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Visa By Country - Immigration To England
Skilled Worker Migration ( Tier 1 Migration )
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Skilled Tier 1 (General) Migration based on the Points Based System
On 30th June 2008, the Tier 1 (General) Migrant visa was introduced for highly
skilled individuals who wish to immigrate, seek work or self employment in the
United Kingdom. This visa provides qualified people with sought-after skills
with an opportunity to work in England as a salaried worker or entrepreneur for
a period of three (3) years. The visa can be extended for a further two (2)
years after which the applicant can apply for indefinite leave to remain in the
UK and later naturalization as a British citizen.
The Tier 1 ( General ) Migrant programme is based on the applicant obtaining the
necessary 75 threshold points that are awarded from several categories of "
attributes", providing evidence of the applicant's level of ability in the
English language as well as proof that the applicant possesses the determined
level of funds to support himself/herself and his/her dependants known as
"maintenance funds". It is important to emphasize that even if the applicant
obtains the required 75 points as defined below, he/she must prove his/her
ability in the English language as well as submit proof of possession of the
maintenance funds.
The attributes from which points are derived comprise of the following
categories:
(a) Age
Points are awarded according to your age at the time of receipt of the
application. Applicants aged 32 years or more will not score any points for age,
however they may still score enough points for qualifications and previous
earnings in order to make up the required 75 points.
The points awarded for age are as follows:
Under 29 years 20 points
30 to 34 years 10 points
35 to 39 years 5 points
32 years or more 0 points
(b)Qualifications
Points are awarded as follows: if the applicant has a first (Bachelor) degree,
then 30 points are awarded, a Masters degree, then 35 points are awarded and a
PhD 45 points are awarded. In the event that the applicant has a MBA and was
enrolled in an eligible MBA course before 30th June 2008 and graduated within 12
months of submitting his/her application then 75 points will be awarded. All
qualifications have to meet the recognized standard of UK Bachelor, Masters and
PhD degrees as verified by the current National Academic Recognition Information
Centre database- see www.naric.org.uk. It is the responsibility of the applicant
to demonstrate that his/her qualification equates to a UK academic
qualification.
(c) Previous Earnings
An applicant can claim points for his/her previous earnings obtained from
his/her work. In regard to full-time employment, an assessment of gross earnings
before tax over a total period of up to 12 months out of the 15 months
immediately prior to the submission of the application will be considered
irrespective of whether the applicant is in salaried or non-salaried employment.
Part-time earnings will also be considered over the same period even if they are
not from a single employer, that is, the total earnings from several jobs over
the said period. It is important to note that unearned income such as dividends
from investments (unless it is a company that the applicant is active in the
day-to-day management), property rental income, and interest on savings or funds
received through inheritance are NOT used in calculating income.
If one is self employed and the business profits are retained within the
business, then the share of the business's net profits generated over the
earnings period will be considered.
It should be noted that one is able to claim for a 12 month period other than
the 12 month period prior to the submission of the application, if one can prove
that during the past 12 months he/she was engaged in full time study or had
maternity or adoption related leave.
To reflect differences in income levels throughout the world, countries have
been divided into 5 income bands and local incomes have been adjusted to the
salary levels specified below. In order for one to calculate the number of
points he/she is entitled to in this category, one should carry out the
following:
(i) convert one's yearly income to pounds sterling.
(ii) Multiply one's yearly pound sterling income by the multiplier allocated to
your country. For Israel, the multiplier is 2.3.
(iii) Allocate the points from the table below in accordance with your adjusted
sterling income.
The points allocated for earnings are as follows;
150,000 or above 75 points
75,000 to 149,999 pounds 45 points
65,000 to 74,999 pounds 40 points
55,000 to 64,999 pounds 35 points
50,000 to 54,999 pounds 30 points
40,000 to 49,999 pounds 25 points
35,000 to 39,999 pounds 20 points
30,000 to 34,999 pounds 15 points
25,000-29,999 pounds 5 points
under 25,000 pounds 0 points
(e) UK Work Experience
The applicant is able to claim five points in this category if he/she has
previous experience of living in the UK and if either: he/she has successfully
scored points under the previous earnings category and such earnings were in the
UK above 25,000 pounds or more or the applicant has studied and graduated at a
first (bachelors) degree level or higher in a full-time higher education
institute in the UK or at a UK based overseas educational institute for at least
one academic year or three consecutive academic terms during the past five
years. Points will be awarded only if one is legally entitled to work or study
in the UK throughout the period when these earnings or studies took place.
It is important to note that even if one attains the 75 required points from the
attributes described above, it is mandatory to fulfill both of the following
conditions to obtain this visa:
(i) Proof of Ability in the English language
In addition to obtaining the threshold 75 points from the above criteria, the
applicant must show evidence of his/her level of ability in the English
language. This is an absolute requirement. In order to demonstrate the required
knowledge of English, the applicant must provide one of the following forms of
evidence: an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Test Report
Form, issued in the two years prior to the date the application was received, at
Band 6.5 or above; or evidence that the applicant holds a Bachelor degree that
was taught in English, and is of an equivalent to a UK Bachelors degree; or that
he/she is a national of a majority English speaking country such as the USA or
Canada. For more information on the IELTS test - see www.ielts.org and
www.AmericanSchool.co.il.
(ii) Maintenance Funds
Even if one has attained the pass mark of 75 from the above criteria and has the
required standard of English, an application will be refused in the event that
one is not able to prove that he/she has in his/her possession the prescribed
amount of maintenance funds. In order to qualify for this visa, one needs to be
able to demonstrate that he/she has 2800 pounds for himself/herself and 1,600
pounds for each accompanying dependant. It is necessary to prove that these
funds are held in cash in the applicant's personal bank account for a minimum of
three months immediately preceding the filing of the application. One is
required to submit evidence of the funds by means of bank statements for a three
month period that date no more than 7 days prior to the lodging of his/her
application. It should be noted that the balance in the bank account should not
fall below the required minimum at any time during the 3 month period.
Dependents
Dependants are able to join an applicant who is granted this visa. Dependants
are defined as a husband, wife, civil partner, same sex partner and children
under 18. Every dependant is required to file a separate visa application as a
dependant and the applicant is required to prove that he/she has an amount of
1,600 pounds for every dependant.
Extension of the Tier 1 General Visa
As stated above, the Tier 1 General Migration Visa is granted for a three (3)
year period and can be extended in the UK for a further two (2) years. After a
Tier 1 visa holder has been in the UK for a continuous period of five years (
except for short vacation periods or business trips of no more than three months
at a time ) he/she can apply for on indefinite leave to remain in England and
naturalization.
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