Quick Menu
Qualifying under Tier 2 General
If you wish to apply for a Tier 2 General Visa (formerly UK Work Permit) you first need to secure a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a Tier 2 Licensed company. Once you have achieved this you will be able to submit a Tier 2 General visa application, however in order to be successful you must satisfy the Tier 2 points requirement.Tier 2 General is part of the points based Immigration system. Therefore, in order to qualify for a visa you need to score at least 50 points from three ‘attributes’ categories (Sponsorship, Qualification & Prospective Earnings) while also satisfying the mandatory English Language & Maintenance Requirements (10 points each). In total you need 70 points to secure a Tier 2 General Visa.
Tier 2 Attributes (Sponsorship, Qualifications, Earnings) - 50 Points Required
The ‘attributes’ category is made up of three subcategories, namely; Sponsorship, Qualifications and Prospective Earnings.Sponsorship (Maximum 50 Points)
The number of points secured in the Sponsorship subcategory depends on sponsorship type. For example individuals sponsored in a Shortage Occupation are awarded full points (50 points) and therefore do not need to claim further points in the Qualifications or Prospective Earnings categories. However where the employer sponsors a worker in a non Shortage Occupation the employer must conduct a Resident Labour Market Search and the individual must secure a further 20 points in the qualifications and prospective earnings categories.
| Sponsorship Type | Points Scored |
|---|---|
| Job in Shortage Occupation | 50 Points |
| Transitional arrangements | 50 Points |
| Resident Labour Market Test | 30 Points |
| Switching from Post Study Category | 30 Points |
| Intra Company Transfer | 25 Points |
| Tier 2 General Extension | 50 Points |
| None of the Above | 0 Points |
Qualifications (Maximum 15 Points)
| Qualification Type | Points Scored |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree or PhD | 15 Points |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 10 Points |
| A-Level or N/NVQ Level 3 or above | 5 Points |
| None of the Above | 0 Points |
Prospective Earnings (Maximum 25 Points)
| Prospective Earnings Band | Points Scored |
|---|---|
| £32,000 or more | 25 Points |
| £28,000 to £31,999.99 | 20 Points |
| £24,000 to £27,999.99 | 15 Points |
| £20,000 to £23,999.99 | 10 Points |
| Under £20,000 | 0 Points |
English Language Requirement - Mandatory 10 Points
In order to secure a Tier 2 General visa you must satisfy the mandatory English Language requirement. If you are unable to satisfy the requirement your application will be rejected even if you have scored 50 points for attributes. In order to apply you must prove that you either:- Come from a country in which English is the main language, OR
- Have successfully completed a Degree qualification (or better) which was taught entirely in English, OR
- Have passed an English Language Test equal to or exceeding level C1 of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework for Language Learning
Maintenance Requirement - Mandatory 10 Points
You must be able to support you & your dependents without requiring access to public funds. To prove maintenance you need to show satisfactory available funds in your account for the 90 days immediately prior to application. Please be aware that if funds drop even £1 below the required amount in the period the application will be refused.| Out of Country Tier 2 General Applications | £800 at all times in last 3 months |
|---|
Alternatively if your sponsor is ‘A-rated’ the company can validate the Maintenance Requirement, therefore the individual does not need to provide 3 months bank statements.
