UK Tier 2 Visa Must Earn 35,000 For Settlement In UK

10 Jul 2015

The new pay threshold would be applicable to persons wishing to stay in UK permanently after five years of employment. Those who do not meet the new minimum income threshold would need to find some other way to stay in UK or extend their Tier 2 visa by another year and then leave after a total of six years in the UK.

UK says they want bright and best

Mrs May, in a written statement to the parliament has said, upto this point, settlement in UK has been a virtually automatic consequence of five years for any Tier 2 skilled worker. But those people who are opting to  settle here, are often lower wages and are lower skilled, whereas the higher earners as well as more skilled individuals are not  opting to settle.

She also added that, the volume of the migrant workers is settling  in Britain, has reached the record levels in the recent years.

As per the Home office figures, the fewer than 10,000 migrant workers as well as dependents had been granted UK settlement in 1997. In 2010, this number has increased to 84,000.

Mrs. May added, the new rules would help in exercising control, ensuring that only the best as well as the brightest remain in Britain permanently.

Exemptions from the £35000 salary requirement

The £35,000 earning requirement would not apply to anyone in an occupation on the shortage occupation list and to scientists as well as researchers in PHD level occupations,

Speaking in 2011, When the new threshold was originally announced for April 2016, Nicola Dandridge of Universities of UK said, that they government has responded to concerns by waiving the threshold for PhD level jobs.

She said, she has put forward strong argument while urging the govt to make international academics as well as researchers to be exempt from any pay threshold the reason being, their salaries are not comparable with highly skilled migrant working with other sectors.

Fears are arising about  increase in skills shortages in UK

Now, with less than 12 months until the new immigration rules have come into force, there are fears across few industry sectors is that, the salary threshold would result in even greater skills shortages. In particular, the education and healthcare sectors have concerns.

The Royal College of Nursing has said, the news rules would deprive the NHS of experienced nurses when demand for them is greater than ever before.

The head teacher’s union have also shared same view point, stating Russell Hobby, have said, We strongly question the wisdom of deporting the highly trained staff in the midst of a teacher recruitment crisis. Far too many overseas trained teaching personnel fall well below the  £35,000 threshold.

NAHT general Secretary, Russell hobby has said, the head teachers across the UK are struggling  in order to recruit. We find the pupil numbers are on the rise and the budgets are being cut all time. In light of these challenges, it certainly seems counterproductive to force out valued personnel just to meet an unrealistic migrant target.

However, the spokespersons for the Home offices have said that, an exemption does apply to occupations where there is a shortage, notably chemistry, Maths and physics teachers which are not subject to income threshold.

The spokesperson has added, this should not be catching the employers by surprise, after all, they have had since 2011,when the new rules were first announced to prepare for the possibility that their non –EEA personnel may not be earning enough to meet the income threshold and remain in Britain Permanently.

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