If you are a highly skilled professional a Tier 1 General Visa will allow you to live and work in the UK for a period of up to 5 years without any form of employment or travel restriction. This highly popular visa is ideal for IT Consultants & Medical Professionals who are interested in building a long term career in the UK.
Qualifying under Tier 1 General & the Immigration Cap
To qualify under Tier 1 General you need to score at least 80 points from 4 points scoring areas (i.e. Qualifications, Previous Earnings, Age, UK Experience) and satisfy the mandatory English Language & Maintenance requirements. In total you will need to score at least 100 points to submit an application.
Qualifications (Maximum 50 Points)
PHD 45 Points
Master’s Degree 35 Points
Bachelor’s Degree 30 Points
None of the above 0 Points
Previous Earnings (Maximum 80 Points)
Points are awarded for earnings generated in any single 12 month period in the 15 months immediately prior to the application. Please be aware that if you are applying from outside the UK currency conversions & uplift ratios apply in order to take into account regional differences in currencies. Previous Earnings Tier 1 General Points Available
£150,000 or more 80 Points
£75,000 - £149,999 45 Points
£65,000 - £74,999 40 Points
£55,000 - £64,999 35 Points
£50,000 - £54,999 30 Points
£40,000 - £49,999 25 Points
£35,000 - £39,999 20 Points
£30,000 - £34,999 15 Points
£25,000 - £29,999 5 Points
Age (Maximum 20 Points)
Under Tier 1 General applicants are awarded points for their age at the time of application. Age at time of application Tier 1 General Points Available
Under 30 20 Points
30 to 34 10 Points
35 to 39 5 Points
40 or over 0 Points
UK Experience (Maximum 5 Points)
5 Points are awarded if you can prove you have generated earnings or gained a qualification whilst being in the United Kingdom (subject to specific requirements).
English Language Requirement (10 Mandatory Points Required)
Being able to speak English to a satisfactory level is a mandatory requirement of applying for a highly skilled Tier 1 Visa. In order to apply you must prove that you either:
Come from a country in which English is the main language, OR
Have successfully completed a Degree qualification (or better) which was taught entirely in English, OR
Have passed an English Language Test equal to or exceeding level C1 of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework for Language Learning
Maintenance Requirement (10 Mandatory Points Required)
You must be able to support you & your dependents without requiring access to public funds. To prove maintenance you need to show satisfactory available funds in your account for the 90 days immediately prior to application. Please be aware that if funds drop even £1 below the required amount in the period the application will be refused. In Country Tier 1 General Applications £800 at all times in last 3 months
Out of Country Tier 1 General Applications £2,800 at all times in last 3 months
