a job in a shortage occupation or will be earning more than £159,600 year (from 6th April 2017). In respect of applicants switching inside the UK into Tier 2 (General) from another eligible immigration category, the sponsoring employer assigns the CoS from their existing allocation of certificates and are not required to apply for a restricted certificate.
The Tier 2 Visa rules state that applicants need to meet the English language requirement by either being a national of a majority English-speaking country, holding a degree taught in English recognised as equivalent to a UK Bachelors degree or showing an English language ability to level B1 CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) by means of an approved English test certificate. Applicants switching inside the UK from certain other immigration categories will be deemed to meet the English language requirement.
Applicants entering the category will also need to show maintenance funds of £945 for a consecutive-90-day period by the date of application. An A-rated sponsor can certify maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship so the applicant does not need to show documentary evidence of their own maintenance funds.
Tier 2 General Workers
Tier 2 (General) Workers can bring their dependants with them but will need to show additional maintenance funds (again, the employer can certify maintenance for dependants also).
A successful applicant for entry clearance would be granted leave to enter for the length of the period of engagement plus one month or for five years and one month, whichever is the shorter. A successful applicant for leave to remain would be granted leave to remain for the period of engagement plus fourteen days or for five years, whichever is the shorter (note the Home Office fee for applications for leave of over three years is twice that for applications for leave of up to three years).
Applicants are not permitted to spend more than 6 years in the Tier 2 (General) category unless they previously had leave under the Rules in place before 6 April 2011 as a Tier 2 (General) migrant (or in certain other limited categories).
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR, also called settlement)
Applicants can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR, also called settlement) after five years in this category as long as they are still required for the employment in question (they would also need to meet other ILR qualifying criteria). Note, there will be a minimum salary requirement of £35,500 for Tier 2 ILR applications made on or after 6th April 2018 (PhD level or shortage occupations are exempt).
Our Service
Our Tier 2 Visa lawyers can assist with all stages of the process and fully prepare the application on behalf of the client. We will advise on the merits at the outset and make clear the legal and evidential requirements so that the application is set up on the best footing from the very start. We of course advise on all the supporting documents and evidence required and take the client through the immigration process from start to finish.
Our Tier 2 General Visa solicitors can assist with templates for documents specified by the Rules and deal with third parties where necessary and we aim to make the whole process as smooth as possible. If there are any issues in your immigration matter you will know before applying and we can help best overcome them. In short, we prevent mistakes and ensure any application meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules. We are here to help you safely navigate your way through the UK immigration process.
Contact our Tier 2 Visa Solicitors London, UK
Qore Legal is based in Central London and we assist clients from throughout England. We also specialise in immigration services for Chinese companies and individuals. For Tier 2 Visa guidance, please contact a Tier 2 Visa solicitor at Qore Legal – call 0208 0577470, email info@qorelegal.co.uk or use our online contact form.
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