Today, 06 April 2010, sees the implementation of all the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations relating to the points threshold for the Tier 1 (General) highly skilled migrant category visa.

As reported earlier, the latest changes bring about the reintroduction of points for Bachelor degrees; raise the age limits for scoring points; and increases the salary band levels across the range of point scores.

The Government have yet to finalise the updated overseas earnings multipliers, which are used to ‘uplift’ earnings from outside the UK in an effort to reflect differences in income levels across the world. It was hoped that these new uplift ratios would be available for roll-out on 06 April, but this is not the case.

In the interim, the multipliers will remain as per the previous Tier 1 visa criteria. For example, for earnings derived in South Africa, the uplift ratio is 3.2; for earnings in India the multiplier is 5.3; and for earnings in Australia there is no uplift.

The full table can be found below:

ANNEX A - PREVIOUS EARNINGS UPLIFT CONVERSION RATES

Conversion Rate – 1.0

Andorra; Aruba; Australia; Austria; Belgium; Bermuda; Canada; Cayman Islands; Channel Islands; Denmark; Finland; France; French Polynesia; Germany; Gibraltar; Guam; Hong Kong (Province of China); Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Kuwait; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Monaco; Netherlands; Norway; Qatar; San Marino; Singapore; Sweden; Switzerland; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States of America; Vatican.

 

Conversion Rate – 2.3

American Samoa; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Bahamas; Bahrain; Barbados; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Chile; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Estonia; Faroe Islands; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Hungary; Israel; Korea (South); Latvia; Lebanon; Libya; Macao, (Province of China); Malaysia; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Netherlands Antilles; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Palau; Panama; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Saudi Arabia; Seychelles; Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Spain; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; Taiwan; Trinidad and Tobago; Uruguay; Venezuela; Virgin Islands.

 

Conversion Rate – 3.2

Albania; Algeria; Belarus; Belize; Bolivia; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Brazil; Bulgaria; Cape Verde; China (Peoples Republic of); Colombia; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Fiji; Gabon; Guatemala; Honduras; Iran; Jamaica; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Lithuania; Macedonia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Micronesia; Morocco; Namibia; Nauru; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Romania; Russian Federation; Samoa; South Africa; St Vincent & The Grenadines; Suriname; Swaziland; Syrian Arab Republic; Thailand; Tonga; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Vanuatu; West Bank and Gaza.

 

Conversion Rate – 5.3

Angola; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bangladesh; Benin; Bhutan; Burma (Union of Myanmar); Cameroon; Comoros; Congo (Republic of); Cote d’Ivoire; Cuba; Djibouti; Equatorial Guinea; Gambia; Georgia; Guinea; Guyana; Haiti; India; Indonesia; Iraq; Kenya; Kiribati; Kosovo; Lesotho; Mauritania; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Nicaragua; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Senegal; Serbia; Solomon Islands; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Timor L’Este (East Timor); Ukraine; Uzbekistan; Vietnam; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe.

 

Conversion Rate – 11.4

Afghanistan; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Central African Republic; Congo, (Democratic Republic of); Chad; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Ghana; Guinea-Bissau; Korea (North); Kygyz Republic; The Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mayotte; Mozambique; Nepal; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sao Tome and Principe; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda.

 

When calculating overseas earnings, the UK Government will convert such earnings into GBP (based on the closing spot rate on www.oanda.com), then apply the relevant uplift multiplier as per the above table to reach the UK equivalency. Points are then awarded accordingly as per the new thresholds.

Here are two examples of how the UK Government calculates overseas earnings:

The uplift multiplier applied to overseas earnings in SA is 3.2:1

ZAR140,000 = GBP12,500 (approx based on exchange rate)

GBP12,500 x 3.2 (SA earnings uplift multiplier) = GBP40,000

GBP40,000 = 25 points under the new criteria.

For this example, anyone in South Africa whom is under 30 years of age and has as a minimum a Bachelor degree, will require earnings of at least ZAR140,000 to qualify.

