On 30 June 2008, the UK Border Agency (Home Office) implemented the new Tier 1 (General) Migrant visa category to replace the HSMP visa scheme for skilled applicants under the new Points Based System (PBS) globally.
Switching into the Tier 1 visa category from within the UK is permitted if you hold valid leave under one of the following categories:
• Work Permit holder
• International Graduates Scheme
• Student
• Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland
• Postgraduate doctor or dentist
Alternatively, if you currently reside in the UK as a Working Holidaymaker, you are not eligible to make a Tier 1 application from within the UK. Instead, you will be required to make an application in your country of residence. This brings us to the important point of this correspondence – the newly introduced Maintenance Requirement.
Under the Tier 1 (General) Migrant scheme, visa applicants are required to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds in savings to support themselves in the UK. To do so, they must provide specified documentation demonstrating that a sum of at least £2,800 - or the equivalent thereof - has been held and maintained, as personal savings, over the three month period immediately preceding their visa application. If the main applicant is including dependents in their application, the main applicant will require additional funds of £1,600 per dependent to have been maintained as per the above.
Part way through the process - If you have received or are awaiting an HSMP approval letter issued under the HSMP out-of-country transitional arrangements, you will still need to satisfy the maintenance requirement detailed above. In this instance, you will automatically be awarded the 75 points required to qualify under the attributed points assessment of the Tier 1 (General) – highly skilled worker and the 10 points required for English language; however, you would still need to score 10 points under the maintenance section.
Should you have any queries in this regard, please do not hesitate to contact us.