This week’s post about changes announced in March 2010 to Tiers 1 and 2 of the UK’s Points Based Immigration System. The changes mean that more people may be eligible to apply for a work visa to the UK, so read on: New Tier 1 and Tier 2 Visa Recommendations Accepted Proposed changes to Tiers 1 and 2 of the Points Based System (PBS) by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) have been accepted by the government. The new rules will take effect on 6th April 2010. The change to the PBS will mean that highly skilled individuals holding a Bachelor’s degree will, once again, be considered for highly skilled work visas to the UK. Whilst those who have earned £150,000 or more will automatically qualify for a highly skilled work visa even if they hold no formal qualifications. Some of the important changes will include: Reinstatement of bachelors degrees – 30 points will be awarded for those holding a bachelors degrees; The initial grant of the leave will be reduced from three to two years, with a three year extension subject to meeting the requirements; The threshold for the age category will be extended to allow points to be claimed for those up to the age of 39; A minimum threshold for points being awarded for previous earnings will be increased from £20,000 to £25,000; Previous earnings of £150,000 or more will be awarded the required 75 points to meet the requirement for ‘attributes’ – this will mean applicant’s will not need to hold any formal qualification to apply for a highly skilled work visa; Doctors in training will be able switch into the Tier 1 Post-Study Work category within 12 months of completing the Foundation Programme. This will allow a migrant with a UK medical degree to undertake the required speciality training or training as a GP after completion of their degree rather than after graduation; Time spent on a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa will no longer lead to settlement; Borders and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said: “We’ve always said that we would run our immigration system for the benefit of the UK and that is what we are doing. The changes that we are making today will build on an already robust system which is now the envy of the world. A strength of the points-based system is the flexibility to predict and respond to events.” The government is currently reviewing overseas earnings multipliers (uplift ratios) to ensure that they are up-to-date, with further changes likely to be announced in the coming months.

Till next time

Sam