UK Points System

Starting today the new UK Points Based System Tier 1 is going live for all international skilled migrants to the UK. THe HSMP Program is now been discontinued and replaced with the new UK Points System.

There are major updates to the forthcoming, reflecting the latest changes in UK Immigration. Also, coming soon is the UK Immigration eBook on the new Points System.

Stay Tuned!

The UK Border Agency has updated it's UK Skills Shortage list. They've added some job titles and will be removing a couple.

The category they've added is the Electricity Engineer Occupation, which has 27 engineering occupations that are in demand in the UK. I had no idea that electrical engineering was in demand in the UK.

They've also changed the names of two job titles. They changed chartered quantity surveyor to simply quantity surveyor. They also changed pharmacist to pharmacist (including pre-registration pharmacists).

The UK Border Agency has also decided to remove two occupations from the list. Those UK occupations are CAA Aircraft Engineer. Two post medical consultant posts have also been removed: geriatric medicine and rehabilitation medicine. These removals will be effective July 18th 2008.

The changes have been made on our UK Skills Shortage List Page.

Stay tuned for further updates!

The labor market in the UK is booming. Recent statistics released by the government, showed that nearly 200,000 British Citizens left country in 2006.

This left a gap in the labor market that has been filled for immigrants and other foreign nationals.

In 2007 the British Government issued a record 160,000 passports to foreign nationals, a seven percent rise over the previous year.

Where are the Brits going? They're heading towards Australia and New Zealand, both of which are hungry for skilled labor. This is leaving a huge whole in the UK labor market that is being filled by skilled immigrants.

Now it a better time than ever to immigrate to the UK. Despite the downturn in the economy, the labor market is strong and property is becoming more affordable for first time buyers. Britiain is also a pretty hospitable environment for skilled labor, especially if English is your first language.

Many believe that the introduction of the new UK Points Based Immigration System will make it harder for skill migrants to come to the UK to work. But we think it will streamline the process and make it simpler for skilled immigrants to come to the UK.

Stay tuned for further updates.

The UK Government recently released the details of the upcoming Tier 5 Visa Program, part of the new Points Based overhaul of the UK immigration system. Tier five will affect young people aged 18-30 who wish to come to the UK to work for no more than two years.

Not everyone will be allowed to come into the UK under UK Points System Tier 5. Your country of origin must have an agreement with the UK to facilitate your entry under Tier 5. If you are a British Overseas Citizen, British overseas territory citizen or a overseas British National, you will be able to come to the UK under Tier Five.

The main purpose of UK Points System Tier 5 is to encourage non-economic based migration. Because of this, if you come to the UK under a Tier 5 Visa, you will not be able to stay beyond two years or transfer into into another Tier. For example, you cannot switch to Tier One or Tier Two if you are already in the country under a Tier 5 visa. So, if you wish to permanently settle in the UK, you must immigrate under Tier One, Tier 2 or Tier 4.

The Tier Five Points Visa is replacing the following immigration programmes:

• The Au Pair scheme
• British Universities North America Club Scheme
• Gap Year entrants
• Japanese Youth Exchange
• Research Assistants to the Members of Parliament
• Working Holiday Makers scheme

There are age requirements to this new scheme. You must be between the ages of 18-30 and you are not allowed to have any dependent children. You must also show that you are able to support yourself financially until you find employment.

Tier Five will be implemented sometime in the Third Quarter of 2008. Stay tuned for further updates.

The UK government has outlined it's plans for the UK points based system Teir 2 level of immigration.

UK Points Tier 2 is fundamentally different that Tier 1. UK Points System Tier one allows a person so settle in the UK and seek employment with no restrictions. UK Points System Tier 2 allows a person to gain a work permit and permission to work in the UK before they relocate.

This process is much stricter and is limited to a set list of in demand professions. The prospective employer has two options to sponsor someone. FIrst, their profession must be on the Skills Occupation Shortage List. The second option is the employer must prove that there is no one in the entire European Union suitable for the position in order to bring you on.

Though it may make settling to work in the UK a little more difficult, Tier 2 is going to greatly simplify the system as it is replacing some 80 different UK work permit related programs.

