Skilled Worker Visa

On 19 February 2020, the Home Office published a Policy Statement outlining details of the new Points Based Immigration System to be opened, in part in Autumn 2020, with full implementation from 01 January 2021. On 23 July 2020 the Home Office published a “further details” document outlining further requirements for the new Points Based Immigration System and the new Skilled Worker visa category.

 

Overview

The new Points Based System will be applicable to all non-EU nationals and EU nationals wishing to work in the UK and unable to apply in another visa category.

 

To qualify, all applicants will need to score 70 points:

· have a job offer from an approved sponsor (20 points);

· the job offer is at the required skill level (20 points);

and

· meet an English language requirement (10 points).

Further points can be obtained through:

· Salary (0 to 20 points);

· Shortage Occupation role (20 points); and/or

· PhD educated (10-20 points).

 

Points

Points will be awarded as follows:

 

Tradeable Points

(you can only score once from each sub-category)

20 points required

 

Main changes from current Tier 2 requirements

Lowering of the general salary threshold from £30,000 to £25,600 or that of the relevant SOC Code (whichever is the higher figure).

Lowering the skills threshold down from RQF6 to RQF3

Applicants will be able to ‘trade’ characteristics such as their specific job offer and qualifications against a lower salary, as low as £20,480 per annum.

 

If an applicant will earn less than the required minimum salary threshold, but no less than £20,480, they may still be able to come if they can demonstrate that they have a job offer in a specific shortage occupation, as designated by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), or that they have a PhD relevant to the job

Suspending the cap on the number of applicants who can come on the skilled worker route (the rCoS process) and removing the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT)