The UK Home Office on recommendations from the Migration Advisory Committee will be implementing a number of changes to the Tier 2 skilled worker visa categories around September – October 2016. These reforms will be the first phase of changes to the Tier 2 categories and additional reforms will be implemented in April and July of 2017.
Key reforms which will come into effect this fall are as set out below:
- The Tier 2 (General) salary threshold will increase to £25,000. Exemptions will be provided for nurses, medical radiographers, paramedics, and secondary school teachers in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science and Mandarin. The threshold for new graduates will remain £20,800.
- The Skills Transfer sub-category will be closed to new applications as part of a broader overhaul of the Tier 2 (ICT) category.
- The Short-Term ICT sub-category salary threshold will be raised to £30,000.
- The immigration health surcharge will be applied to all intracompany transfers.
- Extra weight will be given to overseas graduates within the Tier 2 (General) quota.
- In-country graduates in the Tier 2 (General) quota will be allowed to switch roles within a company after securing a permanent job at the end of their training program.
As soon as these changes go into effect, they will raise costs for employers sponsoring employees and intracompany transfers under the Tier 2 route.
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