For overseas earnings in India, the uplift ratio is 5.3:1

INR515,000 = GBP7,600 (approx based on exchange rate)

GBP7,600 x 5.3 (India earnings uplift multiplier) = GBP40,280

GBP40,280 = 25 points under the new criteria

We are pleased to announce that the new Tier 1 visa criteria, including the interim multipliers, are now live on the 1st Contact Visas online assessment tool. To take a free assessment of your eligibility under the new criteria, please follow the link below.

If you are eligible now based on the current criteria and earnings uplift, we urge you to apply as soon as possible, as there is no indication as to when or what the changes to these multipliers will be in the future.

Once the UK Government have settled on the updated overseas earnings uplift multipliers, we will advise accordingly.

The UK Government has announced that they have accepted all of the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations relating to the points threshold for the Tier 1 (General) highly skilled migrant category visa.

These latest changes bring about the reintroduction of points for Bachelor degrees; raise the age limits for scoring points; and amendments to the salary bands across the range of point scores.

The following points table will apply from 06 April 2010, where 75 points must be achieved from the 4 attributes of Qualifications, Previous earnings, Age and UK experience. Applicants must also meet the mandatory English and Maintenance requirements of 10 points each to reach an overall score of 95 points:

1. Qualifications

Bachelor degree = 30 points
Masters degree (inc CA's) = 35 points
PhD = 45 points

2. Previous earnings
(Uplifts are applied to overseas earnings to reflect differing economies)

£25,000-£29,999 = 5 points
£30,000-£34,999 = 15 points
£35,000-£39,999 = 20 points
£40,000-£49,999 = 25 points
£50,000-£54,999 = 30 points
£55,000-£64,999 = 35 points
£65,000-£74,999 = 40 points
£75,000-£149,999 = 45 points
£150,000 or above = 75 points

3. Age

Under 30 = 20 points
30 to 34 = 10 points
35 to 39 = 5 points

4. UK experience

5 points available if you have at least £25,000 in UK earnings as part of an application or have completed at least a Bachelor degree level qualification in the UK

a. English language

Mandatory 10 points

b. Maintenance of funds

Mandatory 10 points

The Government is yet to finalise the overseas earnings uplift multipliers and will not have these changes implemented by 06 April 2010. Unfortunately we cannot advise on what these may be, or if in the interim the current multipliers will be utilised. More information regarding this will be available after 06 April 2010.

It is now possible for very high earners to qualify under Tier 1 (General) even if they do not hold any formal post-school qualifications. As per the above table, applicants with earnings in excess of £150,000 can score the required 75 points for attributes purely from this criterion.

New applicants will initially be granted a Tier 1 (General) visa for 2 years, as opposed to the current 3 year validity. After the initial 2 year period, Tier 1 (General) visa holders will be able to apply for an extension of 3 years, bringing their period of leave up to 5 years.

The above table does not apply to those currently in the UK under one of the following categories:

• Tier 1 (General) with leave granted before 06 April 2010
• The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP)
• Writers, Composers and Artists
• Self-employed Lawyers

Transitional arrangements will be put in place so as not to impact negatively on migrants already in the UK under any of the above categories. The current points criteria will apply to applicants in one of these categories at the time of extending their current visa.

Contact us now for a free assessment of your eligibility based on the new criteria.

The UKBA has set its fee schedule for 2010-11. The new fees will take effect from 06 April 2010.

The new fees can be viewed at http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/news/new-immigration-fees

Should you need to submit an application, it is advisable to do so prior to this date, to avoid the increased fees.

The UK may well be advised to relax its Tier 1 educational requirement from a Masters qualification to a Bachelors degree, following recommendations from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). The suggestion is good news for applicants currently falling behind in points for the Tier 1 visa.

