TIER 2 ANNUAL LIMIT EXPLAINED

The annual limit for the Tier 2 (General) category will be set at 20,700 applications for 2011/12.

The limit will not apply to in country applications from people inside the UK, Dependents of Tier 2 applicants, Tier 2 (General) applications where the salary to be received is more than 150,000 GBP, Tier 2 (Sportsperson),Tier 2 (Ministers Of religion), Tier 2 (Intra company Transfers.

Tier 2 (General) applications will be only for graduate level job offers

The shortage occupation will be revised to reflect what the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) considers graduate level jobs. Any existing Tier 2 (General) migrants in the UK will be able to extend their stay provided they now meet the new requirements.

The English Level required for Tier 2 (General) applicant's will be increased from the current basic to intermediate level (B1 on the CEFR)

Certificates of Sponsorship will be considered on a monthly basis and if the monthly quota has been reached then all TIER 2 (General) applications will be ranked in accordance with:

shortage occupations
does the post require higher academic qualifications
salary

All potential Tier 2 workers granted a Certificate of Sponsorship will have 3 months to apply for the Tier 2 Visa

UK Tier 1 Limit

The United Kingdom Border Agency's limit for visa applications under Tier 1 of the points based system was introduced on 19 July 2010.

Recently there has been a rise in the queries about the limit and Tier 1 in General so I have included some useful points for anyone thinking about submitting a Tier 1 application.

-Each month there will/can be 600 Tier 1 Visas issued
-If the limit for the month is not reached in any month then the unused allocation will be rolled over to the next month
-The limit does not affect the method of submission
-Applications can be submitted even if the limit has been reached for that month
-If your application fits in line with the rules and the monthly limit has not been reached then your application will be issued in the normal way
-If your application fits in line with all the rules and the monthly limit has been reached then the application will be issued when the next limit allocation opens again
-If an application does not meet all the requirements then it will be processed in the normal way and returned even if the limit has been reached
-All applications will be dealt with in a first come first serve kind of basis, which means the authorities will process applications in the order that they are received
-The current limit does not apply to Tier 1 (General) in country applications, IE if you are inside the United Kingdom and also does not apply to any dependent applications of Tier 1 Holders

Tier 1 Changes starting 06 April 2010

The UKBA has announced that it will be using the recommendations made by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and applying some policy and rule changes to the Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the Points Based System in the United Kingdom.

Tier 1 General

The initial period on the Tier 1 visa will be reduced to 2 years and the extension applications will be approved provided sufficient evidence is submitted to verify the applicant is in Highly Skilled employment.

Transitional arrangements will be in place for individuals already n the UK or who have their visa approved before 6th April 2010

The Age section has been changed to allow applicants up to 39 years old to claim for points

Qualifications criteria have been changed to again allow for points for people with Bachelor Degrees (30 points) with reduced points for PhD Holders. (45 Points)

Previous Earnings section has an increase in the required earnings to allow for points for earnings of 25,000 GBP and above

An Additional salary band will be introduced with a threshold of 150,000 and above (75 points)

Tier 1 Post Study Work Visa (PSW)

Graduates of Medical Schools located in the UK, are now able to switch into Tier 1 Post Study within 12 months of completing their foundation programme