On 22nd February the Home Secretary announced significant changes to Tiers 1 and 2 of the Points Based System which came into effect on 31st March 2009.
The greatest change is to Tier 1. Previously, those seeking to apply under this self-sponsoring avenue to employment in the UK have been able to score 30 of the 95 points required for possessing a qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelor’s degree. From 31st March no points are awarded for possessing a Bachelor’s degree and the minimum level for scoring points for academic qualifications is a qualification equivalent to a UK Master’s degree. This effectively rules out all potential applicants under this route who do not possess the equivalent of a UK Master’s degree or higher. Additionally, from 31st March no points can be scored for previous earnings of less than £20,000. It should be noted that these changes do not affect applications by those who currently have leave to remain granted under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme or Tier 1 General on the basis of holding a Bachelor’s degree and wish to switch into or extend under Tier 1.
The announcement of changes to Tier 2 stated that the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) from 31st March requires that all jobs must be advertised for 2 weeks (1 week in the case of jobs with a salary of £40,000 or more) in Jobcentre Plus before a skilled migrant can be brought to the UK.
For more information on changes to Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the Points Based System please contact
Marian Dixon or
Peter Dixon.
This article was first published in Business Immigration eBulletin February 2009.
