What you need to know about immigration into the UK
Stuart Beaty
Empowering the Modern Workforce: Solutions and Support, Every Step of the Way.
Are you one of the thousands of businesses already signed up to the Commonwealth Trade Initiative to increase your exports? If you are considering expanding into the UK, this post about UK immigration may be of some use to you.
Once you have decided your organisation is going to relocate an employee, your first concern should be immigration. Until your company and your employee has immigration clearance, your project cannot proceed at maximum potential. You should be aware of the costs, and, perhaps more importantly, the timelines, which do vary from country to country.
The sooner you start the immigration process, the sooner you can get your employee(s) on the ground in the destination location to fully advance the project.
To help you along, here is a brief overview of the UK immigration process. Watch this space as we will post some more of these shortly.
Average time for processing
The minimum processing time by the UK authorities for a Tier 2 (General) is 12 weeks, based on the authorities receiving a complete application online.
Processing times will vary based on:
- Type of application submitted
- Volume of applications received
- How easily they can verify information
- How well and how quickly you respond to any requests or concerns
- Whether the application is complete
Longest time for processing
The longest processing time by the UK authorities is 4 months, based on the authorities receiving a complete application online.
Processing times will vary based on:
- Type of application submitted
- Volume of applications received
- How easily they can verify information
- How well and how quickly you respond to any requests or concerns
- Whether the application is complete
Types of application required: work permit and/or residence permit
A visa is required, and for non-EU residents, a Biometric Resident’s Card (BRC).
Local registration requirements
There is no general requirement for local registration, although nationals aged 16 and over from the following countries are required to register at the police station upon arrival in the UK:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Belarus
Bolivia
Brazil
China
Colombia
Cuba
Egypt
Georgia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon
Libya
Moldova
Morocco
North Korea
Oman
Palestine
Peru
Qatar
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Syria
Tajikistan
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Yemen
Supporting paperwork required
The UK has a few different visa types but the majority of applicants enter the UK on a Tier 2 (General) visa.
Tier 2 (General) Visa
The applicant must have all of the following to be eligible for a Tier 2 (General) visa:
- A certificate of sponsorship reference number
- An ‘appropriate’ salary of at least ￡20,800
- The required level of English * by either:
- Passing an approved English language test with at least CEFR level B1 in reading, writing, speaking and listening
- Having an academic qualification that was taught in English and is recognised by UK NARIC as being equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD
* Proof of knowledge of English is not required for nationals of the following countries:
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
USA
- A current passport or other valid travel identification
- A passport-sized colour photograph
- Bank statements showing you’ve had at least ￡945 in savings continuously over the last 90 days, or your sponsor’s certification that they can support and accommodate you for the first month you’re employed
- Tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Belarus
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Botswana
Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Cameroon
China
Congo
Congo Democratic Republic
C?te d’Ivoire
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Hong Kong or Macau
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Micronesia
Moldova
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
Niger
Nigeria
Pakistan
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor Leste
Togo
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe - A page in the applicant’s passport that’s blank on both sides for the visa
A certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh
Additional documents may be requested depending on individual circumstances.
Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS)
To apply for a Tier 2 visa, the applicant needs to be sponsored (i.e. have a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed sponsor) before they can apply to come to the UK to work.
You need a certificate of sponsorship for each foreign worker you employ. This is an electronic record, not a physical document. Each certificate has its own number which a worker can use to apply for a visa. Certificates must be used within 3 months from when they’re issued.
When you apply for your Sponsor Licence you’ll be asked to estimate how many Tier 2 and Tier 5 certificates you’ll need. These are called unrestricted certificates because there’s no limit on how many you can get.
Restricted certificates are for:
- Tier 2 (General) workers currently abroad who’ll be paid less than ￡155,300 a year
- Family members (dependants) of Tier 4 migrants
You must apply for restricted certificates for these workers through the sponsorship management system (SMS). You’ll get access to this when you get your licence.
There’s a limited number of restricted certificates available each month. Each application is assessed using a points system.
Applications are considered on the first working day after the 10th day of the month. This is called the ‘allocation date’. If you apply after the 5th day of the month, then your application will be held until the next month’s allocation date.
Your application may also be held until the next month’s allocation date so that the details of your application can be checked.
Your restricted certificate will appear in your SMS account on the allocation date if your application has been approved. You can apply again if your application isn’t approved.
Need to know
If the position is classified as permanent, for a Tier 2 (General) the role will need to be advertised in the UK for 28 days to determine that no other candidates meet the criteria prior to the online submission. This will lengthen timeframes.
Before bringing anybody into the UK, an organisation must first apply for and obtain a Sponsor Licence. The requirements for obtaining a Sponsor Licence are as follows:
- Organisation must be registered with Companies House
- UK bank account (no revenue required)
- Physical office / site (serviced office is acceptable – even just a hot desk)
- Employer's Liability Insurance (min ￡5M)
- An individual to act as the “Authorising Officer” in the UK and head up the project from day 1; must be either a UK citizen or somebody who has been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK.
Each employee will need to obtain a National Insurance (NI) number when they arrive in the UK. The application has to be made by the employee personally and there is also a possibility that they may be called to an interview.
The NI number can only be applied for once the employee has arrived in the UK. NI numbers take between 2 and 6 weeks to be sent out once the application is received.
All non-EU citizens are issued with a 30-day permit in their passports. These citizens must enter the UK within this timeframe and arrange their Biometric Resident’s Card (BRC) at the local post office within 10 working days of entering the UK. They will need to bring their passports as I.D. and will have fingerprints and a photograph taken.
Applicants from some countries will need to pay the NHS Immigration Health Surcharge. The normal cost is ￡200 per person, per year.
About Celsium
Celsium is a global relocation management company head-quartered in the UK.
Our leadership team has over 21 years' experience of delivering employee relocation and global mobility solutions for some of the most recognised and leading organisations in the world.
Celsium has the experience and capabilities to support your key stakeholders in any country in the world.
We are committed to reducing the time and effort spent by HR teams handling relocation programmes.
Celsium. Making relocation easy.
If you would like to contact us
+44 (0)121 214 6204
Stuart Beaty
+ 44 (0)7814 446294
Shelley Lloyd
+ 44 (0)7971 400518
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