WORK VISA

Skilled Worker Visa

The Skilled Worker Visa is open to individuals of all nationalities (except British and Irish) who have an offer of an eligible skilled job in the UK from a Home Office-approved sponsor.  The route can lead to settlement and applicants can be joined by dependant partners and children.

In order to secure a Skilled Worker Visa you will need to be sponsored to do a specific job, which meets certain skill and salary requirements, by an employer that has been licensed by the Home Office.

There is no cap on the number of people who can enter the UK on the Skilled Worker route.

Requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa

In order to qualify for a Skilled Worker Visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:

• You are aged 18 or over;
• You have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job you are planning to do;
• Your job offer is a genuine vacancy;
• Your sponsor has paid any required Immigration Skills Charge;
• Your job is at an appropriate skill level;
• You are competent in the English language to at least CEFR Level B1 (equivalent to IELTS 4.0);
• You will be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both a general salary threshold and the ‘going rate’ for the occupation;
• You have enough money to support yourself without relying on public funds;
• You have provided a criminal record certificate, if required; and
• You have provided a valid TB certificate, if required.

The exact requirements you will need to satisfy will vary depending on your circumstances. Please speak to our solicitors for expert advice.

Health and Care Worker Visa

The Health and Care Worker Visa is open to qualified doctors, nurses and allied health professionals of all nationalities (except British and Irish) who have been trained to a recognised standard.

The Health and Care Worker Visa can lead to settlement in the UK after 5 years and applicants can be joined by dependant partners and children.

Requirements for a Health and Care Worker Visa

In order to qualify for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:

• You are aged 18 or over;
• You are a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional;
• You work or will work in an eligible health or social care job, which falls within the list of approved occupation codes;
• You work or will work for a UK health and care sector employer that has been approved by the Home Office;
• You have a valid ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you have been offered;
• You are competent in the English language to at least CEFR Level B1 (equivalent to IELTS 4.0);
• You will be paid the minimum salary or the ‘going rate’ for the type of work you will be doing, whichever is higher;
• You have enough money to support yourself without relying on public funds;
• You have provided a criminal record certificate, if working with vulnerable people; and
• You have provided a valid TB certificate, if from a listed country.

The exact requirements you will need to satisfy will vary depending on your circumstances. Please speak to our solicitors for expert advice.

UK Graduate Visa

The Graduate Immigration Route will allow international students who have completed an eligible UK degree to stay in the UK to work, or look for work, for two years (or three years for those being awarded doctorates), after they have completed their studies in the UK.

The Graduate Immigration Route will not lead directly to settlement, but graduates on the route will be able switch into other work-based routes which can lead to settlement.  The Graduate Immigration Route will open for new applications from 1 July 2021.

Requirements of the Graduate Immigration Route

In order to qualify for permission to stay on the Graduate Immigration Route, you will need to satisfy UK Visas & Immigration that:

• You have successfully completed a UK degree, or other eligible course;
• You have studied at a Higher Education Provider which is a student sponsor with a track record of compliance;
• You have spent a minimum period of time studying in the UK;
• You are applying from within the UK and have valid leave as a Student or Tier 4 Student at the date of application;
• You have not previously held permission on the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES), or the Graduate route;
• You do not fall for refusal on grounds of suitability.

Please contact our Immigration team to discuss your eligibility.

UK Youth Mobility Scheme

The Youth Mobility Scheme (T5) visa is for young adults from participating countries and territories who wish to experience life in the United Kingdom for a period of up to two years.

Dependants are not eligible to apply on the Youth Mobility Scheme (T5) visa route and it is not a route that leads directly to settlement in the UK.

Requirements for a Youth Mobility Scheme (T5) visa

In order to qualify for a Youth Mobility Scheme (T5) visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas & Immigration that:

• You are aged between 18 and 30 on the date of the application;
• You are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Japan, Monaco, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, or San Marino or are a British overseas citizen, a British overseas territories citizen or a British national (overseas);
• You have funds of £2,530 which you have held for a 28 day period within the 31 days before your application;
• You do not have any children under 18 who are living with you or are financially dependent on you;
• You have not previously been in the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme route;
• You have paid the visa application fee and Immigration Health Charge and provided any required biometric information;
• You have taken a tuberculosis test, if required;
• You do not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal.

The exact requirements you will need to satisfy will vary depending on your circumstances. Please speak to our solicitors for expert advice.

Temporary Worker Visa

The Tier 5 Temporary Worker Visa category is for certain types of temporary worker whose entry to the UK will help to satisfy cultural, charitable, religious or international objectives. You will need to have an offer of a position before applying for a visa.

Requirements for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker Visa

Each subcategory has its own eligibility requirements:

Creative and Sporting: The Creative and Sporting subcategory of the Tier 5 Temporary Worker route is for individuals who have been offered work as a creative worker (including, but not limited to, actors, dancers, musicians and film crew) or sportspersons.

If you apply for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa as a creative worker, you will need to demonstrate that you can make a unique contribution to the UK labour market and that you will be paid the minimum salary as set by Equity, PACT or BECTU.

If you apply for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa as a sportsperson, you will need to be endorsed by the governing body for your sport and demonstrate that you will make a significant contribution to your sport at the highest level in the UK.

