UK Visa Tier 2 – What Does the New Skilled Worker Route Mean for Applicants and Employers?

The Skilled Worker route superseded the UK Visa Tier 2 of the previous Points-Based System on December 1, 2020. The new points-based immigration system implemented by the UK government after Brexit includes this modification. Employers in the UK can sponsor foreign workers to fill skilled positions through the Skilled Worker method. The dependence on the Skilled Worker route is anticipated to persist for the foreseeable future, given the restricted opportunities available to foreign workers seeking to get visas on their own.

Over 102,000 UK Visa Tier 2 and Skilled Worker visas were awarded to foreign applicants during the previous two years, making up 41% of all work visas issued between January 2019 and December 2020.

This article outlines the main distinctions between the new Skilled Worker path and the outdated Tier 2 route. Both paths require employer support. Read this blog for further information on the fundamentals of this procedure.

EU Citizens Can No Longer Work in the UK Without Authorization.

As non-EU nationals have for years, most EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals now require authorization to work in the UK, except those who relocated before December 31, 2020. All nationalities are eligible for the Skilled Worker route; a French citizen must fulfill the same standards as a US citizen in order to be granted this visa.

A More Comprehensive Range of Job Opportunities

A skill level threshold has been lowered from RQF 3 to RQF 6. This means a more comprehensive range of jobs is now available for sponsorship. Previously, UK Visa Tier 2 was mostly limited to professional and managerial roles; the skilled worker route is now open to associate administrative, experienced, and skilled trade occupations. Examples of newly eligible jobs for applicants include:

• Maintenance fitters and metal workers (265,000 jobs in the UK)
• Electricians (122,000 jobs in the UK)
• Teaching assistance (300,000 jobs in UK)
• Nursery assistance (160,000 Jobs in the UK)

AT Fly High Abu Dhabi, we have built a complete search engine that allows applicants and employers to search easily and quickly for the relevant job using keywords and titles, showing at a glance whether the role is eligible for sponsorship.

Lower Salary Thresholds

The government has decreased the annual wage level known as the “headline” from £30,000 to £25,600. But the truth is more complicated than that. If you are under 26 or meet the requirements for being considered a “New Entrant,” you will be paid a minimum of £20,480, or 70% of the “Going Rate” for your occupation code, whichever is greater. In general, non-new entrants must pay £25,600 or, if that is more, 100% of the going rate for their occupation code. There are distinct payscale thresholds for positions in the public sector and different thresholds for those with relevant PhDs, especially in STEM fields.

Because of this complexity, knowing if you’re paying enough to sponsor someone can be challenging. Thankfully, the Fly High Abu Dhabi evaluation considers all of these factors and can respond in a few minutes by asking a few quick questions about the applicant and the job.

Furthermore, the applicant’s basic salary is now the only amount needed to fulfill these wage levels; allowances and guaranteed bonuses are no longer taken into account.

‘New Entrant’ Defined Broadly

In addition to those 25 years of age or younger or switching from a student visa, the updated definition now includes people directly seeking postdoctoral positions or obtaining professional qualifications. Given that the income requirement for new entrants is lowered, this modification has significant advantages. In addition, they can now take advantage of this lower threshold for a maximum of four years instead of the three years the prior Tier 2 laws allowed.

Improvements to Procedures

Apart from the above-noted significant policy changes, the Home Office has introduced other beneficial procedural enhancements to streamline the process of supporting applicants for skilled labor status:

1. a) The “Resident Labour Market Test,” which required a 28-day job posting to prove no appropriate settled workers, has been eliminated.
2. b) No cap or yearly limit exists on (General) applications. Instead, ‘Defined’ Certificates of Sponsorship (for applications submitted outside the UK) and ‘Undefined’ Certificates of Sponsorship (for applications submitted within the UK) are now distinguished by the Home Office.

Employers must apply for Defined CoS using their Sponsor Management System; as with the previous Restricted CoS process, decisions are usually made in a day or two. Like the former Unrestricted CoS, Undefined CoS can be distributed as needed.

1. c) Holders of Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) visas no longer need to apply for a new visa outside the UK; they can now convert to a skilled worker visa from within the nation.

These changes strengthen the immigration stream over the previous UK Visa Tier 2 (General) system, which is advantageous to both companies and candidates. Still, the Skilled Worker method is complicated, especially for first-time and infrequent users, much like its predecessor. Fly High Abu Dhabi reduces this complexity by enabling you to evaluate the viability of your application quickly and without having to spend a lot of time reading Home Office rules or money on expensive legal consultations with immigration attorneys.