Tier 2 (General)
Under the Points Based System the main immigration route available to international students who wish to remain in the UK to work after their studies is “Tier 2 - General”. Arrangements have been put in place by UKBA to make the graduate route into Tier 2 more accessible than the standard route.
Key features are:
- Applicants will need to have successfully completed a UK Bachelor degree, Masters degree or a PG Certificate/PG Diploma in Education at a Tier 4 licenced institution;
- PhD students can apply having studied for at least 12 months of a PhD programme;
- Applicants must have a job offer from a Tier 2 licenced sponsor;
- Minimum salary of £20,300 per annum (with exceptions for specific career routes - "Codes of Practice");
- Applicants can begin work before Tier 2 graduate route visa is granted, as long a Certificate of Sponsorship has been assigned by an employer;
- No resident labour market test required;
- Limited to a maximum of 6 years in total (3+3 years);
- The applicant MUST be switching into Tier 2 from Tier 4 Student and the application MUST be submitted from within the UK before the current / valid visa expires.
Guidance on Tier 2 application forms and other relevant information about working after studies can be found on the UKCISA website at http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/working_after.php
Please note that the Visa Team cannot check Tier 2 applications for students / graduates.