However, according to expert immigration group 1st Contact, current applicants should be aware that already some professional memberships are considered equivalent to a Masters degree. For example Chartered members of Engineers Australia (EA) are considered equivalent to a UK Masters, putting them in a position similar to that of Chartered Accountants

The United Kingdom Borders Agency (UKBA) has an online points assessment on their website that holds a lengthy but not exhaustive database of qualifications and professional memberships from around the world. Depending on the UKBA’s perceived value of these qualifications or professional memberships a point’s assessment will be allocated.

Following on the heels of a special report researching the situation at present, 1st Contact has found that some professional memberships appear on the UKBA’s points assessment, while many others that attract points do not. Through their enquiries 1st Contact has learned that in some cases other professional memberships like Barristers, Chartered Engineers and Veterinarians are awarded the 35 points usually reserved for Masters Degree qualifications.

Anyone who is uncertain about their qualification or professional membership should complete the Tier 1 online assessment on the 1st Contact website or call their local 1st Contact Immigration team.

International immigration group, 1st Contact has its international offices ready for the large number of enquiries set to come through from eligible individuals in an attempt to obtain British Citizenship. Previously a wide range of foreign nationals who would not have qualified for such rights, now no longer need to go via the standard ancestral visa categories to earn British citizenship. After 13 January 2010 a person who has a British born mother will have the right to register as a British citizen under section 4C of the British Nationality Act of 198, an opportunity which previously only applied to paternal descent.

According to 1st Contact’s Visas manager Robyn Cory “The opportunities for working, living and travelling in the UK and throughout the world on a UK passport are immense, making this an exciting opportunity.”

Cory adds that 1st Contact tracks all the developments and changes in the UK immigration landscape  to ensure one of the fastest and smoothest acquisitions of British Citizenship for thousands of newly qualified individuals.

The reasoning behind this new development in UK immigration legislation is based on the logic that individuals with British born mothers would theoretically have become British citizens at the time of birth, had women been given equal opportunities to pass on citizenship rights through decent, in the same way as men.

Following this new development, an additional change includes the right of a child, born outside the United Kingdom after 13 January  2010 being able to register as a British citizen if he or she was born to a foreign and Commonwealth member of the United Kingdom Armed forces. It will be required that the parent be serving outside the United Kingdom at the time of birth, with both parents consent to the registration. 
Another dose of good news for current and prospective parents includes an opportunity for children born outside the United Kingdom to British citizens by descent after 13 January 2010 can be registered under section 3(2) of the British Nationality Act of 1981 if an application is made at any time before the child's 18th birthday.

For individuals who feel that they meet the criteria to pursue this opportunity, access to 1st Contact’s online web services can be initiated at any time for further information on procedure, precise details on who qualifies and a full range of services related to living, working and travelling in the UK and beyond visit  www.1stcontactvisas.com.

Foreign nationals heading to the UK for work will soon have to carry special identity cards, as part of a major crackdown on illegal immigration.
Skilled workers, student visa holders and those with UK marriage visas will also now need  to apply for an ID card when they renew their UK visas.

The ID cards will hold a range of biometric information on each foreign national working in the UK which have been introduced alongside the UK government’s opening of a range of new biometric information collection centres across the country. Some post offices will also hold centres set up as part of the new ID rules in order to make legal compliance easier for those required to carry the cards.

Following on the back of new changes, international Immigration group 1st Contact has stepped up its operations to ensure all our clients can stay on the right side of the law. With a international network of offices and an accessible online service platform, the firm has stated its complete commitment to ensuring that every person required to hold an ID can easily obtain one, whilst at the same time they can easily access any additional information related to it.

As of April this year, anyone wanting to work in United Kingdom for six months or more will need the card, with harsh penalties lined up for foreign nationals on selected visa categories without possession of an ID card.

Two conmen, Rong Yang and Steven Lee were found sitting in their vehicle outside a test centre in Wimbledon, have been heavily fined after being convicted of using high-tech spy equipment to transmit answers to applicants writing the Life in the UK Test in 2008.

