UK immigration: Salary threshold raised

For those who have been looking to migrate to the UK, a review of the rules will be useful, as a couple of changes have been implemented as of April 6, 2014. Although the changes are minor and programme-specific, they may determine the success of an application.

The most important changes have been listed below, with the background of each of the programmes they apply to.

Tier 2 programme

Under the Tier 2 programme, immigrants can apply for a position in the UK if the position cannot be filled by a settled worker. There are several sub-streams under which this can be realised, each responding to the case-specific requirements. However, what these stream generally have in common is the salary threshold, which must be adhered to by an employer to be permitted to sponsor an overseas worker.

The salary threshold of the various streams has been increased by 0.9 per cent, applying  to those who have Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after April 6, 2014. If a sponsor has assigned an individual a Certificate of Sponsorship before April 6, the previous salary threshold will apply.

Those who are applying for entry clearance or leave to remain under the general Tier 2 stream, or the Intra-Company Transfer stream, are offered the option to apply for a maximum grant of leave of five years at their first application, instead of the current three years, at a higher fee.

Tier 1 Programme

The Tier 1 programme offers applicants on various grounds the opportunity to immigrate to the UK with the options of applying for indefinite stay and consequently British citizenship. The various sub-streams all come with their specific requirements. Increased options have been created under one of these streams - the Exceptional Talent Stream.

Traditionally, a person can apply for an Exceptional Talent visa when (s)he had been endorsed as an internationally recognised leader or emerging leader in your field in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts.

This list of specialties has been updated to include leading talent in the digital technology sector, who are endorsed by Tech City UK.  There will be 200 endorsements allocated to Tech City UK, which can then be used to submit an application for leave as Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Migrant.

Dependants

The UK has a dependancy system in place, which allows spouse of migrants already in the country to apply for residency under the sponsorship of the latter. With the new rules, conditions have become more restrictive for this sponsorship.

Under the new rules, only dependants of individuals who qualified for settlement under the Points-Based System (PBS) can apply for settlement as dependants. This eliminates the option to apply as a dependant of somebody who qualifies for settlement on the basis of long residence.

Furthermore, the minimum funds required to be eligible as a sponsor have been increased for Point-Based System migrants and their dependants.  The new thresholds will apply to both individuals providing evidence of their own funds or sponsors certifying maintenance for sponsored migrants.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.