Tier 2 Work Visa Requirements

The Tier 2 Work Visa is divided into two parts, a Tier 2 (General) for employees coming to work for UK based corporations (or foreign corporations with a base i the UK) and the Tier 2 ITC, (intercompany transfer visa) which is for those employees who at present work for a foreign corporation abroad, with a branch or subsidiary in the UK and  are being sent to the UK to work for such branch or subsidiary (both explained below).

Tier 2 General Visa

Eligibility

You need to:

• have a valid certificate of sponsorship from your job
• show you’re being paid an appropriate salary
• prove your knowledge of English
• have enough personal savings so you can support yourself when you arrive
• show you can travel and prove your travel history over the last 5 years
• have tuberculosis test results if you’re from a listed country
• provide a criminal record certificate from any country you’ve lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years if you’ll be working with vulnerable people

You need to have an eligible qualification from a UK educational institution if you’re switching from a Tier 4 visa.

Certificate of sponsorship

You will need a certificate of sponsorship that states your personal details alongside the relevant information about the job you will do in the UK. This is an electronic record, not a paper document where your sponsor will give you a certificate of the sponsorship reference number to add to your application when you make it.

You can only use your certificate of sponsorship reference number once. You must use it 3 months after getting it.

Appropriate salary

The minimum you need to be paid for this visa is £30,000 per year or the ‘appropriate rate’ for the job you’re offered – whichever is higher. To check the appropriate rate for the job you’ve been offered visit the home office website here.

There are also some exception to pay brackets, for example, if:

• you’ll work as a medical radiographer, nurse, paramedic or secondary school teacher in some subjects
• you’ll work as a pre-registration nurse or midwife

Personal savings

The minimum you must have saved is £945 in your bank account for 90 days before you apply for the Tier 2 Work Visa. This is to prove you can support yourself.

You do not need to prove this if you have a sponsor who can lend you at least £945 to cover your costs for a month. However, your Sponsor must declare this on the certificate of sponsorship.

Tier 2 ICT (Intra-Company Transfer) Visa

Eligibility

You need to:

• have a valid certificate of sponsorship for your job
• be paid an ‘appropriate salary’ for your job
• have personal savings so you can support yourself when you arrive in the UK
• show you can travel and your travel history over the last 5 years
• have tuberculosis test results if you’re from a listed country
• be able to show you have worked for your employer outside the UK

Certificate of sponsorship

Again, you will need a certificate of sponsorship that states your personal details alongside the relevant information about the job you will do in the UK. This is an electronic record, not a paper document where your sponsor will give you a certificate of the sponsorship reference number to add to your application when you make it.

You can only use your certificate of sponsorship reference number once. You must use it 3 months after getting it.

Appropriate salary

You usually need to be paid at least the minimum salary for your type of visa or the appropriate rate for the job you’re offered – whichever is higher.

The minimum salary of the Tier 2 ICT Visa is:

• £41,500 for Long-term Staff (who have worked for the company for more than 1 year)
• £73,900 for Long-term Staff (who have worked for the company for less than 1 year)
• £23,000 for Graduate Trainee

However, the salary requirement may be different if:

• you are extending your Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa
• you will be paid at an hourly rate
• you will work a set number of hours

Personal savings

The minimum you must have saved is £945 in your bank account for 90 days before you apply for the Tier 2 Work Visa. This is to prove you can support yourself.

You do not need to prove this if you have a sponsor who cant front you at least £945 to cover your costs for a month. However, your Sponsor must be declared on the certificate of sponsorship.

Further Information on the Tier 2 Work Visa

Further information and clarification on the Tier 2 Visa Route can be found here

For any further questions please do not hesitate to contact our team if you have questions at info@gulbenkian.co.uk call 020 7269 9590 or fill out the form below.