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General - Immigration Visa

The General category applies to highly skilled candidates who wish to enter the UK in order to seek and undertake employment.

As with the previous HSMP, Tier 1 Visa applications for the UK are assessed according to a range of criteria set by the United Kingdom Border Agency.

Points are scored in 5 main areas:

Each Category has a number of points allocated to it, in order to qualify for the visa; you must score at least 75 points.

In order to demonstrate to the UKBA that you do score the necessary points, it is essential that the correct documents are submitted in support of your application.

Age
On the date of your application you will be awarded the following points for your age:

Applicants Aged 30-31 = 5 points
Applicants Aged 28-29 = 10 points
Applicants Aged 27 or under = 20 points

Qualifications

Applicants with a PHD = 50 Points
Applicants with a Masters Degree= 35 Points

Previous Earnings:
In order to claim points under this section; applicants will need to provide evidence of the amount earned over the 12 month period prior to making the application. Please see the table below with a breakdown of the point’s allocation:

  • £20,000-£22,999 = 15 points
  • £23,000-£25,999 = 20 points
  • £26,000-£28,999 = 25 points
  • £29,000-£31,999 = 30 points
  • £32,000-£34,999 = 35 points
  • £35,000-£39,999 = 40 points
  • £40,000 or more = 45 points

UK Experience:
In addition applicants may be eligible for an additional 5 points if they can demonstrate that their earnings were made in the UK or qualifications gained whilst in the UK.

English Proficiency:
Under the points based system English language ability is an important factor for all applicants (except those applying under the Investor category). The language requirement requires a mandatory pass mark of 10 points.
Applicants must be able to show that:

  • They come from a country in which English is the main language
  • They have successfully completed an English language test which conforms to or exceeds level C1as defined by the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework for Language learning
  • They have successfully completed a Master’s degree course which was taught in English

Maintenance:
Migrants relocating to the UK must be able to support themselves and any dependents joining them in the UK.

The amount required to satisfy this requirement for the main applicant is £2,800, dependents need £1600.
All time spent in the UK on Tier 1 counts towards Permanent Residence. After the initial 3 year period you can extend this visa for a further 2 years, after which you will be able to apply for Permanent Residence.

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