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Tier 1 – (General)
HSMP / Highly Skilled Workers
The
Highly Skilled Migrant Program was launched by the Home Office in
January 2002 to allow individuals with exceptional personal skills
and experience to enter the UK to seek and take up employment
without having a prior offer of employment. It aims to provide an
individual migration route for a highly skilled person who has the
skills and experience required by the UK to compete in the global
economy.
The
HSMP program has changed on numerous occasions over the last 18
months. The most recent change being the incorporation of the HSMP
under the new Tier 1 Points Based System. The new program released
from June 30th 2008 no longer allows individuals to
apply for this visa type from the UK. All applications MUST now be
made to the British High Commission in your country of origin /
legal residence. (Please see recent news items on this
site)
The
HSMP is a points-based scheme and points are scored in the
following areas:
•
Age (0-20 Points)
•
Educational qualifications (30-50 Points)
•
Past earnings (0-45 Points)
•
UK Work Experience / UK Completed Study (Max. 5 Points)
•
English Language Ability (Mandatory 10 Points required)
•
Maintenance Requirement (Mandatory 10 Points required)
The
criteria and points allocated vary in each qualifying section
however you must score 95 points or more to qualify as a highly
skilled migrant. To be successful in obtaining this visa you need
to be able to provide satisfactory evidence that you score the
points stated while points scoring for English Language ability and
Maintenance sections are a mandatory requirement.
The
Tier 1 (General) HSMP permit is granted initially for three years
and after that an extension may be granted if you remain
economically active, do not recourse public funds and are able to
continue to meet the points test. The extension will be given for a
further two years which then leads to Indefinite Leave to Remain
status in the UK. It is important to note that initial applications
must be made abroad however applications for extension in this
category can be completed whilst in the UK.
It
should also be noted that unless you have a minimum degree level
qualification or an educational certificate adjudged equal to a UK
degree level as adjudicated by NARIC then you will not qualify for
this visa. In addition if you do not meet the English language
requirement which for some will simply be as a result of their
Nationality yet others may have to sit an IELTS or like English
test then you will also automatically not be able to gain this
permit. Finally the Maintenance requirement must now be met in
order to qualify. At present each applicant will need to prove that
they have £2,800 over three consecutive months’ accessible funds in
order to qualify. In addition, if you would like dependents to
travel to the UK with you a further £1600 per dependent will need
to be evidenced over this period.
Tier 1 – Post Study
Work
The
Tier 1 - Post Study Work category has recently replaced the former
International Graduates Scheme (IGS), Science and Engineering
Graduate Scheme (SEGS) and Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme
(FT:WISS).
The
post-study worker category allows international graduates who have
studied in the UK (at a degree level or higher) to remain beyond
their period of study to work for an initial 24 month period.
Post-study workers are free to look for work without having a
sponsor for the length of their leave. Individuals who have studied
in Scotland at a HND level or above also qualify under this
program.
The
category provides a bridge to highly skilled or skilled work visa
types in the future. If you are granted permission to stay as a
post-study worker it is expected that an applicant will switch into
a more permanent visa category (Tier 1 HSMP / Tier 2 Work Permit
program) when possible.
Please
note that if you are in the UK and hold a current IGS, SEGS or
FT:WISS visa that was previously granted for one year you may
remain in the UK under the Tier 1 Post Study category by applying
for a one year extension without leaving the UK.
The
visa type is based on a points based system where applicants must
meet an initial 75 point requirement and will also be required to
meet the maintenance thresholds and English language requirement to
qualify for this visa type.
Tier 1 –
Entrepreneur & Investor Categories
The
final categories under Tier 1 of the Points Based System are the
Entrepreneur and Investor categories.
The
Tier 1 - Entrepreneur category is for those investing in the United
Kingdom by setting up or taking over, and being actively involved
in the running of one or more businesses in the United Kingdom.
Applicants amongst other forms of evidence will need to demonstrate
access to £200,000 or more.
The
Tier 1 – Investor category is for those individuals seeking to make
a substantial financial investment in the UK. A job offer is not
required however a reasonable figure of £1,000,000 to invest in the
UK is the main criteria for meeting the points in this
category.
UK Work
Permits
The
Work Permit Scheme currently consists of numerous sub categories of
work permits available to individuals; the appropriate one being
based on the purpose for working in the UK and the surrounding
circumstances. In October / November 2008 this complex web of
permit types and processes will be replaced by Tier 2 under the
Points Based System.
Until
such time, the common work permit types, characteristics and
processes are:
Business and
Commercial Work Permit
The
Business and Commercial work permit allows an employer in the UK to
recruit people from outside the EEA to fill job vacancies that may
otherwise be filled by a resident worker. The main purpose of this
is to assist businesses in their international development by
allowing them to employ key staff who have the required skills but
do not have the required working status in the UK. This type of
work permit must be applied for by the sponsoring company and can
be valid for as little as one day or as long as five years
depending on the length requested by the sponsoring
company.
The
Business and Commercial work permit consists of two categories
currently know as Tier 1 and Tier 2.
Tier
1
This
type of work permit is relevant to employees who are seeking to
come to the UK under in the following categories:
Ø
Intra Company transfer
Ø
Board Level Post
Ø
Inward Investment
Ø
Shortage Occupations
Tier
2
This
type of work permit is relevant to work permits where the employer
has advertised the position and wants to hire a non-resident worker
instead of a resident worker. The employer must be able to offer
proof that no suitable person from either the UK or the EU labour
market is readily available or suitable to fill the
position.
A
person who has been issued with a Business and Commercial work
permit must be an employee of the sponsoring company and is bound
to that company for the term of the work permit. Should the person
wish to change employment, the employer wanting to take over the
employment of the person must firstly apply to take over the work
permit. This is applied for by the sponsoring company and not the
individual.
Some other types
of work permits that are not as common are:
Training and Work
Experience
Internship
Placement
Sole
Representatives
Click
here for a free
online assessment or contact our staff and
one of our consultants will assess your situation & provide you
with your best permit or visa options.
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