One who is looking to come to UK to work can apply for UK Tier 2 General visa. UK Tier 2 work permits are applied by employees of foreign nationals coming to UK to occupy a vacant job position which cannot be filled by a British Citizen. Applicant need to get a confirmed certificate of sponsorship from a licensed UK employer. First the employer can get a work permit to offer to foreign national in most cases when they are able to prove that they advertised for the job position in the country but could not fill it with an EEA national. Again the employer need to show that business is genuine and there is genuine requirement for the proposed job position. They also need to obtain sponsorship license. Applicant employee on the other hand must be suitably skilled and qualified for the job. There are 4 categories of UK Tier 2 work permit as following:

1. Skilled worker- In this category people with specific skilled job offer can come to UK to fill a temporary gap in the labor force.
2. Intra-company transfer – In this category people are transferred to a UK branch of a company.
3. Sports people – This is for elite professional athletes and coaches.
4. Minister of religion –This is for workers within a bona fide religion.

Now the employee must meet the necessary skill and education requirement and also pass Tier 2 point test. Necessary skill and education requirements to be met are as following. Employee must have one of the following:

1. You need to have a UK degree level qualification.
2. Or, a higher degree national diploma qualification.

1. Or, an HND-level qualification which is not relevant to the employment but have plus one year's full-time work experience which is relevant to the employment, and which is at N/SVQ Level 3 or above; OR
2. Minimum 3 years’ experience in which the skills has been used which was acquired by working in the position for which the permit is sought. Employee must have gained the experience at N/SVQ Level 3 or above.

Apart from above skill and education requirement employee also needs to pass Tier 2 point test. Applicant is required to score 70 points to be successful for UK Tier work permit along with meeting other regular requirements. They are as following:

1. You must have a valid certificate of sponsorship for your job.
2. You must show that you are being paid an appropriate salary for your job.
3. You must prove your knowledge of English.
4. You must have personal savings in order to support yourself when you enter the UK.
5. You must show that you can travel along with your travel history over the last 5 years.
6. You must have tuberculosis test results if you are from a listed country.
7. You must provide a criminal record certificate from the country where you have lived in for 1 year or more in the last 10 years, in case you will be working with vulnerable people.

After the successful UK Tier 2 work permit application, an applicant is given up to 3 years to live and work in the UK for an employer. This period of 3 years can be extended later.  And after five years in UK, employee can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Speak to our experts to find out about our fast, friendly and affordable service, call +44 (0)20 3411 1261  or visit www.visaandmigration.com