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Tier 2 (General)

Can you apply?

This section explains the requirements that you must meet if you want to come to or remain in the UK as a skilled worker under Tier 2 (General) of our points-based system.

To be able to apply, you must score a total of 70 points and meet all the other requirements of the Immigration Rules.

If you are already in the UK in a different immigration category, you can find out whether you can 'switch' into Tier 2 (General) under 'More information' below.

Points for your attributes

You must score 50 points for having a Tier 2 (General) certificate of sponsorship, and for being paid an appropriate salary. These are known as your 'attributes'.

Points are available for your attributes as follows:

Attribute Points available

Assigned a certificate of sponsorship, because:

  • the job has an annual salary of £150,000 or more;
  • the job is on the shortage occupation list;
  • your sponsor has completed a resident labour market test (or an exemption applies); or
  • you want to extend your stay and continue working in the same job for the same employer

The Certificate of sponsorship page explains how you can score these points.

 30

Appropriate salary and allowances

The Appropriate salary and allowances page explains how you can score these points.

 20


Points for your English language ability

You must score 10 points for English language ability.

The English language page explains how you can score these points.

Points for maintenance (funds)

You must score 10 points for maintenance (funds).

The Maintenance page explains how you can score these points.

Additional requirement for students

You may need to meet an additional requirement if you are in the UK as a Tier 4 student, or in one of the student categories under the Immigration Rules that were in place before March 2009. For more information, see the Students with financial sponsorship page.

More information

  • Other requirements (general grounds for refusal)

    Even if you meet the requirements described above, we may refuse your application for other reasons (such as your previous immigration history) . For more information about these 'general grounds for refusal', see Chapter 9 of our immigration directorate instructions.

  • Can you switch into Tier 2 (General)?

    If you currently have permission to stay in the UK under any of the following immigration categories, you can apply to Tier 2 (General) from inside the UK:

    • any Tier 1 category
    • Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
    • Tier 2 (Minister of religion)
    • Tier 2 (Intra company transfer: established staff), if you are applying to switch sponsor
    • Tier 2 (Intra company transfer) under the Immigration Rules n place before 6 April 2010, if you are applying to change sponsor
    • any Tier 4 category
    • Tier 5 (Temporary worker - creative and sporting), for a job as a professional footballer - but you must meet the Tier 2 requirements, including English language
    • dependent partner of a Tier 4 migrant 
    • Highly Skilled Migrant Programme
    • innovator
    • Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme
    • International Graduates Scheme (or its predecessor, the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme)
    • Business and Commercial work permits (except multiple entry work permits)
    • Sports and Entertainment work permits (except multiple entry work permits)
    • Jewish agency employee
    • Member of the operational ground staff of an overseas-owned airline
    • minister of religion, missionary or member of a religious order
    • overseas qualified nurse or midwife
    • person writing up a thesis
    • postgraduate doctor or dentist
    • representative of an overseas business
    • representative of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation
    • student
    • student re-sitting an examination
    • student nurse
    • student union sabbatical officer

    If you are not in any of these categories, you must leave the UK and make your Tier 2 (General) application from abroad.

    If you are switching from Tier 4 or the former categories of student, student nurse, student re-sitting an examination or student union sabbatical officer, you must have current permission to stay in the UK and, during that permission to stay, you must have lawfully obtained a UK degree, postgraduate certificate in education or professional graduate diploma of education. You must have obtained one of the named qualifications. They do not include, for example, vocational qualifications at degree level which are not degrees.

    If you are a PhD student, you do not need to have completed your course, but you must have completed at least 12 months' study towards it in the UK.

    Switching from a post-study category

    You can be assigned a certificate of sponsorship and score 30 points if you are switching from:

    • Tier 1 (Post-study work)
    • Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme
    • International Graduate Scheme (or its predecessor, the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme)
    • any Tier 4 category
    • student
    • student re-sitting an examination
    • student nurse
    • student union sabbatical officer.

    If you are switching from student, student re-sitting an examination, student nurse or student union sabbatical officer, you must have current permission to stay in that category.

    If you do not meet these requirements, you will need to claim points for sponsorship in another way (such as through a resident labour market test).