Tier 1 (General) is now closed to all new applicants from 6th April 2011

The Tier 1 (General) scheme has now been closed to all new applicants including those clients currently on a Tier 1 (Post Study Work) visa.  We are pleased to confirm that clients already on a Tier 1 (General) visa will be able to apply for their visa extensions under the rules that they initially applied under for the foreseeable future. 

Breaking News....changes to the appeals process

From Monday 23rd May 2011, the UK Border Agency have changed the immigration rules and if your application is refused and you have the right to appeal, you will no longer be able to submit any new documents at the appeal stage.

This is one of the most far reaching changes of recent times and mean that if you fail to submit a perfect case, you will no longer be able to correct this mistake through an appeal.  It is therefore more important than ever to ensure that you submit all the correct documents, in the correct format otherwise you may have to leave the UK even afterf all the time you have already spent here.

Whether you choose First Migration  to guarantee your approval with our full service or wish to just use our checking service, we advise all potential clients to seriously consider using a visa specialist to make sure that you do not fall at the final hurdle!

 

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 (HSMP). Using the same points based framework as the HSMP, the Tier 1 General visa was the natural successor and sought to bring applicants to the UK who were young, demonstrated a good level of education and had relevant graduate level work experience.

On 6^th April 2011, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) closed the Tier 1 General scheme to all new applicants due to this scheme allegedly being abused.  Clients that are already on an HSMP/Tier 1 General visa can breathe a collective sigh of relief as the UKBA has finally confirmed that they will be able to apply for their visa extensions after the closure. 

 

Tier 1Extensions – Summary of Changes

First Migration like many of our clients had been waiting since the end of 2010 to see how the closure of the Tier 1 General scheme would affect those applicants already on an HSMP/Tier 1 General visa?

We are pleased to finally confirm that all clients already on this visa can apply for their extensions as planned!  We are also pleased to confirm there has only been one fundamental change to the policy guidance/rules for Tier 1 General extensions relating to the age points.  We are receiving quite a few enquiries about this change so we can confirm the following change:

• When applying for a Tier 1 (General)/HSMP extension clients will be claiming the points for their age at the time they FIRST applied for their HSMP/Tier 1 (General) visa.

 

Please read the following section on eligibility for a full breakdown of the points you need to claim for and to work out how high your earnings must be to qualify for your Tier 1 extension.

 

Latest Points Criteria (April 2011) – Eligibility for your Tier 1 General Visa Extension

The UK Border Agency has now released the new Tier 1 General Policy Guidance and Form (April 2011) and many of our clients have been left thoroughly confused and concerned about the changes and how they will affect them?

Whilst securing approvals is now harder than ever due to the numerous internal policy changes within the UK Border Agency, working out what points you need to qualify for your Tier 1 General extension has never been easier.

The UKBA have now separated Tier 1 General visa extensions into two categories: 1) those clients that applied for their first HSMP/Tier 1 visa before 6^th April 2010, 2) those clients that obtained their first Tier 1 (General) visa after 6^th April 2010.

 

Clients that applied for their first HSMP/Tier 1 visa BEFORE 6^th April 2010 will need to secure 75 points for their Age, Qualification, Earnings and UK Experience (exactly as they did when they first applied)

POINTS NEEDED = 75 POINTS:

Age (Maximum 20 points) – (You must select your age at the time you FIRST applied for your HSMP/ Tier 1 General visa)

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

Aged 27 and under	:   20 points
Aged 28 and 29:	10 points
Aged 30 and 31	05 points

If you were 32 years old or older when you first applied you would not have scored any points for your age and this will be the case when you apply for your visa extension.

Education (Maximum 50 points)

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

Bachelors Degree	30 points
Masters Degree	35 points
PhD	50 points

 

Please note that applicants will not be given any points for a Bachelors degree if they first applied for their Tier 1 (General) visa between 31^st March 2009 and 5^th April 2010 as everyone needed a Masters degree minimum during this period.

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 our consultants on 0203 178 2048.

 

Past Earnings (Maximum 45 points)

Points are awarded based on your earnings for a continuous 12 month period within the last 15 months before applying for your Tier 1 General extension:

Points	Earnings
45	£40,000
40	£35,000
35	£32,000
30	£29,000
25	£26,000
20	£23,000
15	£20,000
10	£18,000
5	£16,000

 

Please note that if you are salaried employee the UK Border Agency will consider your Gross Salary.  If you are a Director of a Limited Company, you will be claiming for your Gross Salary and NET dividends.  For those clients that are self employed as a sole trader, the UKBA will give you points for your NET Profit.

UK Experience

You can claim 5 points for UK experience if you can satisfy the following:

• If you are claiming for more than £16,000 earned within the UK

 

For English Language Requirement and for the Maintenance criteria, please see the bottom of this page as they are the same for all applicants

 

Clients that applied for their first Tier 1 (General) visa AFTER 6^th April 2010 will need to secure 80 points for their Age, Qualification, Earnings and UK Experience (exactly as they did when they first applied)

POINTS NEEDED = 80 POINTS:

Age (Maximum 20 points) – (You must select your age at the time you FIRST applied for your Tier 1 General visa)

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

Aged 29 and under	:   20 points
Aged 30 to 34:	10 points
Aged 35 to 39	05 points

If you were 40 years old or older when you first applied you would not have scored any points for your age and this will be the case when you apply for your visa extension.

Education (Maximum 45 points)

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

Bachelors Degree	30 points
Masters Degree	35 points
PhD	45 points

 

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 our 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 before applying for your Tier 1 General extension:

Points	Gross Earnings
80	£150,000+
45	£75,000+
40	£65,000+
35	£55,000+
30	£50,000+
25	£40,000+
20	£35,000+
15	£30,000+
05	£25,000+

Please note that if you are salaried employee the UK Border Agency will consider your Gross Salary.  If you are a Director of a Limited Company, you will be claiming for your Gross Salary and NET dividends.  For those clients that are self employed as a sole trader, the UKBA will give you points for your NET Profit.

 

UK Experience

You can claim 5 points for UK experience if you can satisfy the following:

• If you are claiming for more than £25,000 earned within the UK

 

English language Requirement

In addition to scoring the minimum level of 75 / 80 points, you must also satisfy the English language requirement.  All applicants will automatically be awarded 10 points for English language as they have previously satisfied this requirement when initially applying for their Tier 1 (General) visa.

 

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 their bank statements covering no less than 90 days before they apply and demonstrate that the daily balance never fell below £800 on any given day. In addition, if you have any dependents, then you will need to show a further £533 for each dependent.

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 your Tier 1 General visa extension 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.

*Price Promise Guarantee - Terms & Conditions

Here at First Migration, we not only aim to offer the best quality of service around and fight to maintain our perfect record of visa approvals but the best possible price as well.

Our Price Promise Guarantee means that we will beat any price quoted by any UK based Immigration Consultancy/Solicitors firm by £50.  All quotes must be provided in writing and have been provided to you within the last 6 months. 

What Services can First Migration Provide?

We offer a full representation service for your Tier 1 extension 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 UK Border Agency and liaise with them throughout the whole process
• We offer both the Postal Service for those clients not in a rush and the Tier 1 Premium Service at the Public Enquiry Office in Croydon for clients who want a speedy decision

 

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.