Employers that wish to employ foreign nationals under the UK Points System Tier 2, must apply to be a sponsor. They have to agree to a certain level of requirements and agree to pay all the fees associated with gaining a UK work permit.

UK Points Based System Tier 2 is similar to Tier One in that a prospective applicant will be scored on certain requirements and must make a certain level of points in order to be granted the UK work permit. English language ability is a big score section of the test.

Pretty soon we'll have a complete breakdown of the Tier 2 points system so you can easily figure out where you stand.

Also check out the UK Skills Occupation Shortage List, this will tell you if your profession qualifies under the UK work permit program.

The new Tier 2 points system will be phased in during Autumn 2008. 

Yesterday was a big day for UK immigration. It marked the beginning of the major overhaul of the entire UK immigration system. Don't worry, though. The changes are being phased in slowly over the next year, so we'll have plenty of time to make sure we get all the latest information to you.

How will the changes affect you from February? Unless you are currently in the UK under the HSMP or Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, you won't be affected by the changes just yet. Current HSMP holders will need to renew their HSMP under the new Tier 1 of the UK Points Based System. The requirements are pretty much the same as they were before, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about being kicked of the country from radical changes. Tier One of the Points based system is very similar to the old HSMP points structure. There are slight changes but nothing radical.

The really big changes will start in April when migrants from India wishing to immigrate to England will have to apply under the new Points Based System. From the summer, the date is not yet set, the rest of the world will have to follow the new system.

The UK Border and Immigration Agency released a ton of information yesterday that we'll be pouring over for the next couple of days.

They've released sponsorship details on how the Tier 2 system will work and we'll be writing an article about that soon.

How will you stack up for points under Tier 1? Check out the handy points calculator provided by the BIA to calculate your points.

I've also posted a permanent page that has the schedule of the new UK Points Based System Rollout.

Those in the UK under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) are reminded that after this Saturday, February 29th, if you are renewing your HSMP Visa, you will have to apply to stay under the new England Points Based Immigration System. The requirements are pretty much the same as the old HSMP programme, with some slight changes that shouldn't penalize too many people. If anything, the UK work permit process will become smoother and more straightforward.

If you don't want to fall under the new Points Based System, you're best off filing your application before the 29th. The clock is ticking.

Check back this weekend and we'll have all the latest forms and instructions for how to follow the new Points Based application procedure. And as usual, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us or post your questions in the UK Immigration Forum.

Yes, it is still possible. The Skills Shortage list is a part of Tier 2 of the new UK Points based system. If your job is not on the list, your prospective employer may still be able to sponsor you. They must be approved by the government to sponsor people under the Tier 2 program. Then they have to prove that there are no suitable UK or EU candidates that can fill the job.

This past week was an exciting week for news relating to Migrating to the UK. On top of finalizing the plans for the new Points Based System, the UK government released new plans to govern paths to citizenship.

Basically, the plans call for the process to become a British Citizen to become even more complicated assuring that you would probably need a UK Immigration Lawyer.

Essentially the new plans call for prospective UK citizens to 'earn' their citizenship. What will this entail?

According to the BBC:

• Charging migrants additional fees when they apply for visas to offset their costs to local services
• Require more English Language Testing before citizenship
• Must prove their integration into communities through community service and people vouching for their character
• Increasing the time it takes to become a citizen
• Replacing UK permanent settlement (also known as indefinate leave to remain) with citizenship, if you stay long enough you must apply for nationality

The plans will also have more zero tolerance towards illegal migrants and migrants who break the law. If you commit a crime, you will denied citizenship and may be deported.

All of this may seem slightly horrifying to prospective immigrants to UK or people currently in the UK awaiting their chance to apply for UK citizenship.

We don't think it's worth worrying too much at this stage. The proposals were part of a government green paper, which is just a lengthy proposal. It will take years to implement this plan, even if it is quickly passed by the Parliament.

We will keep you up to date on all the latest happenings on this as well as any changes that may occur. The upcoming UK Points Based Immigration System eBook will have a whole chapter on "The Path to UK Citizenship."

This scary plan also taps into something else that is worrying a lot of potential UK migrants: will you be welcome in the UK? This is a topic we are investigating and check back soon for a detailed article on this very topic.