Charity Worker: You can apply for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa in the Charity Worker sub-category if you wish to undertake unpaid voluntary work for a charity. The work that you intend to undertake in the UK must directly relate to the charity which is sponsoring you and the position must not be a permanent position.

Religious Worker: If you would like to undertake religious work, for example preaching or working in a religious order, you may be able to apply for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa in the Religious Worker sub-category. Your salary and conditions will need to be at least equal to that received by settled workers in the same role. Your employer may need to conduct a ‘Resident Labour Market Test’, which in some circumstances will entail providing evidence of a national recruitment search.

Government Authorised Exchange: The Tier 5 Temporary Worker Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) route is for individuals who wish to come to the UK for a short time for work experience or to complete training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or a fellowship through an approved Government Authorised Exchange scheme.

International Agreement: You can apply for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa in the International Agreement sub-category if, while in the UK, you will be contracted to undertake work that is covered by international law (e.g. working for a foreign government or as a private servant in a diplomatic household). You will normally need to have professional experience in the relevant sector before you apply under this route.

UK Ancestry Visa

If you are a Commonwealth citizen and have a grandparent who was born in the UK, you may be able to live and work in the UK on the basis of your UK Ancestry.  A UK Ancestry visa can only be obtained from outside the UK.

Requirements for a UK Ancestry Visa

In order to qualify for a UK Ancestry visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:

• You are a Commonwealth citizen;
• You are aged 17 or over on your date of intended arrival to the UK;
• You are able to provide proof that one of your grandparents was born in the United Kingdom or Islands;
• Any such grandparent is your blood grandparent or grandparent by reason of an adoption recognised by the laws of the United Kingdom relating to adoption;
• You are able to adequately maintain and accommodate yourself and any dependants;
• You are able to work and intend to seek and take employment in the UK;
• If you are under the age of 18, your parent(s) or guardian(s) have consented to the application;
• You have provided a TB Certificate, if required.

Overseas Domestic Worker Visa

The Overseas Domestic Worker Overseas Domestic Worker Visa is an immigration route for domestic workers who wish to work in the UK with their current employer for a period of up to 6 months.

Requirements for an Overseas Domestic Worker Visa

In order to qualify for an Overseas Domestic Worker Visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas & Immigration that:

• You are aged 19 or over;
• You have been employed as a domestic worker for 12 months or more immediately before the date of application;
• You have been living with your employer or in a property that your employer uses as a home for themselves on a regular basis, for 12 months or more immediately before the date of application;
• You have agreed in writing the terms and conditions of your employment in the UK;
• You intend to work for your employer whilst your employer is in the UK;
• Your employer will pay you at least the UK National Minimum Wage;
• You intend to travel to the UK with either
–  your British employer, or their British spouse, civil partner or child under the age of 18 (the employer’s usual place of residence must be outside the UK and the person accompanying you must not intend to remain in the UK for more than 6 months);
– a British employer’s foreign national spouse, civil partner or child under the age of 18 (the person accompanying you must not intend to remain in the UK for more than 6 months);
– a foreign national employer or their spouse, civil partner or child under the age of 18 (the person accompanying you must be seeking, or have been granted, a Visitor Visa, other than for the purpose of studies);
• You will leave the UK at the end of 6 months in the UK, or at the same time as your employer, whichever is sooner;
• You will not live for extended periods in the UK through frequent or successive visits;
• You will not make the UK your main home;
• You can and will be adequately maintained and accommodated without recourse to public funds;
• You do not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal.
The Overseas Domestic Worker visa route does not lead to settlement in the UK and dependents are not eligible to join or accompany a main applicant.

UK Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa

The UK Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa is an immigration route for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) citizens to live, work and study in the UK.Applicants for a UK Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa may be ordinarily resident in Hong Kong or the UK.  The UK Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa route can lead to settlement in the UK.

Requirements for a UK Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa

In order to qualify for a UK Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa you will need to satisfy UK Visas & Immigration that:

• You are at least 18 years old;
• You are a British National (Overseas) under the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986;
• You are ordinarily resident in Hong Kong (if applying to enter the UK) or the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man or Hong Kong (if applying for permission to stay);
• You are able to accommodate and support yourself in the UK for at least six months;
• Your application does not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal;
• You have provided a valid TB certificate, if required.

A person who was a British Dependent Territories citizen by virtue (wholly or partly) of his having a connection with Hong Kong must have applied to be registered as a British National (Overseas) prior to the end of 1997. No person born after 30 June 1997 is a British National (Overseas). Additionally, BN(O)s cannot pass that nationality by descent to their children.

Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa holders may be joined by a Dependent Partner and Dependent Children or Grandchildren under 18 of the Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder or their partner.

What happens next?

• For more information, or to discuss your case, call us now on 020 7822 4000
• We will arrange a consultation over the phone with a legal professional, who will review your case and set out your options.
• If you decide to choose us as your immigration law representatives, we will offer a fixed-price service or an hourly rate, depending on your needs.

Our specialist Immigration Lawyers are experts in the field and offer comprehensive legal advice as a standard.  Our team has experience of dealing with clients from all over the world and will ensure any application meets the legal requirements for entry into the United Kingdom.

We take pride in the partnerships we forge with our clients, and are excited to discuss your case and options with you. Contact us on 020 7822 4000 to talk to one of our multi-lingual immigration lawyers today. Alternately, you can email Healys’ lawyers at: enquiries@healys.old-website.shout-loud.co.uk