Overview

The Tier 1 (General) scheme was introduced in the UK on the 29th February 2008 and replaced the popular and successful Highly Skilled Migrant Programme or HSMP. Using the same points based framework as the HSMP, the Tier 1 visa is the natural successor and seeks to bring applicants to the UK who are young, demonstrate a good level of education and have relevant work experience. If you meet this criteria, you could be working in the UK under the Tier 1 visa within a few weeks.

Please note the Tier 1 rules were changed on 19th July 2010 and initial applicants (switching) now require 80 points to qualify. The new points criteria does not apply to applications for an extension of leave under Tier 1 programme. 

Tier 1

The Tier 1 (General) application is a points based assessment considering your age, education, previous earnings and UK experience, as well as your English language ability and available maintenance funds. If you qualify for  the Tier 1 visa, it offers many significant benefits and advantages:

• Initial 2 year visa which can be extended for a further 3 years allowing for permanent residence and ultimately naturalisation.
• It is not necessary to have a job offer or sponsor in the UK.
• Unlike a work permit or Tier 2 visa, you are not tied to one employer and can move freely between jobs.
• Applicants can work in the UK as an employee, contractor, on a self employed basis and even start their own business.

Eligibility

The minimum requirement to qualify for Tier 1 (General) is 80 points. In addition, you must also score 10 points for both the English language requirement and the maintenance requirement to meet the acceptance criteria. Over the four point scoring categories, a maximum of 120 points can be obtained.

Age (Maximum 20 points)

Up to a maximum of 20 points can be awarded for your age:

Education (Maximum 45 points)

Points are awarded based on academic qualification or equivalent professional qualifications:

The UK Government will be assessing the qualification you have obtained from your home country against the UK NARIC database to ensure it is considered equivalent to a UK qualification. If you are unsure about the points your qualification will score, please contact one of consultants on 0203 178 2048.

Past Earnings (Maximum 80 points)

Points are awarded based on your earnings for a continuous 12 month period within the last 15 months:

UK Experience

You can claim 5 bonus points if you can satisfy either of the following:

• The country of earnings for the last 12 months is the UK
• The applicant has studied in the UK for a full year within the last 5 years

English language Requirement

In addition to scoring the minimum level of 80 points, you must also satisfy the English language requirement. To do this you must meet one of the following criteria:

• Be a national of a majority English-speaking country (see below).
• Have completed a degree qualification, which was fully taught in English and is recognised by UK NARIC.
• Have completed an English language test within the last 2 years that shows a high level of English. The most common test is the IELTS and applicants will need to obtain an overall score of at least 6.5

The following countries are considered to be majority English speaking:

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, UK and the USA.

Maintenance

All applicants need to show their available maintenance funds in order to support themselves and their dependents during their stay in the UK. The funds that you will need to show are based on the latest cost of living figures.

The main applicant will need to show savings of £800. In addition, if you have any dependents, then you will need to show a further £1600 for each dependent, unless you have been in the country for 12 months or more. In this instance you must show an additional £533 for each dependent. These funds will need to be shown for a 3 month period and can be in either an onshore or offshore account.

If you are unsure about the maintenance funds you will need to show, please feel free to contact one of our consultants on 0203 178 2048.

Contact Us

If you would like one of our OISC registered migration consultants to check your eligibility for the Tier 1 visa or if you would like assistance with an application, please feel free to contact us on 0203 178 2048 or submit a free assessment online.

Additional Requirements

If you meet the eligibility criteria for Tier 1 (General),  there are several other requirements you also need to meet:

• Applicant must make the UK their home
• Applicants must be able to support themselves without recourse to public funds
• Applicants who have ever been bankrupt or who have been convicted of serious criminal offences in their home country are not eligible.

Additional Benefits

As well as the benefits mentioned earlier, the Tier 1 (General) allows applicants the following additional benefits:

• Any spouse or children can come to the UK as dependents and the spouse is permitted to work in exactly the same manner within the UK
• All applicants and their families are permitted access to free healthcare and free education for their children

What Services can First Migration Provide?

We offer a full representation service for your Tier 1 application, in which we facilitate and handle the application from start to finish. If you opt to use First Migration, we provide the following:

• A fully comprehensive document list along with sample documents to enable you to collect together all the required documents with the minimum of hassle.
• Comprehensive feedback on all the documents and any other issues you may have
• We will complete the application form and prepare a comprehensive cover letter specific to your application, which will promote your case
• Once the documents, application form and cover letter are all ready, we will submit your application to the Home Office and liaise with them throughout the whole process
• Should there be any issues or the need for a review of your application, this will all be dealt with by First Migration at no further cost

If you would like to discuss an application or get an application underway, please feel free to contact our London office on 0203 178 2048. Alternatively you can receive a free assessment on your eligibility.