Tier 2 UK Work Permits

This new tier replacing the existing work permits used my migrants to enter the UK.

The new Skilled Migrant Tier 2, will enable UK employers to recruit individuals from outside the European Economic Area for the purposes of directly employing them to fill a vacancy that cannot be filled by a British or EEA worker. By filling this job the migrant will contribute to the growth of the UK without displacing British workers. No one can qualify for this tier unless they have a certificate of  sponsorship showing they are coming to the UK to fill a qualifying job.

Anyone wanting to come to the UK under a points based system will need prior entry clearance for which they will not be allowed to apply without a certificate of sponsorship. If an application and the documents supporting it, are not approved by UK Border Agency staff, that application will be refused. Note that a sponsorship certificate in no way guarantees that entry clearance will be issued.

This tier also operates with a points based system. Applicants require 70 points in total, but must obtain 10 for maintenance requirements and 10 for competence in English. From the remaining 85 points available migrants need a minimum of 50 from the Sponsorship, Qualifications and Earnings categories. You can find out more about the UK visa points system indroduced in 2008.

This tier is an employer led system for skilled migrants with a job offer. Before a migrant is eligible to apply to visit the UK for work under Tier 2, he or she will require a sponsor. The sponsor usually be the business or company that wishes to employ the migrant. Sponsorship plays two significant roles to the application process: It provides evidence that the migrant will be filling a genuine vacancy; and that the sponsor will accept responsibility for sponsoring an applicant.