Posted on June 23 2015

UK Tier 2 Visa Limit Reached for First Time

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated November 29 2024

The monthly limit on Tier 2 visas was reached for the first time this month, prompting harsh criticism of the visa cap from business and immigration experts.

Tier 2 (General) visa for skilled migrants

The purpose of the UK Tier 2 (General) visa is to enable UK employers holding a Tier 2 sponsorship licence to employ skilled migrants from outside of the European Economic Area. In order to apply for a Tier 2 visa migrants need to gain at least 70 points under the tier 2 points test; points are awarded for having a Certificate of Sponsorship with the appropriate salary issued by a UK employer, and for meeting the Tier 2 English language and maintenance funds requirements.

Employers employing Skilled migrants with a job on the Tier 2 shortage occupation list do not need to show there is no resident worker able to do the job. UK Tier 2 (General) visas limited to 20,700 In April 2011 the coalition government introduced an annual limit of 20,700 on Tier 2 Visas, which is split into monthly limits. The quota for June was 1,650 visas which was reached just 11 days into the month. The cap only applies to those who need a Tier 2 Restricted Certificate of Sponsorship; workers living outside of the UK who do not already have a long term UK visa allowing them to switch to a Tier 2 visa. Those exempted from the cap include:

Migrants on Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visas
Migrants applying to extend their Tier 2 visas
Migrants already in the UK under a visa category that allows them to switch to a Tier 2 visa.
Migrants filling vacancies paying £150,000 a year or more
Tier 2 Sports people and Ministers of Religion

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