 TIER 2 EMPLOYER SPONSORED VISAS
Sponsored skilled workers (Tier 2 - General)
On the 27th November 2008, Tier 2 - General (Sponsored skilled workers) replaced The Business & Commercial Work Permits scheme in the UK.
Overview
To be eligible to apply for this visa, you must;
- have a sponsor (employer)
- have a valid certificate of sponsorship (job offer)
- meet the points requirement (awarded for various attributes).
Tier 2 will be granted for the duration of 3 years in the first instance, with the possibility of extending to 5 years.
Employers who want to sponsor a skilled worker under Tier 2 must either demonstrate that they could not fill the job with a UK or EEA applicant by conducting a 'resident labour market' test or they must recruit for a job on the shortage occupations list. (For jobs on this list it is more difficult for employers to find suitable applicants, so they do not have to carry out a labour market test if recruiting for a job on this list.)
The shortage list can be found here.
What has changed?
- Employers now need to register in advance if they wish to apply for a licence to act as a sponsor.
- The employer will have to conduct a labour market test to demonstrate they could not recruit a UK or EEA worker (unless recruiting for a job from the shortage occupation list). After that they will issue the applicant with a certificate of sponsorship (they will no longer send off a work permit application to the Home Office).
- You, the applicant, will then apply for a new visa using this certificate. You will also need to score a certain amount of points to qualify. You can use the points calculator on our website to check if you meet the points requirement.
If you are employed by a company for at least 6 months on a Post-study work visa, the company may be able to sponsor you for Tier 2 without conducting a labour market test.
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