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tier 2 - general visa

The UK government has been developing immigration polices focusing on skilled technological immigrants who can communicate in English while reducing the influx of immigrants with basic or simple skills. The Tier 2 (General) is designed for skilled workers from outside the European Economic Area, who are coming to the UK to undertake a skilled job position that a UK employer has been otherwise unable to fill.

On the other hand, to block the reckless influx of foreign workers, the UK government restricts the hiring of foreign workers in the job categories of low-skilled workers and those for which employment is possible with short-term job training. It permits the employment of foreign workers in specific job categories falling under Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 6 and shortage occupation categories.

Job categories falling under RQF Level 6 include Civil engineers, Nurses, Architects, Librarians, Midwife, Chartered and certified accountants, and Web design and development professionals. At present, a fast-tracked application process is applied to job categories in high demand such as engineering, healthcare, and teaching.NQF Level 6 Job CategoriesSince the job categories of Shortage Occupation are those that continually experience shortage of work in the UK, a work visa can be obtained rather easily with any wanted ad by the employer if the applicant is qualified for the job offered by the employer.

  • Visa Requirements
    For approval, the applicant shall be hired as highly skilled or engineer in a job category for which the Home office requires work visas or in a job category of Shortage Occupation.
    It is also necessary for the applicant to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for a prospective sponsor in the UK, indicating the job category name, annual pay, and job description.
    In addition, the applicant must satisfy the scores allocated by the Home office to English skills and living expenses to get the visa.

    Before issuing a CoS, the prospective employer should obtain a sponsorship license qualifying him to hire a foreign worker by presenting to the Home office justifiable reasons for hiring a foreign worker and extensive efforts he has made for hiring a UK worker in accordance with the given procedure.
  • Conditions of Stay
    Since family members may accompany the visa holder, his/her spouse and children below 18 years of age may apply for dependent visa.
    The accompanying family members may apply for their visa together with the main visa applicant or separately at a later date.
    Children below 18 years of age may enjoy the merit of being admitted to a public school when the visa is issued.
  • Length of Stay
    A work visa holder may stay in the UK for up to six years.
    The initial application for a work visa is for three or five years depending on the case.
    When the visa holder continues to satisfy the required employment, he/she may apply for visa extension after three years.
    When he/she stays in the UK for a total of five years, he/she may apply for residency.