The Tier 2 General Visa is one of the UK's most popular options for those looking to move to the UK to live and work. Offering those with the appropriate skills the chance to move to the UK (and even settle in the long-term), the visa is an excellent option for both businesses and migrants to get what they need. One of the biggest stumbling blocks of the Tier 2 General Visa is the minimum salary requirement.
Potentially more complicated than any other facet of the visa, the minimum salary requirement needs to be understood by both employers and migrants in order to make the system work properly. In this article, we are going to look at the minimum salary requirements for the Tier 2 General Visa, and delve into some of the more complicated subjects so that you can move forward.
What seems like a straightforward question is actually potentially very difficult!
The minimum salary for an "experienced" worker entering the UK on a Tier 2 General Visa is 30,000. However, this 30,000 limit is not the only one that exists!
2017 brought in a "new entrant" level that allowed the minimum salary requirement to be reduced for those who fit one of the following criteria:
For these workers, the rate will drop to a minimum of 20,800 per annum (you will need to speak to us to ensure that the role and worker qualifies).
30,000 is potentially not the minimum
Something else that needs clarifying is that the absolute minimum salary for a job is not necessarily 30,000. The Standard Occupational Classification (more commonly referred to as SOC) of a specific role will define what the actual minimum salary requirement is for that role. Employers are required to choose the SOC code that most closely matches the role that they are advertising and pay the relevant wage. Again, depending on the skill level and worker's specific situation, you will need to adjust the pay accordingly. This adjustment may result in you needing to pay significantly more than 30,000 in order to satisfy the Home Office's requirements. In order to maintain compliance, it is vital that this is adhered to. Tier 2 Sponsor Licence Holders can be visited at any time, and any lack of compliance is likely to be punished heavily.
Once the minimum salary requirement for the Tier 2 General Visa has been met, you will be able to offer a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the applicant that you wish to take on. The applicant will then use this as part of their application to show that they have been offered an eligible job in the UK. Their application will then be assessed against the eligibility criteria that is set out for the Tier 2 General Visa. All being well, your applicant should be offered their visa within 8 weeks. Once they have received their visa, they will be free to come to the UK to start their role.
Once the worker is in your employ, you are responsible for keeping accurate records for them. From the Home Office's standpoint, Tier 2 Sponsor Licence holders become responsible for those that they have given jobs to. You will need to ensure that you have rigorous HR processes in place to keep compliant, and you will need to ensure that the Home Office is kept updated of any significant changes to your worker's employment (i.e. if they go missing, if they leave the business etc.). Failure to keep adequate records could result in penalties for your business, therefore it is vital that you remain compliant.
If you are looking to get your HR practices compliant, please get in touch and we can help you to ensure compliance. We have worked with many businesses that bring in Tier 2 General Visa holders to the UK, and can help to ensure that you have everything that you need in order to stay on the right side of immigration law.
The penalties for non-compliance are hugely damaging (not only financially - the fine for an illegal worker is 20,000 per worker - but you can also face imprisonment). We can help you set up rigorous processes that ensures compliance and can allow you to concentrate on the more important job of running your business.
Make sure you get in touch today and talk to a member of our team about the solutions we offer for Tier 2 Sponsor Licence holders.
Tier 1 Investor Visa - Business Immigration
Investing
over 2 million pounds is defintely not a routine decision. We had to make sure that the Tier 1
investor immigration lawyers that we'd be picking
has to be one of the best within the Tier 1 investor category. We contacted Reiss Edwards and they
were able to get us not only the Tier 1 investor visa but
also suggested profitable investment portfolios in addition to what we already had in mind.
Indefinite Leave to remain - UK Settlement and
Naturalisation
I am glad that i instructed Reiss Edwards on my visa matter. It started with a 20 minutes free
immigration advice. I met with Amar to discuss my ILR refusal. He gave me a great deal of
quality advice and decided to take on my messy case. I had doubts on the merits of my case by he was
relatively convinced
he could win it. That made me quite secure. To be honest, things did not start as quick as I would
have wanted, but they kept on communicating the process and state of things
to me.A big thank you to Verusha and Foram. They were also very helpful. Brilliant and informative.
Their fee was fair and reasonable, especially if you compare them to other law firms and immigration
law firms in London; some of whom even told me that i would not be able to get an indefinte leave to
remain in this country.
The process was long but was worth it. In the end, a big thank you to Reiss Edwards.
