Securing a Tier 2 Visa under the Points Based System (PBS)
Making sure your potential employee has the best chance of securing a Tier 2 Visa so they can join your company and contribute to your success.
Before you have your Certificate of Sponsorship you'll need to ensure the staff you plan to hire have enough points under the Points Based System to qualify for a Tier 2 Visa - although your sponsorship will count towards it.
There are several types of Tier 2 Visas so it's important to apply for the one that gives you and your potential employee the greatest chance for success.
Tier 2 (General) Visa
This category is used for skilled workers who have received a job offer from a UK employer and also includes Shortage Occupation jobs resulting from work force shortages.
Intra-Company Transfers (ICTs)
Intra-Company Transfers (ICTs) allow Human Resource departments to move workers between the various countries they operate in. There are four sub-categories within this route:
Long-term staff
To qualify, the worker you'd like to transfer has to have been employed by your company for at least 12 months and fill a post that can't be filled by a settled worker.
This subcategory of the Tier 2 Visa - Intra-Company Transfer allows migrants to stay up to a maximum of 60 months. However, if the migrant is a high earner, they can extend their stay up to a maximum of nine years.
This category can also be used to extend current migrant workers stay in the UK under certain circumstances.
Short-term staff
To qualify, the worker you'd like to transfer has to have been employed by your company for at least 12 months and fill a post that can't be filled by a settled worker.
The short-term staff subcategory allows migrants to stay for a maximum of 12 months.
Graduate trainee
This sub-category can be used to transfer recent graduates to the UK as part of a structured graduate training programme with progression towards a managerial or specialist role within the organisation.
The graduate trainee sub-category is for a maximum of 12 months.
Skill transfer
This sub-category can be used to transfer employees from an overseas branch of your company to the UK to receive training or pass on their skills.
The maximum time period for this intra-company transfer category is six months.
Tier 2 Visa - cooling off period
If a migrant had previously been sponsored under Tier 2 but their leave has expired or lapsed, they must wait 12 months before they can apply again under any Tier 2 category. There are exceptions to this rule for both Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfers and Tier 2 General Entry Clearance applications.
