Tier 1 Visa for General Highly Skilled Migrants

Tier 1 Visa Overview

Please note: This Tier 1 visa section is for people applying as highly skilled migrants from within the UK or India until further notice from the UK Border Agency. All other applicants should refer to the UK Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) section of our website.

The General Highly Skilled Migrant sub-category of Tier 1 changes very little from the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) which it replaces, save for the notable exception of the removal of the MBA provision which allowed those with MBAs from a list of specific universities to claim an automatic 75 points. English language requirements are also more stringent. You can use our Tier 1 General Highly Skilled Migrants points calculator to assess your chances of being granted a Tier 1 visa under this sub-category.

Specific Criteria

The following tables show the amount of points a you can score for specific criteria. A score of 75 must be attained.

Qualifications

Previous Earnings

Like the current Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, points for previous earnings are calculated by converting non-sterling currency to Sterling, then the Sterling figure is converted to points, taking into account the relative difference in the level of earnings between countries. See here for how the current HSMP scheme takes relative earning levels of different countries into account.

Age

UK Experience

English Language Ability

People applying for a Tier 1 visa must show that they are profficient in English by proving one of the following:

• They have passed a test in English equivalent to level C1 of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework for Language Learning (equivalent to a grade C or better at GCSE or an approximate overall band score of 6.5 on an IELTS exam)
• Come from a country where English is the majority language spoken. This includes Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the USA
  
• Have taken a degree taught in English from a list of select countries, verified by using the National Academic Recognition Information Centre data. The countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK, the USA. Note: Canada is NOT included in this list.
• If the degree was earned in another country, information provided by UK NARIC can verify if the English-taught degree is acceptable enough to satisfy the English language requirement.
  

Successful proof of one of these criteria will earn the required 10 points for the English language requirement.

Maintenance

Applicants will be required to score ten points by proving they can support themselves and any dependants.

Evidence showing this information can take the form of bank statements and must be original, on the official letter-headed paper or stationary of the organization, and bearing the official stamp of that organization. The statements must show the applicant's name, account number, date of the statement, the bank's name and logo, and transactions covering the three month period.

It can also take the form of an official letter from the bank, stating the applicant's name, account number, date, financial institution's name and logo, the funds currently in the applicant's account, and that the required funds have been in the bank for at least 3 months and the balance has never gone below the threshold detailed in the table above. It is important that this information is explicitly stated in the letter.

Extensions

If you wish to extend your stay in the UK under the General Highly Skilled Migrant sub-category, you will be required to score 75 points under the current points system in place at the time of your extension for further leave to remain, with a few small differences in how the 75 points are scored. However, the English language requirement (if you hold an HSMP visa granted after the 05 December 2006 changes came into effect) will be waived, and extra points for experience working in the UK can be achieved if you could not previously score these points. However, you must have earned at least 16,000 GBP during the 12 month Past Earnings assessment period. See our Tier 1 visa General Highly Skilled Migrants extensions page for more information.