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Annual limit for UK Tier
1 and Tier 2 Visa
Applications..... |
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Recent Immigration
News
:-
Tier 2 Visa Category
: 24 December 2010:-
Annual limit
for Tier 1 and
Tier 2 visa
applications
The Home
Secretary
announced on 23
November 2010 a
number of
changes to
immigration
policy in
respect of Tiers
1 and 2 of the
points-based
system, designed
to deliver the
government's
commitment to
place a limit on
non-EU economic
migration to the
UK.
Further details
of these changes
will be
published before
they are
implemented in
April 2011.
The changes
announced
yesterday are
set out below.
Tier 1
The Tier 1
(General) route
will be closed.
The Tier 1
(Entrepreneur)
route will be
reformed to make
it more
attractive. We
will introduce
flexibilities
and create a new
avenue for
promising
start-up
companies which
do not meet our
investment
threshold.
The Tier 1
(Investor) route
will also be
reformed to
offer an
accelerated
route to
settlement,
depending on the
level of
investment.
The Tier 1
(Entrepreneur)
and Tier 1
(Investor)
routes will not
be subject to a
limit on
numbers.
A Tier 1 route
for persons of
exceptional
talent will be
introduced. This
will cover
migrants who
have won
international
recognition in
scientific and
cultural fields,
or who show
sufficient
exceptional
promise to be
awarded such
recognition in
the future.
Applications by
those with
exceptional
promise will be
endorsed by a
competent body
in the relevant
field. The
'exceptional
talent' category
will be subject
to a limit of
1,000 places.
Tier 2 will
continue to be
open to migrants
working in these
fields.
Further details
will be
published as
soon as
possible.
Tier 2
The Tier 2
(General) route
will be subject
to a limit of
20,700 places
for 2011/12.
This limit will
not apply to:
¦in-country
applications
from those
already in the
UK;
¦dependants of
Tier 2 migrants;
¦Tier 2
(General)
applicants who
are filling a
vacancy with a
salary of more
than £150,000;
¦Tier 2
(Sportsperson)
applicants;
¦Tier 2
(Minister of
religion)
applicants; and
¦Tier 2 (Intra
company
transfer)
applicants.
Tier 2 (Intra
company
transfer)
applicants in
the Established
staff
sub-category
will be able to
stay in the UK
for up to 5
years if they
are paid more
than £40,000 per
year; those paid
between £24,000
and £40,000 will
be able to enter
for up to 12
months within a
specified
period.
The current
rules will
continue to
apply to Tier 2
(Intra company
transfer)
migrants in the
Graduate trainee
and Skills
transfer
sub-categories.
Tier 2 (General)
applications
will be
restricted to
graduate-level
vacancies. The
Migration
Advisory
Committee will
advise us on
what are to be
considered
graduate-level
jobs, and we
will amend the
shortage
occupation list
accordingly.
Existing Tier 2
(General)
migrants in jobs
below graduate
level will be
able to extend
their permission
to stay if they
meet current
requirements.
The minimum
level of English
language
competency for
Tier 2 (General)
applications
will be
increased from
basic to
intermediate
level (B1 on the
Common European
Framework of
Reference).
Applications for
certificates of
sponsorship
will, where the
limit applies,
be considered on
a monthly basis.
If the monthly
allocation is
oversubscribed,
applications
will be ranked
according to:
1.shortage
occupations in
the first
instance;
2.whether the
post requires
higher academic
qualifications;
and
3.salary.
Potential
workers who are
granted a
certificate of
sponsorship will
have 3 months in
which to apply
for a visa.
< Click Here for
Further Advice
and
Representation >
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