Yes, it is still possible. The Skills Shortage list is a part of Tier 2 of the new UK Points based system. If your job is not on the list, your prospective employer may still be able to sponsor you. They must be approved by the government to sponsor people under the Tier 2 program. Then they have to prove that there are no suitable UK or EU candidates that can fill the job.

One of the biggest obstacles facing prospective skilled migrants to the UK is actually finding a job before you arrive. Most people don't want to make the move until they have a job lined up for that extra bit of security of a job waiting for them. But, people find that it's practically impossible to find a job while living outside the UK. The new UK Points Based System will help fix this major roadblock for UK immigration.

The reason it's so hard to find a job while living outside of the UK is that employers don't want to sponsor prospective employees. The red tape and cost involved in sponsoring a migrant to come to the UK outside of the HSMP program is so complicated that most job postings simply say "Do not apply for this job unless you are authorized to work in the UK." Employers have to prove that no one in the UK and the European Union is available to do the job you want. Imagine how difficult that is! The only option for those wishing to come to the UK under the current work permit system is to simply apply for entry under the HSMP or Highly Skilled Migrant Program and search for a job upon arrival.

The UK government has realized the ineffectiveness of this program and has endeavored to fix it under the new Australian-style Points Based System. How will they do this? Well, Tier 2 under the new Points System will be replacing the current UK work permits system. Basically, the UK government is setting up a new system that will make is easier for an employer to fill a vacancy with talent from around the world.

A new body has been set up called the Skills Advisory Body and their job is to maintain a list of in demand UK jobs that are not being filled by UK based employees. Prospective job applicants will get points based on how in demand their prospective job is. An employer will be able to sponsor you and as long as you fulfill the other points requirements, such as: English Speaking ability, Degree Qualifications, and Prospective Earnings.

So, basically if you have a good degree qualification, good prospective earnings and have a job offer in a needed field, you are eligible to be sponsored by a UK based employer. This will make it a lot easier to find a job while living outside the United Kingdom, it tears down barriers for highly skilled migrants to Immigrate to England with a more solid footing on the ground.

The Tier 2 Sponsorship System will also allow you to switch between employers, as long as you can pass the points test again. Another great feature of a Tier 2 UK Work Permit is that it's a route to permanent settlement in the UK. After living in the UK for five years, you'll be eligible for permanent residency and will be able to apply for UK Citizenship.

There will be more on the new Tier 2 UK Work Permit Sponsorship System as well as the other Tiers in the upcoming eBook we're writing, the UK Immigration Points Based System eBook. Eventually we also hope to provide UK job postings for UK Employers willing employ migrants from overseas.

This past week the UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate announced the beginning of the new UK Points based System. It will be phased in over the next 12 months. How will this affect you? Well, it probably won't as first.

Beginning on February 29th, people currently in the UK under the HSMP program who want to extend their stay will have to apply under the new Points Based System. Don't worry, as soon as February 29th comes around we'll give you all the information you need to deal with this.

In April, the new Points Based System will be opened up to people from India who wish to immigrate to UK. They hope that by the summer, the system will be rolled out worldwide for everyone who wants to immigrate to England.

In discussing working with the Indian government on rolling out the new system, Borders and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said:

"Our points system is starting on time and on plan. I've no problem with taking the best systems in the world, like Australia's points system, and bringing them to the UK. This is a key part of the huge shake-up to our border security this year. The points system means only those migrants Britain needs can come to the UK. We know that migrants contributed to our economy to the tune of £6 billion to GDP in 2006. A strong system for highly skilled migrants is vital to Britain winning these benefits because these migrants are well-educated and pay lots of tax. We want India to come first because India is Britain's most important market for highly skilled migrants."

The new UK Points Based System for people looking to come to the UK outside of the HSMP or new Highly Skilled Tier 1 will be phased in over the next 12 months.

Check back soon for the latest news on the UK Points Based System.

Welcome to UK Points System!

Things are exciting here at headquarters as we work feverishly to get this new Guide to the UK Points System online. The new system is going to replace the popular HSMP UK immigration rules. Thousands of people have immigrated to UK under the old system and it has added greatly to the UK's culture and economy.