The Kingston Crown Court found Rong Yang and Steven Lee guilty, advising that fines of up £100,000 may be payable, with an alternative of up to 18 months in jail. Those who pass the ‘Life in the UK Test’ can apply for a UK passport. As a result desperate applicants had been willing to shell out thousands of pounds to increase their chances of success.

However, those keen to do well don’t need to resort to illegal means according to experts. International immigration group, 1st Contact has created a simulated ‘Life in the UK’ test, comprising a computer based exam for those wishing to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or for naturalisation (British Citizenship).

As a free simulated program, applicants can undertake it as many times as they see fit in order to obtain a "real life" feel for what to expect in the official test.

“We have presented the test in a similar format to the official test you will take,” says 1st Contact’s Visas manager Robyn Cory. “Whilst the questions you'll answer are not the actual questions in the test they will give you a feel for whether or not you are ready to take the test.”

UK Authorities Say New Draft Bill set to Ease Migration Procedures

A new 386 page document aiming at the simplification and streamlining of UK Immigration Policy is currently set to be tabled as the UK’s new immigration bill if it is accepted in its draft form.

According to UK authorities the draft bill consolidates nearly forty years of British legislation and will see the country’s Parliament, as opposed to static case law, determine matters related to immigration.

Despite the changes, the shift evidently forms part of the Home Office’s consistent attempts to keep control of easy changes to immigration policy. During a recent press statement authorities reaffirmed the use of the points system as a way to ensure migration continues to “benefit the UK” by allowing the Home Office to raise and lower the bar depending on the types of skills the country requires at any given time.

“We need to ensure that the law which underpins our work is in the best shape to support a fair and effective immigration system,” according UK Minister of State for Borders and Immigration, Phil Woolas.  

 “The draft bill also proposes a new streamlined power of expulsion replacing the current powers of deportation and removal,” according to an official press statement from the Home Office.” Individuals who are issued with an expulsion order will be required to leave the UK and will not be able to re-enter while the order is in force.”

Minister Phil Woolas announced that the Migration Advisory Committee’s shortage occupation list is a powerful tool in making the points based system work for Britain’s economic benefit.

“The MAC can respond quickly to changing economic needs, making sure we only get the foreign workers we need.”

According to the UK’s official Parliamentary news source, parliament.uk, the “immigration appeals system has been simplified to improve its clarity and speed for those who need to use it,” adding that the new measures will also “reduce the number of cases where repeated challenges create obstructions to enforcement”.

The Home Office has revealed new opportunities for skilled access to the UK

The UK Skills Office recently updated its skills shortage list with opportunities in engineering, project management and healthcare, amongst the current options. According to 1st Contact, this expansion of industry categories will afford individuals a wider range of opportunities to take advantage of.

An extensive listing of professions related to audio and visual operations and photography have also emerged on the list.

Chemical engineering is the only category at present in which “all manner” of jobs for skilled professionals is on offer.

As expected many of the skills sought are highly technical, though opportunities for chefs, cooks, care assistant and butlers remain relatively strong.

Social work and the arts are also sectors where some opportunities exist though for the latter category, some certifications from UK-based agencies, like the Arts Councils, are required.

Opportunities in manufacturing, albeit with a heavy on engineering, are also listed.

Take the Free Tier 2 Visa Assessment

Children of UK Mothers Eligible as of January 13th

Expert Migration firm, 1st Contact has confirmed that the UK government will grant passports to a person who has a British mother, under section 4C of the British Nationality Act 1981 if he or she was born between 7 February 1961 and 1 January 1983.  At present an application has to be made within 12 months of the child’s birth. January 13th next year will see the new law implementation take place across the UK.

According to 1st Contact’s Visas manager Robyn Cory “This creates a wider range of opportunity for individuals to claim a British Passport, together with being afforded full rights to live and work in the UK”.

The new law allows for applications to be made at any time before a child reaches the age of 18, allowing the child the right to British nationality and a UK passport.
Additionally children born to a UK citizen mother outside the UK prior to 1961 may also register as a British citizen, thus entitling them to a UK passport and access to the EU.