General – Immigration Visa
Tier 1 –General- Qualifying Criteria
The Tier 1 category is designed for Highly Skilled Migrants who want to enter the United Kingdom. Tier 1 candidates do not require an offer of employment to be approved and enter the UK.
We have submitted over 50 Tier 1 applications with a 99% success rate, we have a developed a clear understanding of the format and procedures in place. We have created a system of document submission that fits perfectly with the rules and regulations and that reduces the consideration time of the caseworkers processing these Tier 1 Visas.
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:
Age
Qualifications
Previous Earnings
UK Experience
English Proficiency (Mandatory)
Maintenance (Mandatory)
Each Category has a number of points allocated to it, in order to qualify for the visa; you must score at least 100 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:
Under 30 yrs old 20 points
30 -34 yrs old 10 points
35-39 yrs old 5 points
40 yrs old or older 0 points
Qualifications
Bachelor degree 30 Points
Masters Degree 35 Points
PhD 45 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:
£25,000-£29,999 5 points
£30,000-£34,999 15 points
£35,000-£39,999 20 points
£40,000-£49,999 25 points
£50,000-£54,999 30 points
£55,000-£64,999 35 points
£65,000-£74,999 40 points
£75,000-£149,999 45 points
£150,000 or more 75 points
UK Experience:
successfully scored points for previous earnings and at least £25,000 of those earnings were made in the United Kingdom;
or
undertaken a period of full-time study in the United Kingdom, of at least one full academic year, and been awarded a qualification at bachelor’s degree level or above. The qualification should have been awarded no more than five years before making the application.
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.