Citizenship Application - UK Naturalisation
TI have just had British Citizenship application approved. Prior to making the application, i was not
sure which law firm
i should hire to facilitate the paperwork. After a few hours of research, i decided to go with Reiss
Edwards and i must confess that
i wasnt disappointed. The immigration lawyers at Reiss Edwards handled my case well and they really
knew what they were doing. They were fully
aware of what documents I needed and it was easy for them to tell if my case was going to be easy or
not. At the end of the day, I have not received my British citizenship within 3 months. If anyone is
looking for a good immigration lawyer to handle thier case, contact Reiss Edwards.
Spouse Visa - Appeals and visa refusals
Fantastic Solicitors!!!
My wife's spouse visa extension application was refused by the Home Office and they gave her 14 days
to leave the country.
We contacted Reiss Edwards and they said "OK don't worry we will sort this out". They put together the
list of documents
for me to obtain and they prepared a bundle which was as thick as the printer it came out from.We
followed everything they asked us to do and in the end we won our appeal and got our spouse visa. We
can't recommend them enough and we have promised ourselves never to make any more UK visa applications
without them.
Immigration Visa - Citizen of United Kingdom
The team of lawyers at Reiss Edwards are very professional and friendly people. Their experience in
and around UK immigration law is quite extensive; be sure that you application is in safe and
competent hands. My immigration matter was an indefinite leave to remain application based on Tier 1
on a self-employment basis. The immigration lawyers at Reiss Edwards made sure that the application
was perfect and ready to be accepted. I got a positive decision and I recommend them highly for anyone
who needs a UK immigration help.
UK Settlement Visa
I contacted Reiss Edwards to help me with my wife�s UK settlement visa. They acted with utmost
professionalism throughout the entire application. I spoke with Joe Dinh, he is an immigration
solicitor and he is one of the best solicitors out there. He ensured that there was little to no room
for error. At some point I thought he was over cautious. He remained calmed and continued to assure us
on our immigration matter. Most people in his position would have panicked but he was calmed and
continued to assure us. We received out positive outcome very quickly.
Cheap Immigration Lawyers in London
I have been using Reiss Edwards for three years now for my family's immigration application. Both for
my initial application and extension. They are really affordable. The team of solicitors at this firm
are probably one of the most efficient and economical in terms of cost. They offered free advice over
the phone and spent good time with us before inviting us for consultation.
Top Notch Immigration Service
Reiss Edwards is a top notch immigration service company. The way they handled our documentation and
also the list of documents they sent was efficient and top quality. They helped us professionally
throughout the process. We are very happy with the immigration advice we received from the team. We
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Best Immigration Solicitors
I used Reiss Edwards� immigration lawyers to assist with my immigration matter and that of my family.
It was an EX1 application. They dealt with the matter properly and even when complications were coming
up from the Home Office, they helped resolve the issue properly. They are very professional and are
very popular in London. I am happy to have worked with them.
Indefinte Leave to remain - Individual Immigration - UK Settlement
visa
It's a shame that you dont have an 'Excellent' star rating on here, as my experience with Reiss
Edwards is nothing short
of an excellent rating. They handled my application for an Indefinite Leave to remain in April 2014
and did my husband's one
very recently including my daughter. Every time i have approached them, they have continued to treat
me with courtesy,
respect and patience. Amar was indeed a very thorough and professional gentleman. He is very
knowledgeable, corporative and
engaging. He responded to my emails, calls and enquiries promptly. He was always reassuring. I could
not have asked for a better
Immigration service. I would recommend them over and over again for anyone looking for an immigration
advice.
They gave me a free immigration advice when i called them, and the quality of the advice was something
other charge thousands for.
If you need a particular, name, Amar would be it. He exemplifies, for me, the true, professional
gentleman.
He is a valuable asset to Reiss Edwards.
Tier 2 Visa application - UK Work Visas
This is the only firm that i spoke with that didn't ask for money before listening to me, will be
using them again.
I used Reiss Edwards for my Tier 2 visa application and it was successful. The team was ever present
and happy to answer my question. The caseworker that dealing with my case went on holiday yet by case
did not suffer one bit. Another lawyer stepped and took
over the case without any hassle.
Tier 1 Investor Visa - Business Immigration
My Tier 1 Investor Visa was dealt with quickly and without issue. Would recommend Reiss Edwards as an
Immigration law firm in London. Thank you to the team.