The UK has a points-based immigration system. Anyone except Irish citizens coming to the UK to work in the country has to meet certain requirements. To meet these requirements they will score points. Candidates who gain sufficient points are chosen and awarded visas.
The advantage of this system is that it provides flexible arrangements for employers in the UK to recruit skilled foreign workers from around the world via many different immigration routes.
The employer/sponsor who sponsors you will need a license to hire the most eligible employees from beyond the UK. So, they have to check that the jobs they want to hire individuals for will satisfy the requirements for sponsoring work visas.
The most common way to immigrate to the UK is to obtain a Skilled Worker Visa. To qualify for a skilled worker visa, you have to score 70 points. A job offer from an approved UK employer for a skilled job along with your ability to speak English will fetch 50 points.
Extra points can be gained for having better qualifications like
- D. – 10 points
- D. in STEM – 20 points
- An offer of an in-demand job in which the UK has a shortage – 20 points
Under the Skilled Worker route, any person a UK employer wants to hire from outside the UK will have to show that:
- the candidate has a job offer from a sponsor licensed by the Home Office
- the job offer has the required level of skills – RQF 3 or above
- the candidate can speak English to the standard required
Additionally, it’s necessary that the job offered meets the applicable minimum threshold for salary. This is the higher of either:
- the general threshold of salary – £25,600, or
- the specific requirement of salary for the offered occupation (called the ‘going rate’)
Here’s how points are assigned under the Skilled Worker route:
|
Characteristics |
Mandatory/Tradeable |
Points |
|
Job at appropriate skill level |
Mandatory |
20 |
|
Offer of a job by an approved sponsor |
Mandatory |
20 |
|
Speaks English at the required level |
Mandatory |
10 |
|
Salary of £23,040 to £25,599 or at least 90% of the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher) |
Tradeable |
10 |
|
Salary of £20,480 to £23,039 or at least 80% of the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher) |
Tradeable |
0 |
|
Job in a shortage occupation as designated by the Migration Advisory Committee |
Tradeable |
20 |
|
Salary of £25,600 or above or at least the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher) |
Tradeable |
20 |
|
Education qualification: Ph.D. in a STEM subject relevant to the job |
Tradeable |
20 |
|
Education qualification: Ph.D. in a subject relevant to the job |
Tradeable |
10 |